If you’re not too worried about wasting money, that approach may work, but if you want a more practical look at buying office furniture, you need to ask yourself some serious questions. Being an informed buyer can go a long way in saving you a lot of money.

For many people, the process of choosing office furniture can be daunting, as there are many categories to choose from. You have executive office furniture, modern office furniture, and a host of other choices. You also have a variety of used office furniture that look just as good as their brand new counterparts do.

Space

First things first—what kind of space do you have? How large is it? How will its shape affect your furniture’s layout? You need to take the appropriate measurements of your office space before making any final purchases. Far too many office owners recklessly select furniture, only to find out that it doesn’t properly fit in their office. Remember, you also need to take into account the person using the furniture and accessories/items used in tandem with it, such as office chairs and side tables.

Fitted furniture, also known as bespoke office furniture, are a good solution for saving space, but they can be very costly as well.

Colour

London contemporary office furniture comes in just about any colour and finish you can think of. To make the decision easier, think of the finish you want beforehand and make sure it matches your office’s colour scheme. The last thing you want is a neon-coloured table in a rustic office.

Uses

You also need to consider the preferred use of your office furniture as well as the desired working space of your employees. More storage spaces and options are usually better, particularly for offices with limited room, but remember that they will often cost more.

Brand New or Used?

When it comes to saving money, secondhand office furniture often wins. However, your choices will often be limited towhat’s available at stores that sell brand new pieces. Going the secondhand route means being willing to make compromises in exchange for savings. Be sure to weigh your options carefully when encountering this dilemma.

Hunting for used office furniture is faster online — ‘Google is your friend’. If you’re in London, just Google ‘used office furniture suppliers London’ and page one of the results will give you the most popular used office furniture suppliers in that city. On the upper right side will be a map pointing the location of the top ones who already listed their businesses with Google Places so you’ll know where to go. You can also check out their websites one-by-one — probably just use the first 3 pages or so, and call or email those you like. You can then set up appointments.

If you don’t like searching online, of course there’s the Yellow Pages (there’s also an online version). If you have friends in the city who modestly furnished their home office, you can ask them for tips. Or you can roam around, looking for notices or billboards about used office furniture. Another idea is asking moving and packing services. They usually come across customers willing to sell their used furniture. But these last tips are not as efficient as doing an online search as they are more of a hit-or-miss approach — but they sometimes give you the best deals.

In any case, narrow the choice down to those nearest your office — the price of used office furniture usually does not include transport and installation. If your chosen used office furniture supplier is willing to include these costs in the price while still being affordable, well and good.

If the supplier is located far from your home or office, the added costs of transport and installation might make the total cost of your used office furniture comparable to new ones offered by an office furniture supplier near you. Weigh these costs carefully.

Don’t forget to go personally to their warehouse and inspect the furniture. Used office furniture may sometimes require repair and re-upholstery before they become presentable for use at your office. Add the cost of possible repair to the total cost. If the total cost of used office furniture does not differ much from new ones, it might be a better choice to get the new ones.

Kidding aside, the question is valid. What does modern office furniture and sex have in common? Comfort is the answer. Comfortable modern office furniture is a premium for people so they can be more productive at their work. When looking for comfortable furniture design, one might as well find inspiration from ‘pleasurable furniture’ makers — it’s their job to see to it that the sitter is comfortable indeed.

We don’t need to copy. The most specialised ‘special’ furniture would make a lousy desk chair — although it would make a very very cozy waiting room piece indeed. Just the touches that would spell the difference between the ordinary and the remarkable could be put to use in modern office furniture. What are those?

One is the generous use of curves and softness that complement the human body. Many ergonomic office desk chairs are already curvy but most of their armrests are hard. Cushioned armrests are a nice touch. Another useful touch is the upholstery. Many office desk chairs are upholstered in fiber mesh, fake leather, metal and plastic. How about covering the seats, armrests, and table parts with soft microfibre? Many office desks can also use the added comfort.

