Your company is doing well, and it’s time to expand your office. Should you reconfigure the furniture you already have, buy new office furniture, or do a strategic combination of both? It depends on the individual needs of your office, your timeline and goals, and plans for the future. Here’s how you can compare the benefits of each and decide which will work best for your office.
Start with a Furniture Strategy
It’s not enough to just rearrange your furniture or add new pieces to your space. When your company is growing, you need a plan that maps out exactly how your furniture will be used and what needs you may have in the future. This includes having a working list of your furniture assets and how each piece is utilized. Gaps can then be identified, and you can make purchasing decisions that fill in what’s necessary without going over budget.
Include These Things in Your Inventory
When establishing your existing furniture assets, make sure you’re writing down key details of each piece, like the measurements, condition, and age. You should also jot down some notes about whether a piece will work in your new space and how. A spreadsheet can be a helpful way to keep track of this important data.
Why Reconfigure Existing Office Furniture
Reconfiguring your office furniture lets you adapt your current furniture to a different office layout without buying new desks or workstations. This has several benefits, like:
- Lowering the overall cost of your expansion
- Keeping functional furniture in play
- Reducing waste
- Supporting sustainability
- Decreasing office downtime
If some or all of your existing office furniture is still in good condition, you may not need to absorb the cost of buying new. You can adapt still-useful pieces to a new floor plan, especially if you have modular furniture that can be rearranged or furniture that still supports the ergonomic needs of your employees.
Reasons to Buy New Office Furniture
There are also some benefits of purchasing new furniture that may need to be considered, like:
- You can select different furniture that meets changing office needs
- Often comes with the latest in ergonomic technology and cable management
- Also comes with new manufacturer warranties
If your current furniture is outdated or damaged, you might need to buy new. This can also be the case if your existing workstations don’t fit well in your new space or have reached the end of their useful life.
It’s also critical to consider whether your current furniture meets employee comfort needs and how workers feel throughout the day. For example, if chairs have lost cushioning, prolonged sitting can lead to potential discomfort for employees. Or, if you have sit-to-stand desks that can no longer be moved up and down without difficulty, this is a sign that you likely need to upgrade.
New Furniture + Existing Reconfiguration
In many cases, companies can reconfigure pieces that still work for your office while replacing old or worn-down workstations with new furniture. This is when having an asset list comes into play. A list allows you to quickly glance at what you have and identify which pieces need to go and which can stay.
Another Option: Refurbished Office Furniture
If you need new pieces to make your expansion work, refurbished office furniture offers different configurations without the higher price tag of brand-new options. Refurbishing is a process that takes older furniture pieces and gives them new life through inspection, cleaning, and repair to restore like-new condition.
Refurbished furniture may be a good option when:
- You want to reduce furnishing costs without sacrificing quality
- You need different furniture configurations without downtime
- Sustainability and reducing furniture waste are priorities
Don’t Make These Mistakes
Many companies make mistakes when expanding their offices with new or refurbished furniture. Here are some things to avoid:
- Failing to consider dimensions of your space compared to furniture measurements
- Failing to consider electrical cord and data cable access
- Only paying attention to the initial purchase price without considering benefits and drawbacks
- Failing to order new furniture with enough time for design, assembly, and installation
How Ideal Office Can Help
Ideal Office is proud to offer a variety of solutions for expanding offices, including new and refurbished furniture, office design services, and more. Contact us today at (978) 327-5327 or fill out our online form today to learn how we can help your business furnish its growth with affordable, quality office furniture.
