Businesses today are embracing the idea of creating a more aesthetically pleasing and productive work environment. With the changing times, office design trends and furniture styles are also evolving. Business owners now have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to selecting the right design and furniture for their businesses. In this blog post from our team at Sumner Furniture & Design, we will explore the hottest office design and furniture trends for 2023. Be sure to check out our selection of affordable and luxurious second-hand office furniture in our online furniture shop today.

When it comes to hosting client meetings and creating a great first impression, it’s important to carefully consider the design and atmosphere of the space. Finding the right balance of luxury and affordable office furniture can be a challenge, but with the help of Sumner Furniture & Design, the best furniture store in the Washington metro area, it can be done.

Muffle is the perfect solution for creating distinct and aesthetically pleasing spaces within an office environment. With its modular system of panels, sofas, desks, and shelves, it can easily transform open spaces into cozy private areas for both individuals and groups. The sound-dampening panels also double as visual screens, providing a distraction-free environment to facilitate both solo and collaborative activity. Designers have the flexibility to create several different configurations that reflect their aesthetic vision, all with one cohesive look.

To Open Office or Not to Open Office – That is the Question

Top Benefits of an Open Office

For business owners, the advantages of open offices are alluring. Getting more out of less space is the main appeal. With less square feet per employee needed and a cheaper build-out, you can keep your costs down.

For employees, the biggest advantages lie in more efficient collaboration. With no walls, there is faster communication and more approachability through the rankings. Open space allows for a better exchange of information among co-workers because it is easier to ask each other questions and receive quick answers in an open environment.

So, who wouldn’t want an office that costs less money and leads to a better work product?

When Open Offices Go Wrong

As amazing as the open office sounds, it’s not the right fit for every company. You should consider other options if:

1. Management is not on-board – An open office only works if there’s a true sense of top-to-bottom appreciation of the mission. Bosses must lead by example and embrace the environment by becoming part of the team. The structure will not work if employees are in the open, but top executives seclude themselves in closed offices.

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First impressions are the most important thing when it comes to building any professional relationship. For businesses, a client’s first impression can be made before they even meet you – through the look of your lobby and lobby furniture. With the proper lobby furniture, your entrance to your business can become the best lounge area and first impression sure to make your clients stay interested and keep your employees wanting to come back every day.

What You Need

You may have the friendliest, most welcoming receptionist around, but if they are the best thing about walking into an office, you may lose business fast. So how do you go about getting a lobby area that is just as friendly and welcoming as your receptionist?

1. Make your lobby area feel like a luxurious lounge fully equipped with comfortable chairs, couches, and tables for magazines and personal items.

2. The colors of the lobby should be neutral and inviting; contemporary yet simplistic is the new welcoming feel, according to expert designers.

3. Decorate the area with framed photos of fun images and quotes without overdoing it. By adding too many quotes and photos to the wall, it may look like you just went to the store and took whichever stock photos you liked best! Be classy with your choices and make sure they can be incorporated with the company in some way, even if it’s subtle.

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All jobs are different when it comes to the amount of paperwork and storage space needed. Some can be done completely electronically and don’t need a single drawer, while others may require an entire wall cabinet just for their internal paperwork. Storage units range from metal to wicker in terms of what they’re made from, and size from being able to fit under a cubicle desk to taking up an entire wall. Here are some tips to take into consideration when thinking about storage units in accordance with common job positions where the amount of paperwork varies.

Human Resources

This field requires any and all information about employees to be signed, dated, and kept safe. This means that there needs to be a designated space for these documents, and the bigger the company, the more space required. In today’s age, everything can be scanned and stored electronically, but it is still wise for human resources to have a physical copy of the information as well. We recommend filing cabinets for these positions so that documents can be labeled and sorted correctly. Since the documents saved by this department contain personal information and are extremely important, using a unit of metal material is best. This helps protect documents from damage as well as keeping a strong unit for frequent use – regular opening and closing of drawers could cause them to wear out and break with other materials. For extra protection, you can even opt for a filing cabinet with a lock on it to protect the documents from ending up in the wrong hands.

In recent years, the concept of “well-being” has become a hot topic, but what exactly is well-being? Topics like yoga and meditation certainly come to mind, but there’s much more to it. Well-being is defined as, “The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy”. So while participating in things like yoga and meditation can help, there are some practices your business can conduct in the workplace to increase office well-being, and remember – a happy employee is a productive one!

To bring the concept of well-being into the workplace, one great way to start is through the ambiance of your office space. This includes office lighting, layout, variety, and color. Studies have shown that strong lighting options push work productivity up by 23% while being exposed to natural light increases productivity by 18%. Bringing the outdoors into the office also boosts positivity. Natural wood desks create a natural atmosphere – even potted plants help by refreshing the oxygen! When it comes to the color of your workspace, certain colors can promote certain qualities – yellows promote creativity, greens reduce stress and promote calmness, and blues promote focus to the employee. By splashing these colors around the office, your employees will naturally be more creative and productive in the workplace.