Another is modularity and versatility. To be cost-effective, modern office furniture should not be too specialised they can only be used in a single context. Office furniture should be able to fit in the boardroom as well as in the ordinary cubicle. They should be easy enough to lift (when it comes to moving offices), stackable if possible, and, if they are chairs, can be placed next to each other to make a larger seating.

These are just a few of the ideas we can apply to furniture design to make ordinary furniture stand out, and make the users feel their needs are cared for. At Rio Designs, we not only bear the modern office furniture users’ health in mind, we also prioritise their comfort too. That’s why we comb other fields for good, comfortable ideas.

In January this year, a writer on furniture trends wrote “With the Great Recession behind us and better times ahead, homeowners are beginning to think once again about renovating and updating their homes,”—going on to say that people will now bring more colour to their choice of home or office furniture and furnishings and that London contemporary office furniture will feature simplicity and sturdiness along with the colour splash.

It turns out this hopeful relief was short-lived. Now, recessions seem unavoidable— ‘double-dip’ in the USA and another in Europe—some say these recessions could be shortlived, if the nations can avoid another financial meltdown (by surviving the European sovereign debt crisis).

Still, recession or not, people need to lift up their spirits. And cheerful colours will play a role in it. Yes, belt-tightening Brits will be offered simpler furniture designs, but these designs are also aimed to evoke comfort and stability, even recall the past—an anchor in these trying times.

Eco-friendly furniture will also continue to be in—either made from recycled wood or furniture, timber from responsibly managed forests, or made from highly renewable materials like bamboo; and, preferably made locally. These will either be left natural or finished with no formaldehyde or low volatile organic compounds, and upholstered with natural fabrics. However, most eco-friendly furniture are still on the steep price range—although they may be worth the price if they can keep one from developing respiratory problems and cancers in the long run.

More and more people will also consider second hand furniture and bulk discount furniture for their offices. As the recession forces companies to close many of their offices, there will be a bigger choice of used office furniture and equipment offered on the market. Their prices will depend on the quality—some might need reconditioning and reassembly, one thing to consider in computing costs.

Still, another continuing trend will be with bespoke office furniture. Like before, bespoke furniture suppliers will still get orders for furniture fully optimised for the space these will be used in and the people who will be using them. This time, however, more and more emphasis will be on ‘more for less’ — more simple, versatile, and healthy furniture for less money spent. This is going to be a challenge for designers and suppliers like Rio Designs.

But this direction London contemporary office furniture will take can only be for the better. Extravagance—if aimed for survival—has its place. In these times, in order to survive, businesses need to tighten their furniture spending belts.

Conference room chairs, on the other hand, are used by people for several hours so comfort is also to be considered but conference room chairs are not used as often as clerk chairs—nor are they required to be moved about the conference room. This affects the choice of materials and dimensions for conference room chairs.

Another consideration for choosing office chairs is the measurements of the building and the number of people who will be using the chairs. If the building is non-standard, and if you have the time and budget, the dimensions of the chairs can be made to suit the dimensions of the building without sacrificing comfort and efficiency.

The art of making chairs efficient, comfortable and healthy in the long-run is called ‘ergonomics’. At Rio Designs, we take ergonomics seriously in recommending or building orders for office seating. We consider the relationship of the chairs to people and the building as a whole and put all our in-depth knowledge and experience into coming up with appropriate results. This will turn out chairs that consider the people who will be sitting on them and the building the chairs will be in. You’ll get chairs that are modern and beautiful to look at with only the necessary parts and adjustments needed to maintain comfort and body health. These will also look good in the rooms they were intended for.

Not only will these chairs look good, but they will also be cost-effective. We strive to maintain a balance between comfort, space efficiency and cost. The good looks are a bonus—they result from making sure the chairs are efficient, comfortable and affordable. They will be lean, light—a delight to work in. Now that’s a commonsense take on UK office furniture.

