What does office furniture say about a business?

It shows your company culture, your priorities and how much thought you’ve given to the people who use the space. Traditional furniture suggests stability and authority, active furniture suggests a business that cares about its people, and flexible or collaborative layouts suggest openness and trust.

What is the difference between hot desking and an activity-based office?

Hot desking is about how desks are shared: nobody has their own desk, and people use any free one. An activity-based office is a whole-office design with zones for different tasks, and people choose where to work depending on what they’re doing. Hot desking can be part of an activity-based office.

Is a flex office the same as hot desking?

They overlap, because both mean no assigned desks. Hot desking usually describes how people use the desks, while a flex office describes the layout: largely identical workstations and no activity zones.

Is flexible working the same as a flexible office?

No. Flexible working is about hours and location, and employees in the UK have a legal right to request it. A flexible office is about furniture and layout.

What furniture do you need for hot desking?

Height-adjustable desks, chairs that adjust quickly and easily, and lockers or mobile storage so people have somewhere to keep their things.

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What your office furniture says about your business

What your office furniture says about your business

Your office is the physical representation of your business. The design and layout can have a big influence on the productivity and wellbeing of employees as well as making an impression on your clients. It demonstrates your company culture, your priorities and your spending power. The type of office furniture that is suitable will vary from business to business, but regardless, your workplace is worth any investment you can afford to make. Smart choices and innovative ideas will create a workplace of which you can be proud no matter your budget.

Not sure where to start? Below, we look at the main office furniture styles, what each one says about a business and who it suits best. We also explain the difference between a flex office, hot desking and an activity-based office, because the terms are easy to mix up.

At a glance

Traditional: stability, expertise and authority. Suits solicitors, notaries and accountants.
Active: a business that cares about its people and keeps moving forward.
Creative and collaborative: openness and ideas. Suits agencies, tech companies and start-ups.
Welcoming and hard-wearing: reliability and care. Suits healthcare, education and public services.
Comfortable and quiet-friendly: a team that has been thought about. Suits customer service teams and call centres.
Flexible: trust and choice. Suits hybrid teams and activity-based ways of working.

Traditional furniture for professional services

Imposing, dark wood office furniture creates a reassuring atmosphere for businesses offering professional services, such as solicitors, notaries and accountants. It should be coupled with brown or black leather office chairs and waiting room furniture. This traditional look implies stability and longevity: comforting qualities to convey to clients. While many workplaces are moving towards an open-plan set-up, individual offices are important in this type of business to provide privacy for clients and illustrate your expertise and authority.

Active office furniture for people-first workplaces

Companies that have embraced active working send a clear signal to employees and visitors alike that this is a business that cares about its staff. By demonstrating your commitment to employee wellbeing, you will improve job satisfaction and staff retention as well as attracting the best new recruits and reassuring potential clients that your business is at the cutting edge. This type of furniture suggests a company that is always on the move: a productive company that won’t rest on its laurels. Sit-stand furniture has even been shown to improve work performance and concentration.

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Creative and collaborative office furniture

Agencies, tech companies and start-ups often want an office that feels more like a place to swap ideas than a place to sit still. Mixed seating, soft lounge furniture, high tables for quick catch-ups and whiteboards close at hand all say the same thing: ideas are welcome here, whatever your job title. It tells clients and recruits that you’re open, quick to adapt and happy to work together. Keep a few quiet corners, though. Even the most sociable team needs somewhere to concentrate in a creative office.

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Hard-wearing furniture for healthcare, education and public services

Clinics, dental practices, schools, councils and charities have a different job to do. Visitors need to feel welcome and at ease, and the furniture needs to cope with a lot of use. Comfortable reception and waiting area seating helps people relax before an appointment, and hard-wearing furniture for schools keeps going through busy days. Value matters in these settings too, so it’s worth looking at how long furniture will last, not just what it costs on day one. Furniture that lasts longer is also replaced less often, which fits with our approach to sustainability. If you have specific hygiene or safety requirements, check them against the product details before you buy.