Brace yourself…office chairs are coming! We all can’t sit on the Iron Throne (pretty sure that chair is reserved for certain people). We do however provide plenty of types of chairs in the office to make you feel just as powerful. When working full time, an individual spends 40 hours a week in an office (that’s four whole seasons of Game of Thrones in a week!), and that time can be spent far more productively if you’re comfortable. There are many different types of office chairs to choose from, so we present to you, the sitter, some basic guidelines and office chairs to make sure you choose the best type and variation for your employees!

The Type of Work Defines The Office Chair You Need

First things first, the type of chair you choose should be based on what your business does and how your employees work. If your employees spend a majority of their workday sitting down, they should have a chair that is thickly padded and durable for everyday use. But if your employees are only in the office a couple of hours a week and are constantly moving, their chairs don’t need to be as luxurious. Your chairs should be able to provide support to your employees with features such as height levelers, adjustable seats and backs, and lumbar support.

Your desk is one of the most important setups in your office. The style of your desk can determine the feel of your place of work, whether you want a room that’s elegant, comfortable, or powerful. From beautiful mahogany table surfaces to even secret cabinet panels, office desks are critical to how you present yourself and how you work. So how do you know which to choose for your job? We’ve selected a few office desks for you to consider when discovering the best fit for your space.

Executive Desks

As an executive of a company, an executive desk provides space, accessibility, and a touch of prestige to any situation. Basic desks are made with affordable efficiency, but executive desks are made from solid wood or steel. With a higher build quality than most desks and many customizable built-in features, this desk makes office life much easier and brings a higher aesthetic into the room, no matter if you’re looking for a modern or traditional feel.

Executive desks can also be ordered to fit the layout of your room. A radial or L-shaped workstation, or a U-shaped office desk allows for space and efficiency. With a longer surface, you can conduct business meetings with ease, as it provides enough room for more than one individual to gather around. They are custom-tailored to accompany left-handed or right-handed users.

You can save money by purchasing a more expensive, but good office chair.

That might seem like bad math if you think about it. Buying an item of better quality would cost more in general. That’s normally the case, but other factors play a part when selecting a good office chair.

The Act of Sitting

The average person spends 9.5 to 11 hours a day sitting down. It could be for work, eating, or recreational use like catching up on “The Walking Dead”. If your chairs aren’t providing spinal support, not only will you complain, but that’s also nearly half of every day spent in pain! People become far less productive at work if they’re focused on their back pain and not the job at hand. Should an injury arise, that means filing for workers’ compensation. You allow time off work to recover, and you’re now one man short at the office.

However, a good office chair nullifies all these problems, and allow you and your employees to remain productive, healthy, and happy at work.

The Value in the Long Run

In terms of ergonomics (the relationship between human capabilities and office demands), we can examine how the value of a good office chair pays for itself! Given these points, let’s say a high-quality office chair costs $500. Most office jobs have a standard 8-hour workday. So by these numbers:

One of the newest trends in popular office furniture is the standing conference table! It is a tall desk that can be easily adjusted to suit the party’s height, which improves health and focus during any meeting. No more will employees feel the urge to start snoring in the middle of a presentation. No more closing their eyes for “just a second” during an after-lunch business conference. That could result in a very stern talking from their superiors later on.

So how does it help?

Standing for a portion of the workday keeps you awake, active, and reduces the risk of various health concerns. Standing meetings also allow your employees more time in the day to complete their tasks at hand. Research has shown that meetings conducted when employees are standing are 34% shorter than the average business meeting! There are a few possible reasons why these meetings feel more productive. Standing helps release endorphins and provides energy, so people develop a shared sense of purpose to get things accomplished. It also makes it more difficult to check your phone or social media during a meeting and eliminates the distraction. Meetings might even be shorter because employees hurry them up so they can go back to sitting down! Whatever the reason, the system works, and saving time on meetings means more time used for work!

How to Create Your Office Home

For most of us, the office is a second home. Your house is decorated in a comfortable fashion to represent you, so do the same in your office! Ditch the uncomfortable, traditional furniture and make your workspace feel a little more like an office home accordingly.

Find a Theme

When rearranging your office into an office home, start by finding a theme. You know you want the office to feel cozy and personal, so draw inspiration from either your favorite room in your house, your favorite season, or your favorite place to relax. Before you know it you’ll be writing reports by the beach, or signing forms in an office color-coded to feel like fall!

Replace your Stuff

Consider changing out those large staple items that have the greatest impact on the workspace. Replace your chair with one that better represents your taste! Maybe something with a fun pattern or a loud color? Once that’s figured out, you can go ahead and find an alternative for your desk. Dark wood finishes are not the only color options – if you’re looking to try something more casual, check out some lighter colors. A white desk is a great way to brighten up your office while remaining effective and appropriate.