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How do I Choose the Best Office Fixtures?

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

When choosing office fixtures, it is important to choose items that serve the practical and aesthetic needs of the office. It is also important to consider the areas where customers or clients will spend most of their time during meetings and visits to the office and to make sure that those areas are comfortable and that they create the right tone. Office fixtures that will be used by employees on a regular basis should meet basic needs and should also be ergonomic in order to make daily work as comfortable as possible. This can also help to avoid employee injury. Finally, if products will be displayed within the office, it is important to choose office fixtures that show off those products in the best possible light.

There are a number to types of office fixtures that most offices need. These can generally be broken down into work area fixtures, reception area fixtures, product display fixtures, and conference room fixtures. As customers and clients will spend most of their time in the reception areas and the conference rooms, some company owners and office managers choose fixtures that are very nice looking. Fixtures for workspaces such as cubicles and desks are usually chosen for comfort and usefulness rather than for their aesthetic qualities.

Fixtures in conference rooms can be important, as they make the room more appealing while meeting there with clients or potential clients.
Fixtures in conference rooms can be important, as they make the room more appealing while meeting there with clients or potential clients.

Fixtures for cubicles and workspaces should be chosen after carefully considering the way in which the employees work on a daily basis. If a big part of an employee's job is to serve clients on the phone, for example, then it makes sense to choose cubicle dividers that are high and that also muffle sound. If, on the other hand, the employees regularly work in teams and need to communicate throughout the day, then it may be best to group desks together or choose cubicle dividers that are low enough so that employees can make eye contact.

Choose office fixtures that serve both practical and aesthetic needs.
Choose office fixtures that serve both practical and aesthetic needs.

Also, consider the kind of business that the company conducts. This will inform the color and style of the office fixtures that are chosen. Office fixtures for an architecture office, for example, should reflect a strong sense of design and aesthetic grace. Office fixtures for a company that specializes in green energy, for another example, should be made out of products that are recycled or harvested in a sustainable manner. Also, consider choosing office fixtures that fit in with the color scheme of the company logo.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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    • Fixtures in conference rooms can be important, as they make the room more appealing while meeting there with clients or potential clients.
      By: surpasspro
      Fixtures in conference rooms can be important, as they make the room more appealing while meeting there with clients or potential clients.
    • Choose office fixtures that serve both practical and aesthetic needs.
      By: Goran Bogicevic
      Choose office fixtures that serve both practical and aesthetic needs.
    • Fixtures for workspaces should be carefully chosen based on the way employees work on a daily basis.
      By: naftizin
      Fixtures for workspaces should be carefully chosen based on the way employees work on a daily basis.