Monday, August 02, 2010

Picking Out Office Furniture A Fine Balance

By Tom Dailey

Being charge of buying office furniture may not sound like much of a job responsibility, but it is actually quite involved. What you pick out will ultimately affect how outsiders will view your office. Do not forget that your coworkers are bound to put in their two cents about your selections as well.

Your existing office designs and color schemes should be considered. Unless you have also been tasked with redesigning the entire office, you will have to find items that go well with what the walls and carpet already are. If you work in a drab sort of office, this is not your opportunity to dress it up or make it more modern. In other words, if the walls and carpets are beige, selecting eggplant colored chairs is probably not a good choice.

Once you get past the appearances and settle into what you need to be looking for, there are other considerations to take into account. Comfort is a big issue that you need to address. If your coworkers are uncomfortable in what you pick out, they will spare not any time in letting you know about it. If possible, try to get their opinions and input before making your final decisions.

Do your best to make an open discussion of the task you have been assigned. Others will appreciate that their opinions have been considered. With some items, such as chairs, many retailers have no problem loaning out a floor model to try out for a couple of days while you decide. This is a perfect way to gain the input and perspective of those that will be sitting in them on a daily basis.

Should selecting desks fall to you be sure to look for functionality above all else. There are some very elegant ones available that are in fact totally useless. The persons you are selecting the desks for will make a great difference indeed. It may well be the case that you are looking for items that will in fact be more for show than for their purpose.

Something that is fairly straightforward and simple to select is a filing cabinet. Know what size that you need, and make sure that you will be able to lock it. Beyond that, they often do not need to be replaced since they are rather sturdy in their construction. Should you need to purchase any at all it is usually out of a need for additional storage space.

You can have quite a bit of fun with selecting items for public waiting areas. While they do not need to be as cozy as a living room, they can be professionally comfortable. Clients or customers should never be kept waiting long at all, however, should they need to be seated for a matter of five minutes or so they should be contented while they wait.

After you take everything into consideration, you also need to keep in mind that there is simply no way to please everyone. There is bound to be at least one coworker that despises your choices and swears that the chairs are the most uncomfortable or ugly that he or she has ever seen. The opinion that sometimes counts for the most is the one from the person that signs the paychecks. - 2364

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