Office Furniture: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

The term office furniture, as distinct from home furniture, relate to pieces of furniture – chairs, tables, desks, etc used in offices. After establishment of a typical office, next comes the installation of suitable furniture for people to sit on and carry their work.

In this context, it is interesting to see the transformation in the form and function of office furniture with respect to past, present and future. Taking a typical corporate office as an illustration, we can see distinct changes in office furniture over a period, say fifty years back and present.

Five decades or so back, office buildings used to be large and horizontal, without air conditioners, and staffed sparsely.  Directors and managers had huge rooms with a huge mahogany table in the middle and the chair was no less than a throne. In one corner lay the intricately carved sofa for visitors. Another corner had a stand for hanging coats and hats. Walls had polished cabinets. Staff used to sit on stiff, heavy chairs and work on hardwood tables.

In contrast, today’s offices are small, housed in multi-storeyed buildings, with central air conditioning and staffed heavily. There is a space crunch so every bit of space is utilised optimally. Staffs usually sit in office partitions or cubicles and managers have small cabins with modular tables and cabinets.  Chairs are lightweight and ergonomic to ensure maximum efficiency.

In future, office furniture will be designed keeping in view the individual users, including their built, posture, personality, type of work (heavy, light) and other factors. The chairs and the tables will be highly automated, light, and foldable to be carried away to another area. The modern office furniture will also have pressure sensors, especially in chairs that will make the chairs adjust according users.

Office Direct provides a range of office furniture for sale, including office partitions, ergonomic and adjustable chairs, tables, desks and many other items.