Office Furniture Space Planning and Design are crucial elements in creating efficient, functional, and aesthetically pleasing work environments. The office furniture Space Planner’s job is to create a furniture layout that optimizes the physical space, gives good traffic flow, adheres to local codes and meets the needs of the users.

To create an overall floor plan, a Space Planning & Design team considers the number of staff the space will accommodate, the desired workstation sizes, aisle locations, natural light, desire paths, company structure, work flow, and team and department groupings.

If your company is moving, rearranging, renovating, building out, building new, downsizing or growing, furniture space planning can make or break the success of your new workplace.

Does The Staff Complain?

Just like a factory must consider how the various production areas flow in the correct sequence to make a finished product, a great office floor plan groups teams together, respects the work flow of the organization and creates a logical arrangement of departments.

The best Space Planners go even deeper, asking questions to get at the details of each department’s specific work tasks, and how their current furniture set up either meets those needs or disappoints. Staff workstation needs that go unaddressed can create negativity and affect company culture. Furniture planning that accommodates those needs (storage, ergonomics, distractions, privacy, meeting space) can make staff more comfortable and quiet those internal rumblings. A well designed workspace is a happy workspace.

Does Your Workplace Reflect Company Goals and Culture?

An experienced Space Planner will create layout options and designs that prioritize your company goals and support company culture. The questions a clever designer asks will shape the recommendations they make to support the company culture or ignite a desired culture shift. If your current space doesn’t reflect the company goals, if company culture needs improvement, you definitely need space planning expertise.

Examples of Company Goals

• Add space for new employees, growth
• Increase occupancy to avoid a move
• Establish new department or team groupings
• Reduce barriers between departments
• Reduce barriers between leadership and doers
• Increase manufacturing production
• Reduce real estate cost
• Upgrade workplace technology
• Create quiet zones and privacy
• Encourage collaboration
• Support DEI
• Emphasize or flatten hierarchy
• Change team structure
• Change workstation style for Hybrid
• Implement Back to Office
• Attract and keep talent
• Ergonomics and wellness

Do You Speak Furniture?

Moving, renovating or completing a new build requires communicating with landlords, building management, architects, interior designers, project managers, construction managers, IT vendors, electricians and company stakeholders. Build outs and new builds especially have their own language and technical terms.

So does office furniture, especially cubicle systems. But those that design and build the building usually do not have experience with the furniture that will go inside it. When in the planning stages, you need an expert working for your needs and priorities who understands this process; you need an Office Furniture Space Planner.

Baffled By The Rapid Changes In Office Trends?

The Covid pandemic affected office furniture design; experienced designers and workspace planners know how to create work spaces that balance company needs with staff preferences.

Hybrid, Hybrid At Will, Split Week, Office-First Hybrid, Satellite offices, Hoteling, Hot Desking, Benching, Phone Booths…What do these terms mean? And how do these trends affect your company? Do you embrace them or go your own way? What is the corporate mandate you’ve been given?

If implementing a new work style is your task, if attracting staff to return to the office is the goal, smart furniture planning is a must. Yes, you need space planning help.

Do You Need To Stay On Budget?

A floor plan will show if the number of employees required will fit, and how to plan for future growth. If you are budgeted to fit 75 staff but the newly leased space only fits 50…oops. That’s an expensive oops. Before signing a lease, your Space Planner can produce “Test Fit” drawings to determine if the space will fit the correct number of staff in the desired size of workstation. No one should sign a lease without this critical information!

Furniture is often considered last, long after wall and door placement has been decided. Ordering the wrong size boardroom table can be costly. A detailed floor plan early in the construction or renovation planning stages ensures that furniture purchases will fit, and work as desired.

Ever walk into a private office and the only outlets are on the opposite wall from the desk? Another pitfall a furniture expert can help you avoid. The list of small but expensive possible errors is long; you need space planning help to avoid them.

Can OFR Help?

Yes! Learn more about OFR’s Space Planning and Design Services, and get started with a call, email or LiveChat to schedule a site visit.