Office Furniture Installation Blog

Will My Used Office Furniture Fit in My New Space?

[fa icon="calendar"] Nov 18, 2015 11:30:00 AM / by John Kiel

will-my-used-office-furniture-fit-in-my-new-spaceAs you evaluate whether your used office furniture should go with you to your new space, you’re obviously focusing on issues such as condition, functionality, style and design.

And while all of these are important parts of the equation, there’s another, somewhat lesser-known factor that in some ways is fundamentally more important than anything else: whether it will fit or not! 

To help you determine whether your used office furniture will indeed fit in your new space, here are some basic tips:  

1. Focus on maximizing and optimizing space. 

Unless you’re selling furniture and you want your space to look like a showroom, then your primary consideration should never be on your office furniture itself: it should be on maximizing and optimizing space. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean that your choice of office furniture (whether used or new) isn’t important; because it certainly is. However, the function of your workplace is to create a productive and engaging space for your employees and visitors.

Your furniture has to support this “workability” goal. Otherwise, you’ll essentially force your layout to support the used furniture you have at your disposal. In other words, you’ll be acting like a furniture store (which is fine if that’s what you do – but chances are, it’s not!) 

2. Don’t over or underestimate dimensions – take measurements. 

Don’t make the (somewhat common) mistake of “eyeballing” measurements, because a few inches here or there – or sometimes even less than that – can make the difference in whether a piece of used furniture will fit into a corner, cover an HVAC duct or outlet, and so on.

It’s always wiser to grab your trusty old tape measure, pencil and pad, and make sure that your used furniture will fit. This isn’t something you want to find out on moving day, because you may not like what you discover! 

3. Don’t assume new furniture and used furniture will fit.

While it’s possible that your used furniture – such as cubicles, workstations, desks, tables, and so on – will fit seamlessly with any new items that you’re going to buy (or may have already bought), this is something you want to confirm rather than assume. 

This is because having different-sized or styled furniture isn’t just an aesthetic eyesore for your employees, it can make a lousy impression on customers and visitors and even diminish employee productivity. For example, used workstations may not be compatible with your new ergonomic chairs in terms of height or width. When in doubt, always refer back to tip #1: the primary consideration is always to maximize and optimize space for WORK, not to store furniture (again, whether new or used). 

The Bottom Line 

Office furniture is a valuable asset, and can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Obviously, it makes sense to see if some (or perhaps all) of it can find a home in your new space. 

However, before you have your used office furniture loaded onto moving trucks, make sure that it’s going to fit and be functional. If so, then bring it along. If not, there are plenty of other options for your used office furniture like selling it, donating it, or recycling it.

Get More Tips!

Get more tips by downloading our free eBook “How to Move Your Office in 5 Easy Steps”. It’s an informative, easy-to-read overview of how you can make your office move as efficient and successful as possible.

Download free eBook "How to Move Your Office in 5 Easy Steps"

Topics: Used Office Furniture

John Kiel

Written by John Kiel

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