Don't Sit on the Furniture!

Published on The Daily Reporter web site on January 14th, 2008

When moving to a new building or growing a business, the last thing on any owner or project manager to-do list is developing a well-planned furniture relocation or replacement strategy.
But putting together just such a plan is an essential element to any successful commercial real-estate project.

People wait too long to start thinking about furniture for their new or remodeled space. By the time they realize they might need more furniture or a different configuration of what they already have, there is no time left to analyze what will work best for their needs, their budget or their space.

As a result, clients, in order to get their new furniture in and their business up and running on schedule, are forced to choose from a quick-ship program that provides limited, and often premium-priced, products, colors and configurations.

Most commercial furniture dealerships don’t have a warehouse stocked full of furniture for the taking. Everything is made to order based on customer selections. Lead times vary between 10 days to 10 weeks, and if you want a specific look, a green product or certain parts to help in the reconfiguration of existing furniture, they need to know as soon as possible.

So don’t sit on the furniture decision.

Furniture can do many things for your company. Not only does space planning and product selection help put more bodies in the space and build in flexibility to plan for future growth, it can also influence and impact productivity of the organization.

The ability to attract and retain the right employees is crucial for most companies. The younger generation entering the work force is more concerned than its predecessors about the image and vibe of a company. The design and layout of your space can be a key element to attracting those young professionals.

Inefficiency is the enemy of productivity. A furniture layout can be designed around the who, what, where, when and how. How do the employees work? Who works together? What is their job function? Where are they working and when?

Anyone can create a floor plan for your business, but only trained professionals are capable of creating the most powerful and inspirational design for your business. Image is everything. Visitors get a feel for what you do and your culture by the atmosphere surrounding the work environment. The physical space and product selection can be designed to reflect and compliment the image of your business.

Is green design a factor? Protecting the environment and using environmentally friendly products and materials is becoming increasingly important.

Do you want your new furniture to count toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design credits? Have you considered the options for furniture disposal? All of these issues should be addressed in the beginning of a project.

Think about expectations for the space and product options well in advance. If given enough time, a highly functional, aesthetically pleasing and cohesive space can be designed to encourage inspiration and cultivate productivity.