Uncertainty is a difficult thing to prepare for because - by its very nature - uncertainty means you don’t know what happens next. The good thing is that there are ways to prepare for uncertain working situations. How? By making sure your workspace is agile, flexible, and can adapt quickly and easily. The best way to future-proof your workspace is with modular office furniture.
What does modular office furniture mean?
First and foremost, let’s explore what modular furniture means. Any product that can be extended, reconfigured, or combined with other products is classed as modular. For example, a desk that can be lengthened is modular; soft furnishings that can be placed next to one another are modular (often called modular seating); and lockers that seamlessly join together can create a whole new wall of lockers are modular.
What are the advantages of modular office furniture?
1. Flexibility
Only 5 members of staff are allowed into the office due to government guidelines? Remove all unusable furniture. Need workers to keep 2 meters away at all times? Get the tape measure out and move modular furniture products far apart. Got all clear for everyone to head back in? Connect items back together again. New members of staff starting? Purchase additional modular office furniture products of the same type to effortlessly provide the assets they need. Back to 2 meters apart? Back in storage go the unused items.
2. Versatility
To keep design aesthetics fresh and inexpensive, simply rearranging furniture can breathe new life into a workspace. Modular office furniture is endlessly versatile. It can cater to any number of people, offer a variety of layout options, and create different functions within a focus zone, breakout area, or collaboration space.
3. Simplicity
If you’ve already invested in some modular office furniture that works, but you just wish it could accommodate more people, then you simply add more. If you find that not enough people are using it but want to create another area for people to sit at, then simply move the pieces to another area. Disassembly is usually quick, easy, and instant.
4. Economical
Modular office furniture is a cost-efficient way of purchasing furniture. Workspaces are often fast-paced, high-growth environments, so it’s good practice to be able to react quickly to ever-changing space-planning needs. When you’ve got modular office furniture in storage or spread out across different floors, you negate reordering, lengthy delivery waits, or additional costs.
5. Longevity
One great advantage of modular furniture is that it provides longevity. As an industry, office furniture is notoriously thrown out after a few years’ use when it’s no longer needed. If you’ve got modular office furniture, then it’s a sustainable investment because it can be used again and again, continuously adapted, and infinitely creating new environments. All it takes is a little creativity and you’ve got functional modular office furniture that withstands global pandemics, design trends, and staff growth.
Where can I buy modular furniture for the office?
Some of our favourite intelligently designed examples of modular furniture are from Dutch design studio TOOtheZOO. ‘Pure’ is simple, comfortable, and endlessly configurable. It can either be placed against a back wall and extended on either side; placed back to back against another Pure; or positioned next to a ‘Solo’ which has a height-adjustable table as well. Pure by TOOtheZOO is available from Agilita.
‘Solo’ is a great example of how modular office furniture can really support agile offices going forwards. Ideal for one person, two people, or a small group, Solo’s table is both height and depth adjustable. The side partition can also come with power sockets to keep your tech fully charged, as well as a personal lamp to brighten up the area if needed. Solo by TOOtheZOO is available from Agilita.
‘Booth’ adds that extra layer of privacy, whilst still offering an excellent modular office furniture aspect. Positioned alone, Booth creates an isolated workstation, but place 4 together at a 90 degree angle and each person still has a private workspace without being isolated from the rest of the team.
The world of work is definitely in a process of metamorphosis. Whilst we can’t control government guidelines, we can prepare our spaces to best accommodate people over the coming months with adaptable, flexible, modular office furniture.
If your company has adopted hybrid working, then perhaps you’d be interested in discovering the best furniture for a hybrid working model, or if you’re looking to motivate your employees, why not take a moment to learn how to stimulate creativity and innovation in the workplace. Interested in any of the products you see above? Feel free to reach out to our friendly team on 020 3948 9349.