Frequently Asked Questions About Office Tables and Planning

Tabletop sizes are usually described by length and depth for a rectangular top, or diameter for a round one. Our meeting table guide is a useful starting point for relating those dimensions to the people and work around the table.

A rectangular table's normal size depends on its job. A desk sized top for two people to review paperwork is different from a boardroom table with seating along both sides. Our meeting table guide helps you plan around the actual activity and room.

Office tables are commonly described as meeting tables, boardroom tables, conference tables, training tables and collaboration tables. My Used Furniture separates meeting and collaboration collections so you can begin with the activity the table needs to support.

The name does not establish how many people can use it. Look at the top, base and equipment provision. A long table with awkward leg positions can provide fewer usable places than its dimensions suggest, while a training room may need furniture that can be rearranged easily.

For a basic office, start with suitable desks and chairs, the computers and input devices needed for the work, reliable connectivity, lighting and enough storage. Add a printer, meeting equipment or specialist tools only where the work requires them.

It helps to separate essentials from conveniences. A second monitor may be essential for one role and unnecessary for another. A shared printer may save several individual machines. Plan power sockets, cables and the position of equipment at the same time as the furniture, because a good desk is less useful if the working setup cannot reach it.

The most desirable office furniture is the furniture people can use comfortably and reliably every day. For an individual workstation, we would put a suitable chair and enough desk space ahead of decorative extras.

For a business, flexible pieces can also be valuable: desks that suit the room, storage that holds the actual contents and tables that work for more than one activity. What looks impressive on a showroom floor is not necessarily the thing staff will appreciate after a month. Solve the daily frustrations first, then spend on the finishing touches.

A small office needs a usable desk, suitable chair, reliable task lighting and enough organised storage for the work taking place. A separate keyboard and mouse are useful when a laptop is raised for prolonged use.

Keep the main work surface clear by moving occasional equipment elsewhere. A narrow cupboard beside the desk may be more useful than drawers that take away your legroom. Measure the chair in use and keep access clear before adding another piece. The best small office is not the one with the most space saving gadgets, but the one where the essentials have room to work.

Sources: HSE: good posture when using DSE

Office furniture includes desks, chairs, meeting tables, storage and reception furniture. It covers the pieces that make the workspace usable, rather than the computers, printers and other equipment used to do the work.

Not every office needs every category. A small home workspace may only need a desk, suitable chair and somewhere for documents. A shared workplace may also need visitor seating, secure personal storage and meeting space. Make the list around the activities taking place, rather than trying to buy a complete office set for its own sake.

The five main categories to plan around are desks, chairs, meeting tables, storage and reception furniture. Think of them as a workplace checklist rather than a sales ranking.

Desks and chairs support individual work. Tables provide shared working space. Storage keeps supplies, records and belongings organised. Reception furniture supports visitors. In a smaller office, one piece may serve more than one purpose, such as a meeting table that is also used for collaborative work.

A tabletop can be made from solid timber, veneered board, laminate finished board, plywood or a purpose made glass or metal top. The right choice starts with how the table will be used.

For ordinary office work, a finished board on a suitable frame is often more practical than a heavy decorative slab. If you are reusing a panel, the supports, span and fixing method matter as much as the surface. A door or spare board is not automatically a safe tabletop simply because its dimensions look right.

Office furniture installation means putting furniture together and into its agreed working position. Depending on the contract, it can include assembling frames, joining desks, fitting screens, securing units and removing packaging.

It is not automatically part of delivery. A delivery service may bring a packaged or assembled item to the agreed drop off point without moving it through the building or setting it up. Confirm the scope before ordering, particularly for a large table, linked workstation or storage that needs fixing. Our delivery information should be read separately from any installation agreement.

Sources: MUF: current delivery information

An office fit out can include space planning, partitions, flooring, lighting, electrical and data services, decoration, office furniture and installation. What you actually receive depends on the agreed project scope.

Separate the building work from the furniture package when reviewing a quote. A furniture supplier may deliver workstations without taking responsibility for electrical work, fire precautions or alterations to the premises. Set out exclusions and handover responsibilities early so that a room that looks finished is also ready to use.

An office fit out is the work that turns an interior into a usable workplace. It can include layout, building services, finishes and furniture rather than simply placing desks in an empty room.

Furniture supply and delivery can form part of that project without being a complete fit out service. Our delivery information explains our standard arrangements, not a promise to undertake building work, electrical alterations or general contracting. Define the wider project and each supplier's responsibilities before relying on a fit out quote.