We are often asked what materials are best to use in a modern office for flooring. This is an area where you can introduce a bold colour or design, and even use different colours to indicate different zones, or fire routes. Traditional carpets on a roll are not really ideal, as they can be tricky to repair (wear and tear and coffee damage happens far quicker in an office environment than it would in a domestic one due to the increased traffic). However carpet tiles are a good solution as they allow the user to replace single tiles at a time. If the carpet is made with a thick pile, then it is often hard to see any joins and the finish is similar to that of a roll, but without the drawbacks.  Carpet tiles can also be useful when used with a raised floor as they can allow easy access to the wiring below the floor, and are usually supplied at the same size as the raised floor grid tiles (600×600mm). For areas such as coffee points where a carpet could quickly become stained a vinyl floor-covering works well. You can get a realistic wood effect vinyl that is actually laid in strips (like wooden planks) which allows for access under the floor should it be needed, and has several advantages over traditional wood, or laminate flooring products. One of the key advantages here is that the vinyl is quiet when walked upon; this may not seem a big deal, but many offices that were refurbished in the late 1990s with laminate floors soon found that the constant sound of heels on the wooden floor became a real problem.  Vinyl is also very hardwearing and water resistant and so is a good choice for offices looking for a modern appearance. There are even companies that produce vinyl floor tiles that look like steel flooring for an industrial effect, or you can even get tiles with  holograms set within them for a futuristic feeling.

For advice on office interior design, give us a call and we can discuss how we can bring your space up to date.

We are often asked how can we help to make offices a little less cold and sterile, and a great way to do this is to maximise your natural daylight resources. The colour, feeling and effects of natural daylight just can’t be replicated by artificial light, and yet so many offices have poor layouts that block daylight within the office. A key principal here is to ensure that windows are not blocked by storage cabinets; the simplest way to do this is by putting all storage cabinets against partition walls. Most offices though have more storage cabinets than wall space, so the best way to ensure that natural daylight is maximised is to only ever have cabinets lined up perpendicular (at 90 degrees) to any windows. This may seem obvious, but so many offices have a row of tall cabinets running through the centre of the office space, and so these are actually parallel to the windows. What this then means is that one half of the office gets good natural daylight in the morning, but very poor in the afternoon and the other side vice versa. Through keeping the cabinets at 90 degrees some light is obscured, but you avoid the dark and light extremes. Of course investing in better storage solutions would help further, particularly a system such as a rolling stack (as discussed in earlier blog posts), as this would allow you to keep your storage in one area and so keep the open areas open.

As well as re-organising your storage, you should also look at the positioning of desks. A common mistake is to put a single manager’s desk (which is often unoccupied) next to the windows, with the bulk of the staff deeper in to the office floor plate away from the natural light. By ensuring that the natural light resource is maximised to as many workstations as possible, the overall feeling of the space for the staff will be improved. There are occasions, such as with a very large floor plate, when this can’t be done, and so here you may need to look as specialised lighting solutions, such as daylight simulation bulbs for individual desk lamps, and using as many transparent or translucent materials as possible around the office, such as frosted glass screens on desks rather than heavy fabric ones.

If you would like us to redesign your office to maximise your natural daylight resources, give us a call.

The one thing that we see time and time again when surveying offices is that most companies claim to be lacking in storage, yet the actual cabinets are often half empty. Effective office storage systems are absolutely critical to an effective office design layout, and the process needs to begin with an assessment of what actually needs to be stored on site. These days there are many office storage companies that offer archiving services that can allow you to store paperwork away from your office, yet be able to retrieve it quickly for a small fee. This can allow you to remove cumbersome storage cabinets from your office space and then open up the space improving both natural light and air circulation. There will always be some things that need to be stored on site, but with effective scanning systems every piece of paperwork can be catalogued and stored on your company servers. Not only will this reduce the need for office storage, but it also usually aids searching and retrieval as the scanned documents can be tagged with a wealth of information. There is also the added benefit that more than one person at a time can have a piece of information open, aiding information sharing, which is much more difficult when the information is held within a single paper folder.

It’s not just filing that takes up office storage though, as we often see large stationery store rooms. However these too are no longer as necessary as most stationery suppliers offer a next day delivery service, meaning that it is not so critical to maintain a large store on site. Even printed material can often be ordered via the internet on a much quicker turnaround than it used to be, meaning less space is required for its storage on site.

Call us to discuss your storage problems and see how we can help improve your overall design layout.

Office furniture has changed significantly over recent years; whereas a simple desk was sufficient in the pre-IT days of the 1980s, the 1990s saw ever increasing monitor sizes and therefore much bigger desks. As more staff were spending increasing amounts of time at their desks using the IT equipment, ergonomics played a bigger part in office design and the large corner desk became commonplace. However since the flat screen TFT monitor has become the norm, such large desks are less necessary, and with more offices going paper-less the actual workspace is now getting smaller. Most people now order wave type desking (rather than corner type), or even straight desks or benching.  The space freed up by smaller desks can then be used to fit in alternative working zones, such as hotdesks and breakout areas. There are also changes to the trends in the furniture finishes, with a sleek minimal look being the current vogue. The shiny white “Ipod” look has become very popular replacing the standard pale wood finishes in many modern offices, and this is often offset with a few designer style chairs to give a contemporary look.

