BE Furniture

  Splitting time between the office and home has become the new norm since the pandemic hit the workforce in 2020. Since then, most companies have adopted hybrid workspaces and strategies for their teams. There are pros and cons to this, but most business owners have come to find that their employees are happier and more productive going from a stricter in-office work schedule to a hybrid workweek. But, how can you make the most of your hybrid workspace this year? Are there areas you can improve on? At BE Furniture, we always believe there is room for growth and improvement, especially when it comes to office space design. In this article, our team will go over hybrid workplace trends you will see more of in 2023.  More Hub-and-Spoke Office Models You’ve heard us talk about hub-and-spoke office location strategy for a few years now but it bears repeating. This hybrid workplace design is ideal for businesses with multiple locations that want to cut down on building operating co...

Since the rise of office work, the workplace has continued to evolve and transform to meet the needs of an increasingly dynamic, unpredictable, and technologically-advanced business world. The most successful workplace designs look to the past for lessons in both what works and what doesn’t, and we can build on this experience to improve our enjoyment, productivity, and efficiency. Just take a look at the differences between original office cubicles and modern office cubicles ! Here are some great examples of what we’ve learned from office design trends of the past. 1. How to Bring People Together to Maximize Efficiency The pre-1945 generation pioneered the idea of a mass office space, bringing hundreds of workers together to work in their individual roles towards common organizational goals. An American engineer, Fredrik Taylor, has been credited with starting this trend that became the foundation of the traditional office space as we know it today. He designed ordered, effic...

Before you can even think about investing in cubicle desk systems, modern office chairs or ergonomic desks, you will need to find the right office design and fit-out partner. This partner will be equipped to advise you in terms of what kind of office set-up will be best for your business and your company culture, from modern office cubicles, stunning conference and collaborative areas, to open-plan workplaces. Here are our top tips for choosing the right office design company to assist you in this all-important journey: Vision and Cultural Integration Anybody can pick out ten cubicles for ten people and put them in a layout. But a serious office design partner won’t even start talking about furniture until they know the soul of your company, and what kind of culture you are trying to achieve. The discussion of company culture and values is the soul of good office design. Experience Most companies have good experience but what kind of experience is a better quest...

Often, office design focuses on the generation entering the workforce, how they’re changing things and what needs to change to accommodate them. But the reality is that people are working from an earlier age to a later age, making it essential that the office of the future can accommodate five generations together. Here’s some insight into this 5G workplace and what it means, from the commercial office furniture specialists. Retirement is a Thing of the Past For most people, retirement is a luxury and not an expectation, so they’re going to keep active in the workforce well after the traditional retirement age of 65. There are many reasons for this, including our longer and more healthy life expectancy and a lack of savings culture. This generation has considerable value to the workforce, with unmatched experience and hands-on knowledge. In terms of office design, this means not simply catering to the incoming generations. Office social spaces can’t be age specific and have ...

We started with offices designed for purely for function, then we invited it into our houses with the creation of home offices. As Millennials entered the workspace this changed into the coffee shop culture office where work is mobile, engaged and comfortable. Now we’re seeing the final combination of the three – a resimercial office design that brings together the best of all these worlds. What is Resimercial Office Design? Essentially, it’s about marrying the comforts and wellbeing of home into the functionality of a state-of-the-art office space in order to gain the benefits of both. When it’s properly executed, this exciting design concept has a positive impact on collaboration, ideation, wellbeing and productivity. It creates a space that is more lighthearted and welcoming – designed to literally make employees feel right at home. Elements of Resimercial Office Design Successfully bringing together the elements of home and work takes an expertly considered touch – y...

When choosing modern office chairs, design, affordability and ergonomic factors are important factors to consider – and so is the type of material. By taking the time to source contemporary office furniture that is comfortable, supportive and easy to maintain, you’ve made a significant contribution towards the overall design of your office space, your brand as a whole, and the productivity of your employees. The Benefits of Choosing the Right Chair Material Good quality materials are built to last, so your office’s new look will stay looking great for many years to come. The chair material you choose should also be stain-resistant to handle clumsy coffee mishaps or lunches, easy to clean so that you don’t have to call in professional upholstery cleaners every few weeks, and attractive to look at so that it enhances your entire office design. Popular Seating Materials for Modern Office Chairs Chair material types that are currently in high demand include: Mesh c...

April 22 nd  is Earth Day, and businesses all around the world are joining in the fight to celebrate the earth and protect its resources. This year’s theme is “Protect Our Species”, focused on preventing the extinction of animals, plants and insects due to human activity. Here are some ideas for companies of every size who want to show that they care, from our specialists in modern office cubicles. Plant a tree:  As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree is yesterday, the second-best time to do it is now! Get permission well in advance to plant a tree (or several) either in your office grounds or a local park. Choose trees that are indigenous to your area and are rare or under threat of extinction, so that they boost the local eco system. Have an hour or so set aside to pant the tree together and have a picnic! Get competitive:   A company-wide competition is a great way to get everyone actively involved in this great cause! You can split people into ...

