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Qualities of Common Office Chair Materials

If you’re looking at your options for office chairs online, one of the first important considerations you’ll have to make is what kind of chair material you want. At Online Office Furniture, we’re proud to offer a wide variety of office chair options, made from several different quality materials.

How can you prioritize various materials and decide which is best for you? Let’s take a look at a few of the most common chair materials out there.

Leather and Faux Leather

Leather and faux leather have numerous benefits, the first of which is the way they interact with your skin. While these materials may seem sticky, their smooth texture makes them non-scratchy and unlikely to cause skin problems.

In addition, our leather and faux leather materials are well-stuffed – this means they’ll retain the soft qualities of leather for life. Leather and faux leather area easy to clean with nothing more than a wet washcloth. Leather will require proper care to prevent cracking, but oiling is an easy way to do this.

Mesh

For a breathable option that many people enjoy, mesh is a definite possibility. Mesh can be used to cover cushions, stretched over plastic frames or even used as suspension support. It’s very malleable and can provide customized support. Cleaning requires some attention to the grooves, so be sure to stay on top of this.

Fabric

Fabric is likely the best feel against the skin, and there’s an endless blend of fibers and colors available here. Fabrics are highly durable, and modern stain-resistant sprays help keep them clean at all times. Fabric also comes without the risk of cracking, which is an advantage over leather.

Wood or Plastic

These surfaces will be the smoothest possible options, though they may also have sticking issues. But it’s always easy to add a cushion here, so sticking isn’t a big issue. Wood and plastic seats are not the softest options, but they can still be very comfortable as they can be contoured for your body’s curves. They help many people with proper posture, and unlike other materials, they never run the risk of losing their shape. Cleaning is simple, and these are the most durable products out there.

For more on various office chair materials, or to order office furniture online today, speak to the pros at Online Office Furniture.

Reducing Cords in the Office

In today’s modern business age, it’s understood by all smart businesses that office design means more than just a few colors and desk placements. An office layout can work wonders on productivity for your entire team, and we at Online Office Furniture are here to help you buy the types of office furniture that can make this happen for your business.

One trend that’s popular in many workplaces these days? Minimizing cords. Limiting wires and cords running along the ground and on desktops makes the office seem sleek and modern, and can have some functional benefits as well. Let’s look at three areas where you can use smart office furniture purchases to minimize wires.

Conference Room

The conference room is often where you’ll try to impress big clients or hold vital meetings, and you want it to be both clutter-free and functional. To do this, consider trading in your old conference table for a new one with “invisible” wiring, USB ports built in and power outlets on the tabletop itself.

You can consider integrated Wi-Fi intercom systems, as well. This will mean that your team and any clients using the room won’t be fighting over a single free plug in the corner, but also won’t be running a bunch of annoying cords all over the room.

Receptions and Lounges

Another high-traffic consideration is reception areas and lounges, areas where your top priority should be eliminating any liability or risk presented by wires or cords. Consider remote controlled blinds and dimmers, wireless speakers and lamps, and integrated power solutions like USB ports and charging stations. You want people who are just entering your business to see a modern-clutter-free area.

Offices

With integrated tech capabilities for tech and storage, it’s easy to almost completely free yourself of bothersome wires at your desk. Consider desks, printers, and lighting solutions that are wireless, or that come with convenient storage areas for any cords that are necessary.

For more on using furniture to cut down on annoying cords and wires, or to buy any of our office furniture online, visit Online Office Furniture today.

Basics Dos and Don’ts for Office Furniture

Furniture for the office is one of the most important considerations if you’re in a management position. These days, more and more businesses are recognizing the direct effect that comfortable, ergonomic office furniture can have on productivity in the workplace.

At Online Office Furniture, we’re here to help. Our selection of office furniture online is unmatched, and will allow you to easily browse for exactly the kinds of things your office needs. We know that this process can be daunting, especially for managers covering a large number of employees or handling these duties for the first time. With that in mind, we’ve prepared a handy little “do” and “don’t” list to guide you in the right direction.

Do

A few tips to ensure you’re doing during your furniture shopping:

• Focus on psychological comfort: Psychological comfort refers to things like the ability to mingle with peers, regulate room temperature, customize work areas and adjust noise levels. Whether it’s an integrated layout format or a break room designed by employees, consider ways to make your workers happier without lowering the challenges and expectations placed on them. Furniture goes a long way here.
• Research your furniture: Do you know what kind of materials are being used in the furniture you’re buying? Do you know if the creation processes for this furniture is in line with your company’s values? Good furniture makers are glad to share their story and background, and you should be sure to do your research before buying.
• Keep movement and wellness in mind: Whenever possible, consider employee well-being when buying furniture. Think about layouts conducive to freedom of movement and physical health. Consider things like lighting, plants and even solar shades to help he ambiance.

Don’t

• Sacrifice identity for discounts: There’s plenty of heavily discounted furniture out there, but there’s also usually a reason why it got this way. You wouldn’t hire employees at a discount, so why would you purchase items that will lower their happiness or productivity?
• Forget to measure: A common mistake in buying workplace furniture is forgetting about simple spatial concerns. Consider employee movement, how far chairs need to move, high-traffic areas, and where groups tend to gather when measuring.
• Jump on a trend just because it’s trendy: Office layout trends come and go, and while they might be right for your workplace, they also might not be. Don’t be obsessed with following every broad industry trend just for the sake of doing so – keep your specific office in mind.

