Your office furniture has a big job to do. It has to look good, hold up to wear and tear, and reflect something positive about your company. Comfortable, attractive furniture in work spaces is important, but so are the choices you make for the conference room tables.
The wrong furniture can derail an important meeting in a few ways. Maybe it's physically distracting, or it might just be unattractive. If it's been a while since you really thought about the look and feel of your conference room, one of these problems might lurk right under your nose:
1. Unstable Office Furniture is Distracting
Chances are you've had the bad luck of choosing a wobbly, squeaky, or otherwise unstable chair in a conference room. If you're paying attention to how much or how often the chair moves or whether you'll be responsible for a noise, you can't pay attention to the meeting.
Any unstable conference room furniture, whether the conference room table or the office chairs surrounding it, can be a distraction. With every wobble or squeak, attention is taken away from the speaker and given to the furniture. Solid, well-built conference room furniture does its job quietly and doesn't upstage the meeting.
2. Poorly Sized Tables Make Conversation a Challenge
Some conference room furniture seems enormous when compared to the number of attendees and the size of the room. Other furniture might be too small. Poorly sized conference room furniture makes participating more difficult than it needs to be.
A table that's too large means everyone might need to speak louder than they'd like to. Too small, and they might feel crowded. A table that's the right size is one that has proportions in synch with the room, gives plenty of personal space for each attendee, and has at least 36 inches of walking space around the perimeter. If your office hosts large and small meetings, a convertible conference room tables that let you add to or take away from gives you customization options.
3. Uncomfortable Seating Interferes with Concentration
At least as bad as a wobbly, squeaky chair is one that's uncomfortable. The most attractive chair isn't a good choice if attendees squirm and shift to re-position themselves through most of the meeting. Being uncomfortable is one of the worst distractions.
Comfortable seating is critical to productive meetings. When attendees can stay seated through the whole meeting without wondering how soon it will be over, everyone can stay on track. A comfortable chair doesn't have to be the most expensive, either. It only has to be built the right way.
4. Outdated or Unattractive Furnishings Give a Bad Impression
Perhaps your conference room table is just the right size and the seating is perfectly comfortable. But if it's worn, outdated, or just plain ugly, that sends a negative message about your company.
There's more to business than looks, but appearances are important. If your conference room furniture hasn't been stylish in a very long time, it's smart to think about replacing or refurbishing it. The last thing you want is a potential client who gets a bad impression about your company based on tables and chairs.
Conference rooms are where some of the most important work takes place. Sometimes they're used for training. Other times, important clients, or would-be clients, are guests. Whenever focus is critical, the office furniture can make or break the experience.
Cubiture can help you design an efficient conference room, and fill it with some of the latest, most well-made office furniture on the market. See what our space-planning professionals can do for you.
