BE Furniture

You know we love a great open-plan office at BE. They are great for collaboration, creativity and building strong coworker relationships. However, they are not the best when it comes to privacy. Sometimes, privacy is necessary in the workplace for more focused work, meetings with new clients and other important discussions that don’t require the whole team. Luckily, there are some clever ways to create privacy in an open office space. With well-designed, multipurpose office furniture, your workspace can have the best of both worlds. Add Physical Barriers.  Perhaps, the easiest (and most obvious) way to create privacy in an open office is by adding physical barriers such as  partitions, screens, or room dividers . These can be movable, allowing for flexibility and easy rearrangement when necessary. Partitions can be made of different materials, such as glass, fabric or wood, depending on the desired level of privacy and aesthetic look you’re going for. Decorative screens and ro...

It’s the end of the year, which means it’s time for performance evaluations. Whether that means rewarding team members that are performing above standards or discussing what has to change, ensuring your team is operating to its full potential is absolutely necessary for any business. While many believe these evaluations can be conducted successfully online, there are indisputable reasons why a face-to-face meeting is the way to go. In this article, our  office design specialists in NJ  will discuss why end-of-year performance evaluations should happen in the workplace – as well as how to create the optimal setting for these reviews to take place.  Scheduled face-to-face interaction shows each team member that they are a priority In the world of daily Zoom meetings, having yet another Zoom call for a performance review can definitely feel less meaningful. Especially if you are one that usually keeps your camera off. Planning to meet in person sets a more professional tone....

For a long time, the phrase “work-life balance” has been a buzzword for businesses, but the reality is that, for many people, there is a distinct disconnect between the quality of like they experience at home and the one they get at work. After all, most employees work 40-60 hours a day in the  office , under fluorescent lighting, in range of unhealthy vending machine options, in front of a computer for hours at a time, and unaware of whether it’s day or night outside. After a day’s work, achieving that essential balance is almost impossible – finding the time or energy to exercise, shop for and prepare healthy foods, and spend quality time with our loved ones and hobbies. It’s this imbalance that makes achieving these goals almost impossible – and the distinction between home life and office life makes it exhausting to even think about! The answer, according to specialists, is that  workplaces  need to catch up in terms of quality of life – and industry leaders ...

Amazon is the world’s biggest retailer, so it’s no surprise that cities are clamoring to have the new headquarters located in their own backyard. The giant will bring in over 50,000 jobs, investing $5 billion in the construction project and growing in time to equal the status of the Seattle HQ. Here’s some insight into the bidding war. Amazon’s requirements  Only certain cities in the USA and Canada will be able to qualify to make a formal bid, but these restrictions are fairly minimal and include that the city has at least a million residents, an international airport, and a stable, business-friendly environment. These generous terms have led to a huge list of over 238 contenders. Which cities are leading the fight to be Amazon’s next HQ?  Major players in the bidding war stretch far and wide, and include: Boston – With its home-grown talent, transit and great real estate. Atlanta – Focusing on its location as an international air transit hub, affordable hous...

If you’ve been researching  corporate office furniture  or thinking about redesigning your office interior, you’ve likely come across the phrase “active sitting”. Here’s a quick guide to what it’s all about. Active sitting is also known as dynamic sitting, and it is about keeping the body in motion while seated, rather than remaining in a static position. Products that promote this concept allow for the natural movements of the body, and include a wide range of seating options like balance balls, sit-to-stand desks, and height-adjustable wobbling stools. While these ideas might sound a little strange, there’s a lot of research that supports this idea as a means to remove the health issues that static sitting contribute towards. The Mayo Clinic links long periods of sitting with increased blood pressure, risk of metabolic syndrome, high blood sugar, weight gain, abnormal cholesterol levels, and even increased risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. This i...

Remodeling your offices is a big job but it does bring great rewards if it’s done correctly. Here are some tips and advice to help you make the most of this investment. Ask the hard questions:  Remodeling is a significant financial and time commitment, so it’s important to be clear with your objectives from the start. Is remodeling definitely better than relocating? What are the objectives behind the remodel? What are the limitations on the project – like budget or time constraints? What ROI is expected for this project? Know your space:  Every building has its own unique set of strengths, limitations, and character. In your planning phase, think about how you can capitalize on unique features (for example, great natural light) and minimize the negatives (for example, a smaller space, or traffic noise), using modern office design ideas and innovations. Strategy, timeline and goals:  Approach your office remodel the way you’d approach any other company project – d...

