Trying to find pieces of buy-it-for-life furniture for your office can be an overwhelming experience with limitless options to choose from. The main features to consider when you consider buy-it-for-life furniture come at least to the following features: size and functionality, straight lines and geometric figures, incorporation of metals into the furniture, design, simplicity, neutral color, and minimalism.
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to furnish cubicles or an open office plan – your goal is to create an aesthetically pleasing yet functional work environment. To make this happen, you’ll need to pick the right kind of office furniture that complements the overall design of your modern workspace.

What are the Basic Features of Modern Furniture
Modern furniture has its own unique set of basic characteristics: size and functionality, clear lines and geometric figures, use of polished metal, plastic, sustainable materials, simple neutral colors, and so much more. Modern design is all about being clean with lots of open space. To give you a short historical background, the modern furniture design’s rise to popularity took place in the mid-20th century when a group of workers worked with craftsmen to produce functional pieces of beautiful furniture.
People often use the term ‘modern’ to describe how they want to furnish their office. If you don’t exactly know what to look for in a modern design, it will be extremely challenging for you to execute a ‘modern theme’. To help you get your facts straight, check out the basic features of modern furniture:
Size and functionality
Did you know that modern furniture was originally created with small spaces in mind? If there’s one thing you need to know about modern furniture, it’s the fact that each piece is designed to make your life a little easier without compromising its appearance. While traditional furniture pieces tend to be large and bulky, modern ones are more compact and multi-functional.
Just to give you an idea, modern office furniture can come with hidden storage, charging ports, and even a few adaptable pieces that can be easily moved or repurposed according to your needs. Are you looking to maximize your office space, save some money, and have everything you need in one place? If so, these clever pieces of furniture will serve you well.
Straight lines and geometric figures
Modern furniture design favors straight lines and edges, as well as geometric shapes and angles. These distinct characteristics can instantly give any given space a strong personality. Examples of modern pieces of furniture include chairs with angular details and square-edged sofas that feature clean lines.
Since this type of furniture design is all about straight lines, some people are wondering if it’s possible for modern furniture to feature subtle curves. The truth is, a lot of people couldn’t tell the difference between modern and contemporary. Should you spot any modern-looking piece that has curves, know that this falls under the category of contemporary design.
Incorporation of metals into their design
Another distinct characteristic that modern furniture design has is the use of metals in pieces. Furthermore, the types of metals that are typically seen in modern furniture include nickel, aluminum, and stainless steel.
Simplicity
Perhaps simplicity is one of the easily-recognizable features of modern furniture design. As mentioned earlier, the likelihood of finding rounded edges or sweeping curves in these kinds of furnishings is extremely low. Modern pieces showcase clean and straight angles and make use of a wide variety of light materials that include light-colored exposed wood, laminated wood, or wrought iron.
Neutral colors
A lot of people wrongfully assume that modern furniture showcases color schemes that are bold and bright. What they don’t know is that these colors are used for contemporary furniture rather than modern ones.
If you want to modernize your office space, you’ll need to stick to simple neutral colors that include brown, black, and white. However, you may use pops of bright colors or fun patterns in a restrained manner to modern accent furniture.
Open Space
Since modern furniture pieces were conceptualized with free space in mind, using them in your office will allow you to free up space and experience a more airier work environment. Unlike traditional furniture, modern ones wouldn’t make you and your employees feel cramped and less free.
Minimalism
The modern approach to furniture design is based on the idea that less is more. In other words, it strongly identifies with the concept of minimalism. Modern furniture and design trends may come and go, but they will always be minimalistic. In other words, minimalism is a staple of modern spaces.
Although modern furniture pieces are incredibly simple and clean, they can also be visually stunning and inviting. However, minimalism will require you to choose the right modern furniture to make sure that your overall design is both comfortable and cohesive. Keep in mind that your office can potentially look like an unfinished space if your minimalistic design is poorly executed.
