Office Waiting Room Chairs

Your waiting area is probably the first and biggest thing that creates that crucial first impression to your clients about you or your business, and this is why it's important that your office waiting room chairs should look good and be comfortable too. Waiting chairs aren't just something that has to be aesthetically appealing, but they also are there to relax your clients and set the proper mood for whatever business they're there to do with you. This is why it is then so important to invest enough time and money in making sure that your waiting area creates a good first impression, because it's one of the things that will define the rest of the following working relationships.

So, you're looking for the right furniture for your waiting room, reception or office lounge, and you've just come to the right place – as we've teed up a great selection, featuring office side chairs, office lounge chairs, stackable chairs, types of waiting room bench and waiting room couch.

So, you've designed a new waiting area or just had an old one remodeled, you've found your perfect Office Reception Desk and are now looking for the perfect guest seating. That's awesome! It means that you truly care and you fully understand the importance of making your business look and feel good to anyone who comes in touch with it.

As real experts, we live and breathe furniture everyday. It's our work, our life and it's what we love to do. This is why we made this waiting room furniture buying guide, to outline the important aspects and considerations that will help you make the best purchase. As we'll look at the different types of problems and questions that could come up when choosing waiting room chairs, we'll provide you with all the solutions and answers.

When taking off in the search for the ideal chairs for your reception or waiting area, the first thing that we'll take a look at is the three most common styles of chairs you'll find. These are namely Wood framed, Metal framed and Fully upholstered chairs. Besides the differences in the cost between each type, other determinants for what you'll ultimately pick are the décor style that needs the chairs to be matched to, the main type of clients who will normally be using the chairs, and probably your personal taste as well.

Wood framed chairs are maybe the most commonly used option in waiting areas. Typically, they come in a variety of wood stain or paint options, so they could match any existing wood or color scheme that is found in your waiting space. Because wood gives a warmer and cozier feel, than their metal framed alternatives, they're the preferred choice for those who feel that this is important for the overall atmosphere. But if it's durability that's more important to your needs, wood framed office reception chairs step down to their metal framed cousins. Of course, it all depends on the type and quality of the wood that's used, but in most cases, wood frames are more susceptible to scratching, dents and wearing off over time. And the joints of the wood frames are the thing that gets broken first.

Metal framed chairs are a somewhat less popular option, but they do offer some advantages over their wooden relatives. The most obvious advantage being the better overall durability of the frame. Steel is a really strong material and frames made of it are a lot less likely to show wear as early as wood. But because of their not so warm and elegant style and looks, metal frames won't work well for all spaces.

Now, fully upholstered chairs are usually the most expensive option. Upholstery can play a big role in determining the cost of any piece of furniture, and chairs make no exception to that rule. For now, we'll just note out that even though fully upholstered chairs will most likely cost more than any other alternative option, and they're also the most susceptible to wear and tear – but they will bring the most warmth and luxury to your space.

After you choose the type of chairs you want to buy, you should also consider the type of clients / customers you normally serve. For example, if most of your clients are elderly, you need to make sure that the reception chairs are more upright and easy to get out of, after they've been sitting in them for a while. But if your visitors are mostly children, then the furniture should be smaller and with no sharp edges, to avoid injuries. If your crowd is mixed and varies widely, you may thing of providing a combination of reception area chairs designed for children, for adults, and some appropriate seating options for those with disabilities as well. Health-care facilities require a kind of furniture that is upholstered with materials that prevent bacteria growth, so there's another thing you should be wary of.

The look and style are equally important, since waiting areas give enough time for visitors to look around and assess your company through their first impressions. Those first impressions are vital, if you count on a continuing interaction with your clients. The waiting room furniture itself may not be the most accurate representation of you and your business, but people cannot help themselves but to notice and feel their surroundings and correlate this to the overall impression they gradually develop. So, make sure you choose something that will enhance the impression that you want people to have of you and your company. Needless to say, the style and aesthetic appeal should match the whole tone and décor of your space, and it all should reflect the type of notion you wish to convey to your clients. Colors, materials, design, comfort – everything matters.

Just as important as keeping your waiting room clean and inviting is the ease in care that your furniture requires. Can it be simply wiped clean with a damp towel (like leather or vinyl, for example) or does the light-colored fabric stain a lot and needs special chemical treatment to be cleaned? Look for whatever options best suit your needs, according to the common use of the chairs and the requirements that it carries along.

One option that is popular in waiting rooms is modular furniture. The reason behind this is that it is sturdy, it's often more cost-effective and can be arranged more easily so that it saves up space and you can avoid scatterdness from displacement of single chairs, but they tend to be somewhat less comfortable for sitting over longer periods of time. Stackable chairs are another cost-effective solution, which is great for offices with limited floor space. You can add more chairs if a need for that arises, and pile them up and easily store the unneeded ones away, when there's fewer visitors.

Measurements are another important consideration. The space appointed as the seating area in your waiting room should not only comfortably accommodate your clients, but it needs to look professional and well-calculated, both in terms of design and the smart use of space. To ensure everything you need will fit in your space, take the measurements of some of the reception furniture you think you'll need, so that you can decide how many chairs will be used by your visitors on the busiest day, then add some coffee tables as well, but don't forget to leave some room for people to move around and to feel comfortable with the space that's left between the lobby chairs. Consider what seating pattern you'll use, as well, as it may be important for some folks that don't like sitting with their backs to the entrance, or having to face other visitors directly, for example.

Finally, the last decision makers would be your budget, and that's probably going to be one of the biggest factors, as well as time – when you may need it. Make sure you don't wait until the very last minute before a particular date, when you want your lobby or reception to be open and fully functioning, so it's a really good idea to leave an adequate lead time before your big day.

So, now you know enough to scroll back up and shop away, with pleasure and confidence, for those great guest chairs that will transform your waiting room into a great place for your guests and clients!