Designing and planning for a commercial office conference room comes down to several key aspects to insure the room is functional and up-to-date. From understanding the newest trends to properly measuring the space, to even small details like making sure the table is properly sized and proportionate for the space, there are many aspects to consider. Choosing the right furniture for the space can make or break that first impression for clients, partners and employees. As a physical representation of a company’s vision and professionalism, an office space can say a lot about how a business conducts itself and pays attention to detail. At Santa Fe Office Interiors, we have a 9,000 sq. ft. showroom because we know that every business is different. Having options while designing your space is important that is why we provide a range of quality new and used furniture is a variety of styles. Looking for office chairs or office partitions, or how about looking to upgrade workspace with new or used desks? Santa Fe Office Interiors serves the greater Kansas City area with office solutions.
Newest Trends
Nearly everything has a trend from time to time. Whether it is fashion or technology, a trend is a signal within an industry or movement that is pointing towards a general direction in which something is developing or changing. Much like those industries, interior office design has yearly trends which are based on movements within the furniture manufacturing world as well as changing expectations in the workplace. From tech companies notorious for having ping-pong tables or lounges integrated into their office space to the addition of intentional ‘quiet spaces’ in an otherwise chaotic work environment, our team at Santa Fe Office Interiors stays on top of these trends to keep you and your business on the forefront of changes in the office landscape. A recent study published in the Harvard Business Review noted that 71% of senior managers across a range of industries said that meetings were unproductive and inefficient. When heading into 2019 and looking beyond a few of the trends hitting conference rooms are:
Flexible meeting spaces
Instead of designing one large room designated for the sole purpose of meetings, create a flexible, customizable solution through partitions. Take that outdated large conference room and break it into smaller meeting areas. In that same study 62% of the managers said meetings were a missed opportunity to bring a team of employees closer together. One step is to cut down on the size and feeling of being lost in a great abyss that was the conference rooms of yesterday. Still need that size room from time to time, planning your conference center layout with strategic placement of partitions will make that possible.
Movable furniture
With that flexible meeting space or even an old-school conference room, it is ideal to have movable new or used furniture. This not only allows for options in room configuration, but it gives you the ability to use the furniture elsewhere, should you be ready for a change in your office design in the future. Furthermore, movable furniture from Santa Fe Office Interiors allows you to fully customize the room to match the type of conference you are hosting.
Pay attention to atmosphere
Minimizing distractions while keeping your clients and employees comfortable is arguably the most important aspect of a conference center. After all, having a designated room for meetings is taking up potentially valuable resources and real estate within your office, so it better be worth it. At Santa Fe Office Interiors, working with our clients means understanding how furniture styles can make or break an environment. Not only looking into new and used quality furniture, but the presence of natural light, color scheme of a room and the acoustic quality play huge factors in planning a conference room in the greater Kansas City region and beyond.
How to Measure Properly
Measuring your conference room or area is a huge part of planning for its use and design. A large table will make a small room feel cramped. Likewise, you will need to understand how many people you anticipate to utilize the space at the same time to avoid overcrowding and making people feel uncomfortable. Taking people’s personal space into consideration is a key factor in designing and furnishing a conference room. Some basic measurements to consider are:
- Allow 56” between a table and wall
- Allow 24” between a chair and a wall to comfortably walk through without having to turn
- Allow 56” between a table and a visual display
Our team at Santa Fe Office Interiors is happy to help and are ready to answer your measurement needs as you begin your conference room planning.
Proper Table Size
Like measuring, proper conference table size will largely depend on the style you are choosing and the size of your room. Are you looking for movable furniture to fit within a multi-use area separated by partitions? That table size will be different than if you are looking for one that fits into a large space which holds upwards of 20 seats. Knowing the space you have to work with is the first step in finding the proper table size for your conference room.
From partitions to conference tables to new and used desks, our showroom holds a variety of quality brands and styles to choose from for outfitting your commercial business space. Planning for a conference room is not as simple as putting a table in the middle of a room and surrounding it with chairs. Give our team a call today to begin your path to an updated space that will impress your clients and encourage productivity within your workspace. From full-color catalogs to checking out new and used furniture in person, if you are in the Kansas City region, Santa Fe Office Interiors has a team of professionals ready to help choose the best furniture and office accessories for your space. Reach out to our team at 913-901-8800 or stop in the showroom Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or by appointment. We are located at 8106 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, Kansas 66204.