The desk is one of the most important pieces of office furniture. It has to be large enough, just at the right height and comfortable enough for day-long use. Office desks and tables come in many varieties and configurations, providing employers with choices (but also making selection more difficult).

If you’re wondering how to select the best office tables and desks, the following guide will give you some practical pointers. Applicable across industries, these tips will help you select furniture bound to meet the specific needs of your team.

Space Considerations

Space affects every aspect of office interior design, including the selection of furniture.

So, how big is the working area or the individual room that has to be decked out with a new desk? The size and shape of office tables will have to be chosen in accordance with the availability of overall space.

If you’re choosing furniture for a tiny office, you cannot go oversized. Remember that the work area will have to hold many additional pieces of furniture and some electronics like printers, shredders, etc. Choosing narrow and streamlined desks will make more sense in such offices.

When space is an issue, you can also opt for desks that create shared stations for several workers. This way, the work surface is large enough but the desk design remains streamlined.

Working Style and Responsibilities

Now that you know the size of desks and tables that will work well with your office interior design, it’s time to think about some additional characteristics.

To do so, you have to consider the kinds of work ongoing at the office on a daily basis.

Do people do predominantly computer work? Do they handle a lot of paperwork and interactions with clients? Or maybe the desk is needed to carry out phone calls and customer support activities?

Each one of these specialisation areas will necessitate a different kind of desk.

If computer work is the main priority, you don’t need particularly large desks. Still, if employees are utilising PCs, you should probably seek out desks with bottom compartments that can hold the computer in place.

Employees who handle a lot of paperwork will need a much bigger desk. A piece of furniture that has enough drawers on its side, for example, is also an excellent choice to enable better organisation of essential documents.

L-shaped setups are a good choice for the employees who meet with clients. Such a table format will provide a sufficiently big work area and some additional space for the interaction with a client or a business partner.

Alternatives to Traditional Choices

Sometimes, these traditional choices aren’t going to be a good match to the office renovation that’s taking place.

These are the instances when you may want to consider alternatives, including custom-made furniture.

Corner desks and wall-mounted desks are two very common examples of such alternative solutions. Such office tables can work really well in small offices. They utilise a space that would otherwise be ignored, keeping the room airy and properly organised.

Standing desks are a good choice for modern companies and startups. Many tech businesses and pioneers in various fields have abandoned the fixed workplace setup. Employees often count on functional areas to get a job done and they don’t have a designated desk. Standing work stations with computers or tablets on them provide the perfect little zones for the completion of tasks without taking away from the modern appeal of the office.

The Right Material

Here’s one more consideration for the selection of office furniture. Most people will ignore the options, assuming that wood is the only way to go. While wooden furniture is indeed the standard in most corporate spaces, other choices are available.

A combination between metal and glass is gaining popularity, especially when it comes to executive spaces. These material are very sleek and visually stunning. They set the tone in the room, evoking a luxurious sensation. On top of that, metal and glass are exceptionally long-lived and very easy to sanitise.

Laminates and composites are also proving to be a good alternative to natural wood. They can look like many other materials without the added price tag of going for the natural thing. Laminates and composites are also lightweight and very durable. If you need a budget-friendly solution that is going to look good, such materials will be worth checking out.

Plastic isn’t the most popular material out there but it’s excellent for movable office pieces. You can always have a couple of plastic tables around that can be rearranged or taken out when you need to create a bit of additional space.

Always Think about Brand Identity!

Every part of the office interior design carries a certain message across.

This is why you have to choose furniture pieces while keeping brand identity in mind.

Is your business trying to build a green, sustainable image? Are you an innovator that embraces unorthodox ideas? Do you focus on the establishment of a solid team? It’s easy to imagine how furniture choices will differ, based on these specific aspects of the brand identity.

If you’re finding it difficult to go through all of these considerations and choose the furniture that makes the most sense, do get professional assistance.

The SORDC team can execute an overall office interior design concept or consult you on furniture selection. We also offer our clients custom-made solutions that address their very specific needs in a tailored way.