When furnishing a new office (or even refurnishing an old one), you have two choices: Off-the–shelf furniture and fitted office furniture. While getting off-the–shelf furniture doesn’t take as long as choosing fitted office furniture, the latter are more often suited to meet the requirements of your office.

Fitted office furniture are a kind of bespoke furniture tailor-made to the size of of your office so they can maximise the use of space, a plus in offices where optimum use of scarce resources is a prime consideration. Fitted office furniture are not only designed to be more space efficient, they are also crafted to complement how the office staff utilise the office environment.

But designing fitted office furniture is more time-consuming because your furniture suppliers have to get there at the office, make measurements, observe how the people work, consult with you and develop the right office furniture design based on the data obtained. But ultimately, the results are worth it — you are guaranteed furniture that best fit your office at the price you can afford.

There are several considerations in designing fitted office furniture. These will influence the style and choice of materials of your furniture — including the decor. One is the character of the company. Is it a bleeding-edge outfit that requires the best contemporary fitted furniture? Does it project a futuristic feel, or does it tend towards the traditional? Contrasting or coordinated?

Another consideration is who will use the furniture in what office room? A reception room needs to project the company image more than any other. Reception desks should also be strategically designed and placed so they show off the best qualities of the room and take advantage of office traffic. Shelves and furniture drawer designs will also vary between a room for clerks and a room full of architects. Similarly a boardroom will have different needs from a sound recording room.

Talk to an office fitting expert. They will be glad to help you. Derrick Dickinson, owner of Rio Designs for example, says his firm has been doing detailed office space planning — evaluating, recommending or designing furniture to suit available space on clients’ sites for 30 years.

Next time you are faced with the question of furnishing an office, consider fitted office furniture. They give you the most satisfaction for your budget.

Consequently, many companies increasingly opt to rent serviced offices, avoiding the hassles of conventional offices. With increased demand came more serviced offices offered on the market. There are more than two hundred service office providers in London alone.

This has increasingly led to many serviced offices with a “generic, unbranded impression”. Fortunately, some serviced office operators aim to build offices that are distinct from the rest — serviced offices that have just the right touch of furniture and other furnishings to provide the character over which a client can exclaim “that’s us.”

Building serviced offices with the right looks demands excellent office space planning — factoring in desk sizes, ergonomic seating, reception seating and desks, and meeting room facilities and conference rooms. This also demands the best suppliers who can meet the exacting demands of serviced office operators.

Rio Designs is one such supplier, having provided expert independent advice and solutions for commercial furniture and interiors for thirty years. Everything is based on their famous principle of ‘Best Practice Supply’, from the initial consultation and space planning and discussing the desired office look and feel, to the delivery and assembly of the office furniture. Rio Designs will also constantly communicate with you, updating the progress of every item ordered. In short, Rio Designs matches the people and furniture to the building, rather than simply looking at the building layout and filling it with furniture. This results in the best furniture and interiors supplied based on how the clients work, the cost of ownership, and the image desired — a holistic approach that results in serviced offices that are extraordinary.

Consider the amount of space and the distance between people and furniture they often need access to. People too far apart from file storage cabinets results in time lost. Too close, and they might not have enough space to move around. The size and design of office furniture should factor this in.

In considering cost, the order must be within budget, but never skimp on materials and design—get the best that your budget and needs can afford. There might be hidden costs when you buy used or sub-par furniture. It might come later in the form of heavy repair and maintenance costs.

Then there’s productivity. Many think that a clean desk, free of personal touches, can make people more productive. This is not true in real life—in order for people to be productive, they have to feel comfortable. Your bespoke office furniture should make people comfortable, they must be allowed to put in (easy to remove) personal touches. Still this is hard to achieve when more and more offices subscribe to the modern idea of ‘club’ spaces—there’s no permanent cubicle or desk for anyone. All their work is in the network cloud. In this case, the only workspace they can personalise is what they see on their computer screens—electronic sticky notes, wallpaper, the arrangement of windows when they log in—they must be allowed to tweak (and save) their e-desktop. Sadly, not many companies allow this.

