Shopping for Office Furniture

When you’re shopping for office furniture, the first thing to
determine is whether your furniture can be simply functional or
whether it also needs to establish your professional image. If you’ll
be meeting clients regularly, your furniture must be functional and
attractive. If you won’t be meeting clients, you should make choosing
the most useful furniture your top priority – then pick the most
attractive pieces that you’ve decided fit your functional needs.
Almost every office contains basic furniture. Here are the most
common items:
Almost every office contains basic furniture. Here are the most common items:

Desks: By definition most offices contain desks. A desk can be as simple as a sheet of plywood supported by two sawhorses, or a custom-built carpenter’s masterpiece. Desks come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, including ones suitable for placing against a wall, with attached shelves, with file drawers… you can find a desk to fit your needs and your personal style. Simple desks you can assemble yourself are available at department stores and office supply stores like Staples and Office Max for under $200.

File cabinets: Your file cabinets are the storage facility for your office. The more paperwork you store the more file cabinets you need. Many desks have drawers suitable for hanging file folders. If you need more storage space, you can find vertical file cabinets, horizontal file cabinets… they come in a number of shapes and sizes. Metal filing cabinets tend to be less expensive than wood cabinets. Inexpensive four-drawer metal cabinets can be purchased for under $80 at stores like Office Depot.

Chairs: Even if you try to economize on furniture, it isn’t a good idea to simply pick the cheapest chair. If you’ll spend a lot of time sitting you’ll want an ergonomically-friendly chair that supports your back and keeps you comfortable. While it’s easy to pick furniture from a catalog if you like, it’s important to try out chairs to see which fit your body type and seating posture before you buy. Don’t buy the first chair you see – try it out. Take a book along and sit for fifteen to twenty minutes to see how the chair feels. Some specialty office supply stores will let you take a chair for a “test drive” for a day – if you can take advantage of that offer. If you need chairs for visitors, their comfort is less important, since they’re unlikely to be sitting in the chairs for extended periods of time. If you have to economize, save money on guest or visitor chairs you buy, not the chair that will become your “home” in the office.

Once you decide what types of furniture you need, you’re ready to go shopping. Here are some tips:

• Define your furniture requirements ahead of time. Decide what you and your employees need to work effectively. If your business is growing, make sure you look for furniture that is easily movable and can be adapted to different purposes. Don’t buy a large oval conference table if you only have one room it will fit in. Make sure you know what types of furniture your business needs in order to operate, and then look for attractive pieces.

• Make a list of what you need so you can avoid buying items you don’t really need. No matter how large the office is, space almost always becomes a problem, especially if you have a home office. Only buy what you need, and take a look at “vertical” pieces to try to maximize floor space.

• Buy furniture for its functionality first, not for its image. If your furniture isn’t right for how you work, it won’t be practical and you’ll have wasted money.

• Think about leasing or renting furniture, particularly if you need 100 percent financing in order to make a purchase. Leasing or renting increases your flexibility if your company grows or shrinks. Leasing is best if you expect to upgrade your furniture quickly and if you don't expect to cancel your lease before it is finished. However, if you can afford to pay cash, then buy the furniture to avoid the financing and leasing expense. Buying the furniture is also advisable if you plan to own it for quite a while. Another advantage of buying the furniture is if you want to keep your balance sheet clean of liabilities and keep your credit line open for other purchases.

• Think about the health and safety of you and your employees – be sure to consider comfort and ergonomics. The wrong desk and chair can make you and your employees susceptible to ergonomic disorders like back problems, headaches, eyestrain, and other irritations and inconveniences. Fatigue, loss of concentration, and irritability can also be attributed to the use of the wrong furniture. Focus on comfort and usability first, then on appearance.

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