Quiet-friendly furniture for customer service teams and call centres

When people spend long shifts on the phone or at a screen, comfort and noise matter more than style. Ergonomic office chairs that adjust to each person help them stay comfortable through the day, and desk screens help keep sound at a level that works for everyone in a shared room. The message to your team is: we’ve thought about how you work.

Flexible and activity-based offices

Flexible working shows trust in your employees and puts an emphasis on creativity and independent thinking. As well as allowing staff to work from home and choose flexible hours, this approach can be reflected in your office furniture. In an activity-based office, employees choose their environment depending on their current task: standing up to work, sitting comfortably on a sofa, concentrating in quiet spaces or brainstorming in a purpose-built group working area. Providing choice will create a modern workplace that demonstrates the company’s ability to move with the times and change old ways of thinking if it will lead to improvement.

Flex office, hot desking and activity-based office: what's the difference?

These terms often get used as if they mean the same thing. They don’t, and the difference affects what you need to buy.

- Hot desking is a sharing rule. Nobody has their own desk, and people sit at any free one when they arrive.

A flex office is the layout that usually goes with it. There are no assigned desks, and the workstations are largely the same throughout.

- An activity-based office goes a step further. There are no assigned desks here either, but the space is divided into zones for quiet focus, teamwork, calls and informal chats, and people move to whichever suits the task in front of them.

- Flexible working isn’t about furniture at all and is different than flexible office. It means flexible hours or locations, which employees in the UK have a legal right to request. It’s often the reason an office changes, which is why it gets mixed up with the others.

	Hot desking	Flex office	Activity-based office
Own desk	No, any free desk	No	No
Layout	Standard desks, often open plan	Largely identical workstations	Different zones for different tasks
Main aim	Use fewer desks well	Cut down on empty desks	Match the space to the task
Furniture to prioritise	Height-adjustable desks, easy-adjust chairs, lockers	As hot desking	Lounge seating, hight tables, screens, sound absorbers, varied meeting rooms

Which one suits your business?

Hot desking or a flex office tends to suit teams who split their time between home and the office and want to use fewer desks well. An activity-based office suits teams who do very different kinds of work through the day, but it needs enough quiet zones to work properly. Without them, it can feel stressful rather than creative. Our guide to creating an activity-based office explains how to set the zones up.

Furniture to look for

Because several people will adjust the same chair or desk in a day, choose pieces that are quick to adjust and built to last. Height-adjustable desks let each person set up in seconds, ergonomic office chairs with simple controls suit every body, and lockers or mobile storage give people somewhere to keep their things between visits.

Choosing a style that suits your budget

You don’t need to refurnish the whole office to change the message it sends. Start with the pieces people use all day, such as chairs and desks, and build from there. Think about how your team works before you think about how the room looks. Our guide on how to decide what office furniture you need is a good place to begin. When you’re ready, you can request an online quote or visit our Farnborough showroom and see the furniture in person.

Don’t underestimate the impact the physical workplace can have on how people view your company. The office furniture you choose can change the atmosphere of your business and make the difference between a company considered to be at the forefront of its industry and one that gets left behind.

FAQ

What does office furniture say about a business?
It shows your company culture, your priorities and how much thought you’ve given to the people who use the space. Traditional furniture suggests stability and authority, active furniture suggests a business that cares about its people, and flexible or collaborative layouts suggest openness and trust.
What is the difference between hot desking and an activity-based office?
Hot desking is about how desks are shared: nobody has their own desk, and people use any free one. An activity-based office is a whole-office design with zones for different tasks, and people choose where to work depending on what they’re doing. Hot desking can be part of an activity-based office.
Is a flex office the same as hot desking?
They overlap, because both mean no assigned desks. Hot desking usually describes how people use the desks, while a flex office describes the layout: largely identical workstations and no activity zones.
Is flexible working the same as a flexible office?
No. Flexible working is about hours and location, and employees in the UK have a legal right to request it. A flexible office is about furniture and layout.
What furniture do you need for hot desking?
Height-adjustable desks, chairs that adjust quickly and easily, and lockers or mobile storage so people have somewhere to keep their things.

How to decide what office furniture you need

Activity-Based Office for Creativity and Collaboration

How to design a creative office

What your office furniture says about your business

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