Soft seating for breakout, reception and quiet work
Soft seating is the part of an office fit-out most likely to be bought for photographs and least likely to be used. Work Furniture Direct would rather you bought less of it and put it in the right place. The test is simple: would someone choose to sit there for twenty minutes with a laptop?
Match the seating to the dwell time
- Modular seating for spaces that need to change shape. Buy the connectors at the same time, not later.
- Sofas and armchairs for reception and longer waits, where comfort is the point.
- Café and bistro seating where you want people to eat, chat and move on rather than settle in.
- Privacy booths and pods for calls and focused work. These earn their keep in open-plan offices more than any other category here.
Height is what makes it usable
Low, deep seating looks relaxed and is almost useless for working. If people will take a laptop there, choose seating at a normal chair height with a firm base. Deep sofas belong in reception, where waiting is the only task.
This is the mistake we see most often, and it is the reason breakout areas sit empty while the meeting rooms are fully booked.
Acoustics do more than upholstery
Soft seating absorbs some sound, but nowhere near as much as people expect. If the aim is a quieter space, the seating is not the fix. Look at acoustic solutions and desktop and acoustic screens, which do the job properly.
Fabric choice and wear
Breakout seating takes more abuse than office chairs, and it is on show. Check the rub count on the fabric and be realistic about whether it will be cleaned. In busy spaces, a darker fabric with a high rub count will look better in three years than a pale one that photographs well on day one.
Ranges we stock
Brixworth, Mawsley and Harlestone cover most breakout and reception requirements between them, from sofas and armchairs through to modular runs that can be reshaped later.
If the space is genuinely for focused work rather than a break, privacy booths and pods will get used far more than another sofa.