Many employees who spend six or more hours sitting at a desk through their workday suffer from health and comfort issues that can be directly related to their desk chair, especially if they are taller or bigger people. Fixed height chairs make sitting an awkward activity for anyone who isn’t lucky enough to fit into those exact manufacturing specifications, which can result in back, shoulder and neck pain. How do ergonomic chairs work? Ergonomic chairs are simply chairs that can be adjusted to fit almost anyone, and that provide support to your body in the sitting position. With such a simple solution to such a serious problem, there’s no reason why anyone should be working in discomfort. Good ergonomic chairs allow the user to: Adjust seat heights Have a generous range limit for seat height Adjust the vertical and frontward/backward positioning of the back rest Sit comfortably in the correct seat depth Have a stable seating position – a five-point base is recommended ...

Commercial office interiors have changed dramatically in the last ten years. One of the main features present in this change is the movable wall. So, what has driven this innovation? And what are the benefits? Here’s what the design specialists say: • Flexibility drives down costs, drives up productivity In many cities around the USA and the world, office space is at a premium. It’s expensive, it’s difficult to come by in sought-after commercial centers and it’s almost impossible to find a space that works for your business in its current state. Simply put, there’s too little space and businesses have too many needs. Old school open plan offices filled to the brim with cubicles just don’t work for many companies: not as a cost-effective option and certainly not as a productive space. This has driven office design companies to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions that allow businesses to expand and change as their needs evolve. One such solution is m...

Flexible layouts: This year has been all about having a workplace as adaptive and functional as possible, allowing it to change with the requirements of the company, team and individual. From modular furniture that can be easily moved and rearranged for different purposes to glass architectural walls that can be shifted to change layouts and create open and closed office spaces, flexibility is all about making space work for you and your company. Mother nature: Offices are increasingly integrating themselves with nature, whether they are utilizing recycled or environmentally friendly products and  contemporary office furniture  or creating open natural spaces like gardens and rooftop gardens for employees to enjoy. Future-proofing: Creating an office design that can adapt to meet new challenges is important, not only regarding your company’s agility but also in terms of adapting to and implementing new office technologies. Using soft wiring, for example, is a s...

First developed in the 1970's,  office cubicle systems  are still the most popular means of designing and planning an office space to accommodate a workforce. In fact, they account for around $2.27 billions of office furniture sales in the USA! It’s not difficult to see why they’re so popular – cubicles are affordable, use space efficiently and modular, making them easy to fit into a wide range of spaces and floorplans. So, what types of cubicles are available? Panel-attached cubicles:  These are ready-made work areas where the walls are attached directly to work surfaces like filing cabinets, shelving and other customizable features. They can also contain their own power outlets to make installing computers and other electronic hardware easier. Free-standing cubicles:  In these models, the cubicle panel stands alone and is not attached to the desk, shelving or cabinets. These are useful for temporary office requirements or where you would like to combine you...

Flexible office plans and open-plan office environments are two of the most common options for companies considering tactical ways to make their office space more conducive to productivity and easier to manage. But what do these two concepts offer in reality? Open-plan offices promise collaboration but deliver noise In the USA, the open-plan office concept was first popularized in Silicon Valley, where tech start-ups and moguls alike praised its ability to encourage collaboration and communication while keeping office space and infrastructure costs low. While initially, this sounds like a great win-win situation for employees and companies alike, this concept has faced increasing criticism for noisiness and increased distractions. Lack of privacy is an issue when confidential client meetings have to take place, and higher absenteeism is often reported due to the ability of these spaces to allow germs to spread. Once seen as a one-size-fits-all solution for any business looki...

Taking steps to modernize your office have a number of advantages. With  modern office furniture , you will be able to impress your clients (as well as your potential clients), you will be able to revive the vibe in the office, ultimately leading to an increase in overall employee productivity, and you will be able to find a creative way in which to complement your brand. Unfortunately, giving your office the makeover that it deserves can often wreak havoc on your budget. Here are some tips for embracing the contemporary trend without breaking the bank in the process. If you want to achieve the modern look and feel, it is important to focus more on design rather than on finish. While it might be amazing to have a beautiful, circular marble conference table, practically, it is going to cost you more than just a pretty penny. Remedy this by compromising and investing in a circular table (which is very trendy right now), but go with a material that is slightly less costly, suc...