Choosing The Right Coworking Space Furniture [Easy Guide]

Whether you’re starting a new coworking space or considering redesigning your current one, choosing the right furniture is crucial.

Providing your members with proper furniture and amenities can significantly improve their experience and keep them coming back.

But how do you know what furniture to choose?

In this article, we discuss what furniture you should buy for a coworking space and how to use your furniture choices to make your space more attractive to members.

Quick Summary

• Choosing the right furniture is integral to a coworking space’s success.
• When selecting your furniture, consider the needs of your members, scalability, and technology integrations.
• Arrange your coworking space furniture and floor plans to promote optimal productivity to support your members.
• Some basic coworking sapce furniture you should have include desks, chairs, and properly designed workstations.

What Is Coworking Space Furniture?

Coworking space furniture refers to furnishings specifically designed and selected to create a productive, stylish, and collaborative work environment for people who use coworking spaces.

Freelancers, small business owners, remote workers, and other professionals use these spaces and benefit from the camaraderie, even though they don’t always work for the same employer.

The furniture is the foundation of the coworking community feel. It forms micro-environments for individuals to meet, collaborate, or simply share space with like-minded individuals while working on their own.

Furniture in coworking spaces includes:

• Desks and workstations with built-in power outlets
• Chairs
• Projectors and whiteboards
• Sofas, armchairs, and coffee tables
• Booths, partitions, and soundproof pods for phone calls
• Barstools for dining areas
• Outdoor seating and tables for outdoor areas

Why Is It Important to Choose the Right Coworking Space Furniture?

Choosing the right coworking space furniture is essential to demonstrate the quality of your services and keep customers coming back.

Furniture and the layout directly affect how people use the space and how comfortable and productive they are. Ultimately, choosing the right furniture will improve their experiences and help you retain members.

How to Choose Coworking Space Furniture

You need to consider several things when choosing furniture for your space.

1. Understand Your Members

Consider the types of professionals using the space and their working styles. Do they often have meetings, or are they mainly working independently?

• If several of your members are part of corporate teams, you’ll likely require more meeting rooms (check out this guide for coworking meeting rooms) and collaborative furniture, such as large tables with multiple seats.
• If you have more members who work independently, you’ll require more desks and possibly need to offer day passes for individual walk-ins.

Also, consider the type of clients you want to attract. For example, if you’re attracting corporate clients, you’ll need more tables and privacy features.

On the other hand, if you want to attract freelancers and startups, look for more inviting furniture and spaces suitable for one to three people.

The more you learn about who will use your space, the easier it will be to choose the right furniture to cater to their needs.

2. Consider Cultural and Aesthetic Appeal

To create a sense of community, incorporate furniture that reflects the local culture. This includes design elements, art, decor, themes, and colors.

• Design elements: Use furniture and decor that reflects the local culture and heritage, including materials and patterns that are significant to the region. For example, if your space is located in Japan, use materials like bamboo to fit in with Japanese design.
• Art and decor: Display local artwork, crafts, and cultural artifacts to create a sense of community. For example, if your space is in New York, you can display urban-themed artwork and photographs by local artists.
• Themes and colors: Choose colors and themes that resonate with the area and your market. For example, if you cater to young professionals, opt for more colors and eclectic furniture.

3. Make Furniture Inclusive and Accessible

Choose furniture that fits different body shapes and abilities, such as desks and chairs with adjustable height options.

You can also provide chairs with good back support for people with back problems and different seating options, like ergonomic chairs and standing desks.

In addition to having inclusive furniture, you must also ensure they’re laid out correctly.

• Have wide pathways so members can quickly move around.
• Create designated workspaces that are easily accessible to people with disabilities, such as those in wheelchairs.

4. Integrate Technology

People use your space to get work done, and this can’t happen without access to technology and the internet.

Make sure you choose desks and tables with built-in USB ports and power outlets so members can quickly charge their laptops, phones, and other devices. Plus, you could offer wireless charging pads.

There’s also been a significant increase in smart furniture, with a projected market growth of 12.4% from 2021 to 2028. These include systems that automatically change the lighting and temperature. These are great not only for saving costs but for boosting sustainability as well.

5. Prioritize Wellness

If your target group prioritizes their health, you can also add furniture to help them feel better physically and mentally.

Here are some coworking space furniture ideas that can enhance your space:

• Lounges or nap pods
• Meditation rooms and furniture
• Yoga spaces
• Fitness equipment
• Spaces with lots of greenery and natural light

Learn more about the must-have coworking space amenities here.

6. Consider Versatility and Scalability

Furniture can be expensive to purchase in the beginning. So, it’s important to think about buying furniture that can be moved around for different events and uses.