To learn more about some basic dos and don’ts in the furniture purchasing field, or to buy office furniture today, speak to the pros at Online Office Furniture today.

Creative Options for Alternative Meeting Locations

The workplace is a constantly evolving animal, with managers and designers constantly looking for tweaks to help improve productivity and performance. At Online Office Furniture, we have all the products and materials to help make your office as streamlined as possible from an aesthetic and practical standpoint.

When looking to buy office furniture, consider social elements like the conference room. Humans are naturally social beings, and we regularly have meetings and discussions that the conference room has traditionally been used for. But in today’s modern age, the conference room isn’t the only option for these kinds of meetings. Here’s how to adapt your office design without a full renovation or additional conference rooms – a few alternatives to the traditional approach.

Standing Room Only

Sitting for hours each day can increase chances of illness and can also decrease productivity, and for this reason, standing-only meetings are becoming more popular. They’re an excuse for employees to stand up and increase their circulation, all while being productive at the same time. These meetings can take place in a variety of areas where there’s enough space to stand comfortably – at meeting tables, or at a cluster of desks in the office. This format is best for smaller groups and shorter meetings.

Outdoor Elements

If space is at a premium inside, or even in some cases where it isn’t, consider taking things outdoors. Many companies now have covered patios, rooftop gardens or landscaped paths on their grounds. The outdoors can help stimulate creativity and the same kinds of circulation as a standing-room meeting, and will vary things up enough for employees to feel like their day isn’t stagnating.

Productive Pods

Also called huddle rooms, focus pods or touchdown rooms, these are meeting spaces that act as mini conference rooms. You can design them with some basic shaping materials like desks or a group of small tables – anything that clearly signals that this is a space where a meeting is taking place. Productive pods can range wildly in size, and work for any project that needs two or more people. In some workplaces, employees can consider glass walls for sketching or whiteboards. These kinds of meetings are perfect for cutting out passersby and non-essential conversation.

For more on creative ways to design meeting spaces in the office, or to order office furniture today, visit the pros at Online Office Furniture.

Benefits of Corner Desks

For anyone looking for furniture for their office or home workspace, efficiency and use of space are big issues. At Online Office Furniture, our high-quality products are designed to maximize comfort while also giving a big nod to these important areas.

The desk is a particularly important factor for many offices, and in plenty of cases, one particular type stands out: The corner desk. A corner desk offers several benefits that a few more rigid desk types don’t – let’s look at these advantages.

Room Space

The corner of an office or a home study can often be a very difficult space to fill using traditional desks. You can put one in the corner, sure, but doing so will limit your full range of movement.

A corner desk maximizes space in the same way, but without the loss in movement range. You have more floor space for furniture or walkways, which can be a huge edge for people with a smaller office – or students in a dorm room or small work area. It provides more space to move around freely, a larger factor in productivity than many people realize.

Under Desk Space

Space in the room isn’t the only benefit of a corner desk, either. Corner desks almost universally have more under-desk space than traditional models. This space can be used for a CPU tower, a printer or scanner, or an under-desk pedestal, among other things.

Easy Access

If you have a long traditional desk, chances are you have to strain to reach across it or physically move your chair at least a few times per day. A corner desk removes this need as long as you have a basic swivel chair – you can simply pivot from left to right, accessing the same surface area without ever needing to move your chair or strain. You can spread work across two distinct sections, as well.

Want to learn more about the benefits of a corner desk, or interested in buying an office desk online? Speak to our experts at Online Office Furniture today.

Why Workplace Seating is Important

Office design and layout matters more than many people think as far as workplace productivity, and one of the largest individual factors here is seating. Research has shown that office chairs have a real, tangible impact on employee productivity.

At Online Office Furniture, we have a wide selection of office chairs online for your perusal. Let’s look at several of the reasons why office chairs are such a big deal.

Comfort

The most productive employees are those who feel at home in the workplace. These employees are free to focus on the tasks at hand, rather than some small sliver of their mind remaining occupied on basic comfort considerations. If a chair can help an employee feel relaxed and confident while also providing support for posture and other areas we’ll discuss in a moment, that’s a win-win.

Posture

Bad seating leads directly to bad posture, and bad posture can have a real impact on the workplace. It leads to lingering back and neck issues, and employees who come into work with these issues already festering are already starting from a disadvantage. This may be exacerbated by bad chairs, and as a manager, you run the risk of decreased productivity.

On the other hand, sturdy and reliable eating options will offer the support your body needs over long hours of sitting with limited movement. These are the only products we offer at Online Office Furniture.

Versatility

Consider how little items of versatility might impact employee productivity. The ability to pivot and lock chairs seems standard, but many manufacturers actually have real issues combining these features with proper support and comfort considerations. It’s not as simple as you may think to create a product that’s durable enough to last years while checking all the boxes we just mentioned, but you’ll notice the difference when you find a product that does.

For more information on the importance of office seating, or with questions about any of our furniture options, speak to the experts at Online Office Furniture today.