Office Furniture Tips

With your office being a place where you spend time every day, it needs to be comfortable, practical and stylish. Because your office is also a reflection of who you are and how you work, you need to set a good impression for your guests and employees by choosing the right office furniture. The number of choices available at chain stores and specialty office supply stores might seem overwhelming, but there are a number of tips and tricks you can use to ensure you are furnishing your office properly to meet your current and future needs. Does this Spark an idea?

Plan and Research

Do your research carefully and compare furniture prices at different stores.

Your office is the place where you will spend most of your days, so it is imperative that you carefully plan the pieces of furniture you will purchase and how the furniture will be laid out. Impulse buys are a no-no. Remember, while that bright red leather office chair might look trendy and edgy, it easily can end up an outdated eyesore that you have to look at all day, every day for the next few years. Consciously plan your offices color scheme and theme before you hit the stores, and evaluate your furniture needs by asking your employees input as well.

Also, dont rush out and purchase the first workstation or desk chair that you see on sale. While saving money is important, the quality and longevity of your office furniture should be your first priority. When it comes to furniture, you get what you pay for. Do your research carefully--feel free to browse desk chairs and couches at chain stores like Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target, but compare the pieces to the quality of the items found at specialty furniture and office supply stores. Weigh the benefits, too--you can buy a cheap desk chair now, but how long before you need to replace it? Sometimes, buying tried-and-tested office brand names such as DMI, Lesro, Maxon and Eurotech will save you more money in the long run. Ensure you carefully plan, research and browse through stores before thinking about whipping out the company credit card.

Comfort

These days there are plenty of attractive desk chairs that also offer adjustable back and even neck support.

The rule with office furniture, particularly desk chairs and couches, is that comfort trumps style. Although trendy, aesthetically-pleasing contemporary office furniture made of plastic and metal might look good, ask yourself if you want to be sitting on a hard chair with no back for eight hours a day. You will be unable to work efficiently if your seat causes your back to hurt, so ensure that you buy furniture that allows you to be comfortable all day long. These days there are plenty of attractive desk chairs that also offer adjustable back and even neck support.

Also, keep your employees in mind. Make sure their furniture also supports optimum comfort levels to ensure efficient work and overall health. Make sure any workstation you are considering for your employees allows enough leg room for the people who will be sitting there all day.

Versatility

It is important to ensure your furniture not only meets your current storage and filing needs, but also will stretch to fit your future needs.

Your office will only keep growing over the years and your collection of files will only get larger. So it is important to ensure that your furniture not only meets your current storage and filing needs, but also will stretch to fit your future needs. These days, you can buy multi-purpose furniture, such as workstations with large filing cabinets and discreet extra drawers, as well as clever leather footstools that open up from the top and can be used as storage boxes. Also, instead of buying thin, aesthetically-pleasing display shelves, purchase larger, sturdier filing cabinets that are more practical for the future. Decorate over them with a painting, photo frames, flowers or a lamp to draw attention away from the furniture and toward the theme and feel of the room.