You can even buy multi-purpose furniture, like desks that can be turned into meeting tables or storage units that can also be used as seats. This can help you adjust according to your changing needs instead of having to buy new furniture all the time.

If you have a small space, you can get furniture that saves space, like foldable chairs or stackable tables.

Best Practices for Arranging Coworking Space Furniture

Your coworking space’s layout can greatly impact productivity and focus. Here are some ways you can arrange your space well.

• Perform a space analysis: Understand your space’s usage and flow. Observe how people move and work in your space and place furniture accordingly. You can use a floor plan to experiment with different layouts. You can use a powerful analytics tool such as OfficeRnD Flex’s Data Hub to analyze space usage.
• Maximize natural light: Try to position your workstations and communal areas close to the windows to take advantage of natural light, which can improve members’ moods and happiness.
• Create open layouts and communal areas: Make collaboration easier by designing open layouts with communal areas, breakout spaces, and shared desks. But make sure you maintain a balance between open areas and quiet zones for focused work.
• Ensure easy technology integration: If you don’t have furniture with built-in power outlets, position furniture close to wall outlets. Also, ensure ample outlets and USB ports are available in communal areas.

Coworking Space Furniture Ideas: Modern Inspiration

If you’re struggling to get the creative juices flowing, then use these examples to help you find coworking space furniture ideas for your own space.

Common Desk is a US-based coworking company with over 22 locations across the country. It features a welcoming vibe with thoughtful layouts designed to spark human connections.

The use of a mix of comfortable lounge furniture with both individual and large tables invites members to focus on their work while surrounded by a sense of community.

WorkBetter is a one-of-a-kind coworking space in Bulgaria, Sofia. Members benefit from stylish furniture that’s also practical, including lounge chairs, phone booths for quiet work, and meeting rooms that inspire engagement.

Manage Your Coworking Space With OfficeRnD Flex

Buying proper furniture and designing an effective layout will improve your members’ experience and lead to repeat business.

Once you have your furniture in the right place, you can optimize your space for better use using coworking management software like OfficeRnd Flex, which helps streamline operations and keeps members happy. Members can book spaces, and you can receive payments, send contracts, and send communications all with one tool.

FAQ

How Do You Design a Coworking Space?

To create an effective and comfortable coworking space, you can:

• Step 1: Determine where different activities will take place.
• Step 2: Analyze your space and create a detailed floor plan that considers required furniture, power outlets, and communal areas.
• Step 3: Once you have a floor plan, you can consider design elements, such as artwork, materials, colors, and more, to make your space unique.

What Makes the Best Coworking Space?

Several factors can contribute to a successful coworking space, including:

• Amenities and perks, such as high-speed internet, refreshments, coworking office supplies, and more
• 24/7 accessibility, where members can work based on different schedules
• A central location that’s easily accessible with local transportation
• A well-designed layout with ergonomic furniture, natural lighting, and an inviting atmosphere

What furniture is best for coworking space?

The best furniture for a coworking space is designed to be versatile, ergonomic, and conducive to collaboration. Key pieces include:

• Adjustable Desks: These allow users to switch between sitting and standing, accommodating different work styles and promoting better posture and health.
• Ergonomic Chairs: Essential for comfort and support during long hours of work, ergonomic chairs can help prevent strain and injury.
• Modular Sofas and Lounge Chair: These pieces encourage informal meetings and relaxation, making the space more inviting.
• Collaborative Workstations: Desks that can be easily reconfigured for team projects support collaboration and adapt to various group sizes.
• Private Booths: For phone calls and concentrated work, soundproof booths are invaluable in open-plan coworking spaces.
• Storage Solutions: Lockers or shared shelving systems help keep personal and work-related items secure and organized, maintaining a clutter-free environment.

What is collaboration furniture?

Collaboration furniture refers to specifically designed pieces that facilitate interaction, teamwork, and communication in work environments. This category includes modular seating, adjustable tables, whiteboards, and multimedia stations that support group activities and meetings.

Key characteristics of collaboration furniture are flexibility, mobility, and technology integration, allowing users to reconfigure setups according to their immediate needs and to connect various devices for presentations or conferencing. T

These furniture pieces are typically used in office spaces, flex spaces, educational settings, and anywhere group work is encouraged, enhancing the overall effectiveness of team-based tasks.

How Do I Start a Coworking Space Business?

Here are the basic steps you need to take to start a coworking space:

• Start with a business plan where you conduct market research and create a financial plan.
• Then, determine your needs, including the location and legal requirements.
• Create a floor plan and buy furniture.
• Finally, set up your space and start marketing it.

Not sure how much your budget should be? Learn how much it costs to start a coworking space.