There’s thousands of different options out there to choose from, so selecting the right office furniture for your space can seem like a daunting task. Choosing the right office furniture for your space involves taking into account a number of different factors.
Whether you’re looking to just make a few small tweaks and upgrading your home office with a new office chair, or you’ve got a bigger task of refurbishing an existing office space, the choices you make can have a big impact. We’re here to guide you through the process and highlight some key factors that might make choosing the right furniture that little bit easier.
Why do you need it?
Different types of jobs require different solutions, so thinking about this can often help in selecting the right furniture.
For example, if you’re an architect you may need a larger desk and some high seating, such as a draughtsman chair with a dedicated footring to provide as much comfort as possible for long periods of standing or perching. On the other hand, a desk-based customer service role may mean you place more of an emphasis on your desk set-up, flexible monitor arms and ergonomic seating.
Thinking about your companies’ working style, particularly in the office, can help select the right furniture too. Does your company work quite collaboratively? Breakout spaces, meeting pods and open plan desking solutions might be the answer. Does your company place a heavy emphasis on official meetings? If so, a dedicated boardroom with a centre-piece desk and executive seating options could be what you’d look for to make that strong impression when you’re hosting external clients.
Lastly, have a think about the space you’ve got available. It’s likely that you’ll have less space in your home office, so a solid ergonomic chair and fold away desk, such as the HomeFit by Vepa, could be just what you need to make the most of your space efficiently. If you’re in charge of an office fitout and filling a blank space, you’ll want to think about the space available to you and striking that balance between having too little furniture and too much furniture.
Sustainability
Now, more than ever, we need to be placing a high emphasis on the sustainability of what we buy. According to the European Commission, 80% of the environmental impact of a product is determined at the design stage. Given this, we need to focus both on the types of materials being used in our products and how these can be broken down and reused at the end of their life.
For example, the HAG Capsico is made up of over 50% recycled materials of both post-consumer and industrial waste. Not only this, but at the end of its operational life it’s 90% recyclable. With the Senator iWorkchair 2.0, this is made up of around 40% recycled fabric, aluminium castings and steel and is 99% recyclable at the end of its operational life.
Findings from East London design studio Pearson Lloyd showed that a circular design process is needed to address sustainability within the furniture industry. Looking at areas like designing products with waste and bio-based materials, packing for self-assembly and designing for repair can all play a huge role in ensuring that the design of our products is as sustainable as possible, and giving consumers the peace of mind that they’re making an eco-conscious choice when buying.
Longevity
Premium office furniture comes with a premium price tag. It can be easier to approach these types of purchases by thinking of it as a long-term investment. Premium pieces, such as high-end office chairs, are typically constructed using high quality materials, such as the 75% New Zealand wool in the HAG Capisco 8106 and the 3D-knitted technology of the Senator iWorkchair 2.0. We know it can be a pain to pay a little bit more upfront, but we promise that you’ll save in the long-run by reducing the need to continuously repair / replace your items.
Not only do premium materials feel and look better on a daily basis, but they also come with the peace of mind of extending warranties meaning that you’re set for years to come. All of our products on the TG Office Services shop come with at least 10 years’ warranty.
Ergonomics
When we’re talking about office furniture, in its basic terms, ergonomics is how our bodies interact with the furniture we use to reduce strain, discomfort and ensure that our furniture allows us to work as efficiently as possible.
If you’re working from home and sitting at your desk for continued periods of time, you’ll definitely want to prioritise the ergonomic capability of any office furniture you buy. If you stay relatively static during the day, we’d recommend something like the Senator Ousby with its mesh back for breathability and contoured back. If you’re up and down frequently and like to sit in different positions, look no further than something like the HAG Capsico which has ergonomics at the very heart of its design. The exact same can be said regarding ergonomics in the workplace – the ergonomic make-up of your office furniture is equally as important here. Stats from the Health and Safety Executive showed that in 2022/2023, 473,000 workers suffered from musculoskeletal pain such as back pain, neck pain and arm pain and attributed this, in part, to employees not correctly having their workplace equipment personally adjusted or correctly set up. While it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, having dedicated ergonomic office furniture can go a long way to mitigating everyday work-related body pains.
There can be a lot of jargon to decipher, but some key terms to look out for when looking for ergonomically sound office furniture is…
- Task chair – a chair specifically designed with ergonomics in mind
- Lumbar support – specific support for your lower back
- Seat depth adjustment – sliding the seat backwards / forwards to match your seating position
- Tilt tension – allowing the user to select the level of recline in their chair
- Mesh back – a breathable mesh back fabric allowing for air flow and optimal comfort
- Multi-function arms – moveable armrests to allow your elbows to rest in line with your keyboard or laptop
With buying office furniture, there’s lots to unpack to allow you to make the right choice. From thinking about how you work, to considering the ergonomics, longevity and sustainability of your products, we hope this goes some way to helping you whittle down your decision.
If you ever want to discuss your office furniture requirements then you can contact us here and we’d be more than happy to help.