Want your office design to be a success? Consider these critical design elements, from the specialists in  modern office design ideas! Space:  This refers to how much floorspace you have to work with, dividing the space correctly to fit different functions and selecting the right size furniture. Form:  This is about considering the practical needs of the people within the space. Chairs and furniture can’t just look great – they have to enhance the way people work, move around and use the office. Flow:  The design of an office space depends a lot on the workflows it needs to accommodate. This means considering what departments need to be closer together or further apart, where communal areas and private areas should be, and what design makes managing a team easier. Color:  Color affects mood, productivity, stress levels and even appetite! Contrasts can inspire energy and creativity, while neutrals create a calm and relaxed atmosphere. It should be used...

One of the best tools a company has to attract and retain top talent is the amenities they can offer their employees, but what amenities are the most rewarding ones to invest in? Here are some ideas from our  commercial office furniture team. Personal project time:  Strictly speaking, this is more of a perk than an amenity, but it’s a great idea anyway. Pioneered by 3M, the aim is to allow employees a certain amount of time and flexibility to work on their passion projects. Although this sounds counter-productive, the reality is that it improves overall engagement and productivity as well as energy levels. Even Google has a “20% Time” rule to allow for this, which produced Gmail! Concierge services:  If you want your employees to stay busy, engaged and focused at work, the best thing to do is to take some of those distracting, everyday tasks off their hands. Concierge services can take care of your employee’s personal errands, like grocery shopping, ensuring that...

Designing an office is about much more than making sure there’s enough seating and desk space for each employee, it’s about creating a space that embodies your brand, smooths out work processes and enhances productivity and creative thinking. Here are some of the leading sources of inspiration for workplaces that offer it all. The Natural World:  For too long, society has treated work as separate to nature – but where do we all go to relax, re-energize and find inspiration? Nature. Natural light, plant life and fresh air have a significant impact on our wellbeing, health and happiness, and using it in the workplace has the same powerful effect. When there’s a strong presence of nature, people experience less mental fatigue, stress and illness. All these positive effects impact directly on your company’s bottom line through increased productivity, better employee mental and physical health, and increased loyalty and job satisfaction. Socialization:  Human beings are soc...

Moving offices happens for many reasons, whether your business is expanding, moving headquarters, merging with another company or remodeling. Whatever the reason for your move, it’s important to have a plan in place to manage your office relocation, ensure a smooth process and a productive start in your new workspace. Here are some tips from our  commercial office furniture team . It’s never too early to start planning:  As soon as relocation is confirmed, it’s time to start planning. The trick is to manage it the way you’d manage any other complex project: note down specific requirements, determine your budget and develop a timeframe. It’s important to have all the details ready about your new place too, from ensuring new furniture and fittings are in place on time, planning out the flow and layout of your new offices, and identifying different spaces for different activities. Go solo or find a partner:  While it is possible to carry out an office relocation you...

Modern office design  is all about creating a space that is more welcoming, more inspiring and more productive. So, is art an effective way to achieve this? Here’s what our team of contemporary office furniture specialists have to say. Art is an Untapped Source of Office Wellness  Numerous studies have shown that while modern office chairs, flexible hot-desking and even plant life have become a focus for creating wellness in the office, art is one area that has been largely ignored. According to a study by Leesman, an organization dedicated to evaluating how workplaces support and affect employee and organizational performance, 80% of office workers say they feel apathy or even hate for the current artwork in their workplace. Many office design companies as well as the organizations themselves treat office art as simple background decoration that’s not worth the effort to include in their wellness remodel – but this is a very incorrect attitude, and here’s why: F...

Most companies are continuing to move towards open plan workspaces as they save on office overheads and space while boosting productivity, communication and collaboration. However, if these spaces aren’t designed properly, you’ll get the opposite effect as noise and speech distractions make employees frustrated, less productive and unable to concentrate. Here are some tips for keeping your office acoustics down to a comfortable level, from our specialists in  modern office cubicles  and ergonomic desks. Get the mix of settings right:  Open plan design is not just about knocking down all the walls and expecting productivity to go up – it’s about creating a place that works with your employee needs. Recent studies show that workers spend on average just 30-50% of their day working at their desk – so where else are they working and what does that work require? Having a mix of settings to meet these needs – including private and meeting spaces – will prevent open plan ...

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...

If you work at a desk for a living, chances are that you accept a certain level of discomfort as normal – after all, you’re staying stationary over a computer keyboard for hours at a time, right? Wrong! With a few adjustments and the right  commercial office furniture , you can make your workspace a much more comfortable and healthier place to be. Is an ergonomic workspace worth it? In short, yes. Numerous studies have shown that sitting at your desk incorrectly can cause repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, bursitis or back strain. Even though it might mean replacing some items in favor of ergonomic desks or more modern office chairs, your body will thank you in the long run. Not only will you be healthier, your productivity should increase too! Just follow these easy tips: Invest in adjustable chairs:  Each of us have different length legs and torsos, so it makes sense that a non-adjustable chair just isn’t going to work fo...

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 ...

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...

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...