If you would like impartial advice on your office furniture, give us a call. We are fully independent and so not tied to any single supplier or product range and so can recommend the best possible solution for your needs.

There are many ways to look to improve your office design without necessarily having to spend a fortune. Removing unnecessary partitions and opening up the space always helps as this can improve natural light, air flow and circulation, and usually helps to make your office look bigger. If your internal partitions are not structural this is relatively easy and inexpensive to do, and can totally transform your space. Often existing furniture can be re-used and it is possible to re-cover chairs and screens to give a new appearance at a reduced cost. It is even possible to replace just the tops of desks giving a new work surface, without needing to replace the whole desk, and as well as saving money, this saves wastage – helping to reduce your carbon footprint.

If you would like our advice as to how to improve your office design without spending a fortune; give us a call for some bright ideas.

Small business owners and companies are always looking for cutting down on cost. Buying new office furniture can be extremely expensive. That is why business owners and companies prefer to re-use their old office furniture to save money while furnishing their offices.

If you are working within a strict budget, re-using your office furniture is often the preferred solution. After proper research and exploring the various market options and resources, it is possible to combine new with old office furniture that will not only look good but will also be received well by employees and customers.

Re-using some of your old office furniture can save money - as much as 50 per cent over the cost of buying all new office furniture. Of course, you need to do thorough research and ideally use a specialist office space design company who is willing to work with you on this, such as Space Planning UK.

Make sure that your old office furniture has minimal wear and tear and has not been used for too long a period. Once some finishing touches are given, most people cannot tell the difference between the old and new office furniture.

When you buy new office furniture, the resale value can depreciate to 25 per cent or less of the original purchase price over the number of years. On the other hand, if money is not a major concern, it makes sense to buy new and customised office furniture as you and your employees need.

When shopping around for office furniture on a budget, the more detailed information you have, the easier it will be deciding how to design your office and how much furniture you really need.

Don’t purely focus on cost when buying your office furniture, although naturally that is an important factor.  Keep in mind comfort and convenience in mind too. For example, make sure any workstation you are buying has enough leg room space for the people who will be sitting there and working the whole day and any office chairs are easy on the back.

You may wish to re-use some of your existing office furniture. There has been a remarkable increase in the number of refurbished office furniture options but few office design companies will actively look to re-use existing office furniture.  Space Planning UK is one company that is happy to re-use your old furniture and incorporate it into your office design.

In fact, if you look to combine some of your old office furniture with the new, it can look just as good as an entirely new design with a few key pieces of new office furniture.

Companies and small scale business owners are always looking for ways to save money. If you are looking for cost-saving and effective office furniture ideas, here are a few:

1.    Create a plan – Do not rush out and buy the workstation, desk or chair that you see on sale at the local office supply dealer or store. Instead, do some analysis and spend some time for devising an effective office furniture plan.
2.    Evaluate your furniture needs - Make it a point to evaluate and exactly work out your current and projected office furniture requirements. Try to strike a balance between the two. Keep in mind how much space you have for the office furniture along with plans for hiring additional employees.
3.    Get employee feedback - It is your employees who will be using office furniture the most, so seeking their feedback is a must apart from taking into account expert opinion.
4.    Check various office furniture options and resources - check various office furniture options and resources available. Employ a specialist in the area as it can save you money in the long run by using space more effectively

Here are some practical ideas when looking to buy storage units and office chairs:
•    Shelving (or storage units) is something that you will require if your workplace has a constant flow of documents and information in paper or paperless format (magazines, books, files, discs, CDs, etc). You need to consider the amount of space available to fit in your documents.
•    When you buy a used storage unit, desk or any furniture, check whether the moving parts are properly functional. Check if the drawers smoothly open and shut. See if the keyboard racks move properly.
•    If there is a lock, ensure that it is functional. See to it that you are given keys to it!
•    Take into account your budget. Pine wood is always cheaper than other alternative woods.
•    When buying chairs for your employees, it is critical to understand that they will be using the chairs for many hours a day, hence they should be as comfortable, supportive and relaxing as possible.
•    Sitting in adjustable and flexible height chairs - with arm supports and a high-back- your employees will feel comfortable, and can keep a healthy posture. This will result in increased productivity.

deally, you should use a company such as Space Planning UK to ensure you get the optimum space from your office.  When doing their office design, Space Planning UK will also re-use your old or existing furniture.

Everybody needs a nice, proper and convenient desk to perform routine and critical tasks at the workplace in an efficient manner. Whether it is for computer work, paper work or perhaps simply for storage, office desks need to meet all your needs. Desks come in all different shapes and sizes.

t is important to know whether an employee’s desk is right for him on the basis of the tasks he or she is expected to perform. Is it at the right height and size to allow comfortable functioning? Are there optimum cabinets or keyboard racks that enhance the space made available for using the desk? By asking such questions, you may get an idea of the exact space requirements so that you can customise desks for respective departments.

here are various styles, designs and sizes of workstations. Accordingly, you may select the desk types that can easily accommodate computers and other accessories. Keep in mind the fact that your employees will be using the furniture for several hours a day; something trendy, elegant but uncomfortable or unusually shaped can affect the comfort and productivity of your workers. Functionality rather than look and style should be the key criterion for selection of office desks. Be sure that you get the one that is most comfortable and convenient for your employees.