Part of productivity is health. People sometimes need to stretch or stand or walk about (to jog up their circulation)—factor in people’s need for movement when opting to go for bespoke office furniture. Some people might need to lean on the desk or chair to do push-ups. Make sure office furniture can handle the added force. And don’t forget designs that aid people achieve proper posture.

Lastly, consider the presence of natural light. Not everyone has offices with desks near the window or lightwells. If you do have an office like that, try putting in translucent parts to your bespoke furniture so they let in part of the natural light and at the same time allowing for some privacy. The purpose of letting in natural light is the proven benefit of ‘letting nature in’. This is why also consider furniture that can accommodate plants.

First, what makes a good office space?” Most often, the needs that come up around the idea of ‘ideal office space’, are natural comfort (enough space to move about and reach for needed supplies, natural lighting, fresh air, plants, no distractions) and a balance between accessibility, privacy and socialization. Sometimes it is not possible to achieve all these in an office location but one has to strive to meet these optimum needs.

Privacy and socialization, for example, are difficult to reconcile in a small office space. In cases like this, the choice of space saving furniture would lean toward versatile ones. Ones that can easily be cleared and stored in a minimum space when socialization is needed and the furniture should also be able to serve as effective screens when there’s a need for privacy.

To let in more natural light, translucent features can also be incorporated in, say bookshelves and cabinets. This is a good feature to have, especially for desks/cubicles away from windows.

Space dividers could also have slats to allow air movement to better maximize the use of fresh air (if the office space does provide plenty of fresh air).

Office furniture must also be water-resistant, especially those placed near office plantings.

Also consider the load requirements of tables and shelves. Even thin, light furniture must be able to bear the weight of the heaviest piece of equipment the office expects to use.

Then also consider the dimensions of the place. Sometimes, custom-made furniture are the solution to fully achieve efficient space utilization. An office desk, for example, can be made smaller (especially in space limited environments), but can be designed so that the person using it will be able to use the maximum desk area.

Nowadays, the trend for contemporary office furniture draws inspiration from Japanese and other Eastern concepts. Modern furniture now convey a feeling of peace and serenity—important to decrease stress in a workplace.

In this case, the height of shelves, tables, chairs and desks should also be considered. If the ceiling is low, the furniture can be made lower to achieve a feeling of spaciousness. (Furniture height should be easily adjustable, in case an office-mate with an exceptional height comes along.)

When upgrading your office furniture, which of course is a great idea, many companies unfortunately make the wrong decision when choosing a reputable office furniture supplier.

Numerous online customer feedback forums reveal that, for some, the dream of a stylish new workplace can all too often turn into a nightmare.

Horror stories of poor quality goods, vague delivery times, hidden charges and appalling customer service highlight the need to choose from a trusted supplier with a proven track record of excellence.

That’s where Rio Designs can help. We’re a leading UK supplier of office furniture who can count big names such as i2Offices, Orega Serviced Offices and Thomson Fly among our many satisfied regular clients.

Our team, led by Derrick and Jan, are committed to working with customers from the moment they discuss their ideas through to when their employees sit down at their desks.

You’ll find dealing with us is as comfortable an experience as the stylish furniture we supply and fit. Our sales team pride themselves on outstanding customer service from start to finish.

We’re passionate about what we do – something which shines through in every office we’ve upgraded since our business was founded in 1998. More importantly, our clients recommend us too, and this is particularly true as we are members of the Business Centre Association and recognised as a trusted supplier to business centres throughout the UK.

And, as well as being highly functional, our bespoke solutions create a stylish workplace that really works, and with our clients who need to maximise the amount of space allocated

Don’t take chances with disreputable suppliers.  Rio Designs takes the grind out of upgrading your office. We’ll soon have you sitting comfortably.