Small Business Furniture to Make the Most of Your Small Office

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Everyone wants it, but not everyone can have the big corner office with expansive views and the enormous mahogany desk. Maybe your office is located in a crowded city where the rent is as high as the building itself. Or perhaps you’re at a startup with a tight budget until the company fully takes off. You could also be an entrepreneur working from home and you’re carving out your office in a small bedroom or corner of the living room. Regardless of your reasons for working in a tight space, there are a variety of ways that you can make the most of the room you do have with compact-sized furniture.

Know the Limits of Budget & Space for Your Small Office

The first thing you need to figure out for your small office? Your budget.That amazing mid century modern desk may be perfect for your space, but are you willing to spend your whole budget on one piece of furniture? A small couch would be nice, but is it necessary and would it get used?  Additionally, if your office is located on the 10th floor, you may have to pay additional delivery charges for stairs or for a certain distance that the movers have to carry the piece (which varies by company or store). This could impact your budget, so look for these additional charges or keep a portion of the money aside for the unexpected.

Next, measure your office and the door opening. There’s nothing worse than having a wide desk or a comfy new couch delivered only to realize that it won’t fit into the space – or through the door! Furniture stores can also be deceiving; that simple desk or two-seater couch can look really small in a huge warehouse and end up being surprisingly larger than expected in a real-life office. Try out a free website like PlanYourRoom.com to see how everything will fit before you buy. Just choose the size of your room and drag the furniture items you plan to buy such as a desk, bookshelf, and chairs. You can customize the size of the furniture, position it anyway you like, and even add structural elements such as doors and windows to get a full sense of how your small office layout will look and function.

Picking Out the Right Small Office Furniture

When you’re shopping for a small office desk or storage for your office, review your day-to-day activities and how you’ll be using the furniture. Consider these multi-use or space-saving pieces:

 

  • Do you want a desk that has built in storage? Will you need deep drawers for files or just standard pull-out drawers for pens, notepads, and paper clips?
  • Will your bookshelf hold knick knacks, or a printer and office supplies? How deep will the shelves need to be to accomodate a printer? Is there an electrical outlet near the bookcase location to plug in your printer or to create a charging station for your smartphone or tablet?
  • Will you be conducting meetings in your office and will you need additional seating? If you work alone, a corner desk may be a great space saving option. However, a traditional desk is better if you’ll be having visitors that you need to sit across from.
  • Does your desk need to just hold a laptop and coffee mug or do you need room to spread out to review charts, blueprints, or product samples? Is it more convenient for your circumstances to have a small desk to work at and an additional table in the corner so you won’t feel cluttered and closed in as you work?

While you definitely want to optimize for function, do you want to include space for fun? Are your employees looking for a way to blow off steam after meetings? Have fun and think outside the box using office games as decor and furniture. Maybe a ping pong table could serve double duty as a meeting table or a foosball game is the perfect accessory for the corner.

Where Can I Find Small Business Furniture?

Fortunately, it’s not hard to find small office furniture to furnish your new office:

  • Overstock.com has a great variety of office furniture at affordable prices. They offer floating desks that mount to the wall, corner desks that take up minimal room, and bookcase desks that combine the versatility of a tiny desk with the storage option of shelves over it.
  • Amazon.com is king of online retailers for good reason: they have everything including small office furniture. They have a vast array of styles to fit any budget and if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can get free shipping on many of these options (and furniture shipping costs can get pricey).
  • IKEA is one of the most popular places to find furniture and they have some great choices for small spaces. We love IKEA office furniture for many reasons, but one of their benefits is that they show you how to design your space using their products to create a stylish, functional, and cohesive room. Not only do they have amazing furniture, but this can be your one-stop-shop for storage supplies and accessories such as baskets, garbage bins, magazine files, wall art, pencil cups, planters, and so much more.
  • Your Local Office Supply Store – It can feel risky buying expensive furniture online that you’ve never seen in person. Fortunately, many local office supply stores such as Office Depot and Staples have small office furniture collections that you can either have shipped to your home or you can pick up in-store (on your own or with Dolly’s help). They also have everything else you’ll need to stock your office – from pencils to printers to labels – so this is a great place if time and money is limited.

There are countless other options around town where you can find small office furniture. From Target to Costco to family run furniture stores, you’re sure to find something that is your style. If you do find local treasures, remember that Dolly can help. Whether you’re moving an existing office or you just bought new office furniture that may not fit into your car or SUV, you can book a Dolly to make this process a breeze. You’ll be ready for business in no time when you have Dolly to help you move.