When you walk into a boardroom, executive office, or respected place of business, you notice the decor. You typically see a professionally decorated space with high end office furniture and an effective layout for conducting meetings and business efficiently. The importance of office decor and quality of furnishings can not be underestimated. In today's post we will cover some excellent shopping tips to help achieve this impression on a budget!
Conveying confidence to your guests and customers ranks right up there with customer service. Nobody wants to welcome visitors into a space that features mismatched, dated, and poor quality furnishings that create an unprofessional, first impression. To be honest, places like this commonly suggest off site locations to avoid this! Not to fear, an excellent first impression can be easily attained by outfitting your business with quality office furniture on a budget.
Tip 1: Set a Budget
Before the process of shopping and space planning can even begin, it's important to identify a budget you can stick too. Be honest with yourself and don't over extend. Consider the cost vs. reward of your project and plan accordingly. The average professional executive office suite costs around $1500.00. With this budget, you should be able to purchase a quality desk configuration, new chair, and matching storage products. There are definitely more and less expensive avenues to take, however this base figure is a good place to start.
Tip 2: Design Blogs Provide Inspiration
Using an interior designer is a luxury that most on a small budget can't afford. However, that's not to say the information you would get from a designer is not already available online! By searching the web for space planning and design tips, along with quality product recommendations, you can really benefit. Often, a good design blog will provide you with the inspiration needed to decide on a style or theme of your office decor. Even if it's just for pictures, utilizing the hundreds of good design blogs online will help you outfit your space.
Tip 3: Visit a Showroom
Once you've decided on a style or theme for your business it's time to shop. Knowing where to look is an essential part of saving money, especially when it comes to high end office furniture. By visiting a showroom you will have the opportunity to explore products form a variety of top manufactures and find a brand that fits your individual needs. Taking this tip a step further, if you have the opportunity to visit an office products convention like NeoCon, the knowledge obtained in your quest for new furniture will be priceless.
Tip 4: Understanding Ergonomics
Knowing your body and what ergonomic features you require to work at your highest level of productivity should play a large role in the way your space is designed, along with what brand of office furniture you choose. Seeing as ergonomics is defined as the study of peoples efficiency in the working environment, taking the time to review some of the top ergonomic furniture brands and their benefits can save you money. Often it's thought that just using an expensive chair will get the job done. This couldn't be further from the truth. Accessories like ergonomic monitor arms, articulating keyboard trays, and height adjustable workstations are just as important. Having the nicest furniture and seating in the world isn't worth much if you are not using it properly.
Tip 5: Manufacturer Recommendations
When shopping for high end home and business furniture, it's nice to know some of the industry leading manufacturers. For that reason, tip 4 will take care of this crucial need! Our favorite brands are: Mayline Furniture, Global Total Office, Cherryman Industries, and DMI. These manufacturers offer extremely well made products that won't let you down. All of these companies provide a variety of different matching furniture collections to meet any style and budget. Regardless of the space your decorating, we highly recommend utilizing one of these well respected brands.
Tip 6: Shop Online and Save
If you take our advice and visit a showroom you are almost certainly guaranteed to fall in love with a particular line of office furniture. Don't get hasty! The value of comparison shopping cannot be underestimated. No matter what, do not let yourself make an impulse purchase! Take literature and knowledge you are now armed with back home start shopping online. You'll be glad you did! Using an online office furniture provider can save you hundreds and even thousands compared to local furniture providers. For one, if you buy from an online furniture dealer that is out of state you can avoid the sales tax. You can typically find a dealer that won't charge for delivery like local companies, and who will also be able to provide individual coupons and bulk discounts for your purchase. Additionally, you will be able to shop companies that specialize in your area of need. For example, if you are looking for new conference room furniture, it's a nice to be able to rely on a dealer that has expertise in this unique furniture realm.
Tip 7: Review Your Dealer
So you've visited a showroom, found a line, shopped around, and are ready to make your purchase. Wait! Take a few minutes and search for company reviews on the dealer you've decided to go with. You can never be too safe when shopping online, and just because one company offers the lowest price, does not mean they offer good service. Especially when price differences are minimal, choosing a company with quality reviews will ensure a pleasant shopping and shipping experience when handling the purchasing and logistics of your new office furniture.
Tip 8: Prepare You Space
Once you've purchased your new office furniture it's time to prepare your space. Don't get caught with the delivery truck out front and an office full of old furniture! Schedule a 24 hour call ahead with your dealers and prepare your office accordingly. Make sure to save your important files and documents and have them ready to be indexed properly in your new furniture. Identify a clear path to your office to eliminate confusion during installation and product movement.
Tip 9: Recapturing Funds from Used Furniture
Once your new furniture is installed and looking beautiful, don't forget that your old furniture DOES still have some value. Finding a used furniture dealer in your area will definitely help you to recapture some of your expenses. If you have the time, listing your old furniture on a site like Craigslist will definitely yield higher rewards. Whatever you do, avoid letting your old products sit in your warehouse or garage for years. The value will not increase. Get the biggest bang for your buck by taking quality pictures as soon as possible. Sell the old products, and treat the coworker that helped with the furniture install to lunch. He or she deserves it ;0)
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