Where to Invest and Where to Save on Office Furniture

When you’re furnishing an office, it’s easy for the budget to add up quickly. Desks, chairs, workstations, storage, conference furniture and everything in between all have to come from somewhere. But that doesn’t mean you need to spend the same amount in every area.

Knowing where it makes sense to invest and where you have room to save can make a big difference in what you’re able to do with your budget. That’s also why we encourage customers to talk with us early in the process. You don’t need to have everything figured out before you call PVI. That’s what we’re here to help with.

Start With How Your Office Is Actually Used

Before choosing furniture, think about who will be using it and how often.

An employee sitting in a task chair for most of the workday has very different needs from someone sitting in a conference chair for an hour. A workstation used five days a week needs to function differently from a touchdown space used occasionally. Some employees may benefit from height-adjustable desks, while others may not need them.

Those differences matter when deciding where to put more of your budget.

Our Furniture Consultants can talk through how your team works, what you need from the space and which features are worth considering. Sometimes spending a little more in one area makes sense. Other times, there may be no reason to pay for features you simply won’t use.

New and Used Furniture Don’t Have to Be an Either-Or Decision

This is one of the areas where PVI can give businesses more options.

We sell both new and used office furniture, and many projects don’t need to be completely one or the other. You might decide to purchase new ergonomic chairs but find used desks or storage that work perfectly. You may want new workstations for one department while using quality used furniture somewhere else.

Mixing new and used can be a great way to stretch a budget while still investing more in the areas that are most important to you.

And because our used inventory changes regularly, it’s worth talking with us about what we have available rather than relying only on what you see online.

Workstations Need More Planning Than You Might Think

Workstations are a good example of why it helps to get us involved before you order furniture.

It’s not just about deciding how many desks you need. You have to consider the size of the space, traffic flow, privacy, storage, panel heights, power, worksurface sizes and how employees need to interact with one another.

A few inches here or a different configuration there can change how an entire room works.

PVI offers space planning and on-site measurements, so our team can look at the actual space and help determine what will work before furniture is ordered. That can save a lot of frustration later.

Don’t Automatically Spend More on the Most Visible Areas

It can be tempting to put a large portion of the budget into a conference room or reception area because customers and visitors see those spaces first. Appearance matters, but how often the furniture is used matters too.

A beautiful conference table may be important for a room that hosts clients every day. If that room is used twice a month, your budget might have a bigger impact somewhere else.
The same goes for reception seating, collaborative areas, training rooms and break rooms. There isn’t one answer that works for every office, which is exactly why we look at the whole project rather than just individual pieces of furniture.

Take a Second Look at Storage

Storage is another place where businesses can sometimes save.

Many offices simply don’t need the amount of filing and storage they once did. Before filling valuable floor space with cabinets and bookcases, consider what your employees actually need to keep nearby.

If you do need storage, this can also be a good area to consider used furniture. PVI regularly has used lateral files, bookcases, cabinets and other storage pieces available, and that may leave more of your budget for furniture where new products or specific features are more important.

The Furniture Price Isn’t the Only Part of the Project

Finding a great price on furniture is only helpful if the furniture actually works in your space.

Measurements, layout, delivery, assembly and installation all matter. Trying to coordinate those pieces separately can also turn what looked like a simple purchase into a much bigger project.

PVI can help with the process from the beginning. Our Furniture Consultants can assist with product selection, space planning and on-site measurements, and our in-house delivery and installation team can take care of getting everything where it needs to go.

You’re working with one team instead of buying furniture and then figuring out the rest afterward.

Talk to Us Before You Start Buying

You don’t need a finished furniture list before you contact PVI. In fact, we’d rather hear from you before you get that far.
Tell us what you’re trying to accomplish. Show us the space. Let us know what’s working, what isn’t and what budget you’re trying to stay within.

There may be options you haven’t considered. We may have used furniture in stock that frees up money for another part of the project. A different workstation layout could make better use of your square footage. Or we may be able to show you several new furniture options at different price points so you can decide where an upgrade is really worth it.

That’s what our resources are here for.

Make Your Office Furniture Budget Work for You

Spending wisely on office furniture isn’t about choosing the least expensive option every time. It’s about putting your money into the right places for your business.
With new and used furniture, a large Frederick showroom, experienced Furniture Consultants, space planning, on-site measurements, and our own delivery and installation team, PVI can help you look at the entire project instead of making one furniture decision at a time.

If an office update, expansion or move is on your radar, bring PVI Office Furniture into the conversation early. Call us at 301-694-7162, chat with one of our Furniture Consultants on our website, or stop by our Frederick showroom. We’d love to help you see what’s possible with your space and budget.