What Do You Need to Consider When You’re Picking Out Modern Office Furniture
Ergonomics, beauty, adjustability, transformability, brand reputation, and impact on employee wellness are some of the factors that need to be considered when you’re choosing buy-it-for-life furniture for your workspace. To give you a better idea, take a closer look at each of these factors:
Ergonomics
In case you’re wondering, ergonomics is all about designing an office while keeping your team members’ abilities, as well as their needs in mind. This means that whether you’re trying to purchase adjustable monitor arms or standing desks, you have to make sure that what you’re buying is ergonomically sound. Keep in mind that ergonomics can greatly affect the health and productivity of your team members.
Beauty
Your company’s success is largely influenced by the overall appearance of your office space. Research suggests that workplaces that are pleasing to the eye tend to attract and retain skilled and talented employees. It’s always a great idea to invest in your workplace because doing so will send a clear message to your people that you value them.
Adjustability
It’s always wise to choose adjustable furniture that can be tailor-fitted to meet the individual needs of each of your employees. This kind of flexibility will keep them comfortable throughout the day while they focus on their jobs. Look for chairs that come with adjustable backrests, arms, and heads, as well as tables and desks that are adjustable to the user’s height.
Transformability
Office furniture buyers who keep transformability in mind each time they make a purchase will always end up maximizing their budget. If you want to get a bigger bang for your buck, look for desks or lounge and storage furniture pieces that your employees can easily transform into collaborative or meeting hubs.
Brand reputation
Brand reputation speaks of how a specific brand is viewed by its customers, stakeholders, and the market. It’s extremely important to check if the office furniture brand that you’re working with has a solid reputation as an industry leader. Otherwise, you can never be sure that you’re purchasing from a brand that uses quality materials and provides excellent service.
Impact on employee health and well-being
According to Forbes, 87% of today’s workforce would want to have additional workspace benefits that include sit-stands and ergonomic seating. If you value your people, make sure that the furniture you have in your workplace only positively impacts their health and well-being.
What are the Different Types of Office Furniture that You Can Find in Stores
Most business owners who are bracing themselves for a big office renovation tend to look for modular systems that include desks, chairs, file and storage cabinets, bookcases, and shelving. They’re looking to find stylish pieces that provide the versatility, comfort, function, and the upscale look that they want their workplace to have. Check out the different types of office furniture essentials that you can find in stores:
Desks
Whether you’re looking for an executive desk, a corner desk, a computer desk, a writing desk, or an L-shaped desk, the perfect choice would be something that doesn’t fail to address the needs of its user. Nothing speaks ‘sound ergonomics’ better than an adjustable sit/stand desk that comes with electrically or mechanically-adjustable frames.
Since this kind of technology allows your employees to change the desk’s height between sitting and standing, it would help them prevent posture problems, reduce upper body tension, lower blood sugar levels, and increase their productivity.
Office Tables
Your office floor plan won’t be complete without a versatile assortment of various types of office tables. These include conference tables, drafting tables, training room tables, reception and lobby tables, as well as hospitality and breakroom tables. If you intend to maximize your modern office space, you might want to purchase folding tables with steel and cast-iron bases or tilting tables that can be folded vertically.
When it comes to choosing tables, you need to make sure that the size is enough to accommodate the number of people who are usually involved in various collaborative projects. While you’re at it, always consider the maintainability and the aesthetics of the furniture pieces that you’re planning to buy because you want to end up with a sturdy table that fits its purpose and looks good in your office.
Chairs
It’s always best to buy ergonomic chairs because they provide better neck and lumbar support that’s great for those who struggle with muscle tension. Aside from offering enough seat width and depth, ergonomic chairs can also come with adjustment levers that allow the users to meet their desks level.
Your employees will thank you if you get them an ergonomic chair to help them work in day-long comfort. What’s more, these chairs will also keep your clients comfortable as they sit through important meetings regardless of how long they last.
Storage cabinets and drawers
If you think that storage cabinets and drawers are only great for keeping your workplace neat and organized, think again. Whether you place simple two-door cabinets or sideboards at your hallways, a double or triple storage cabinet in your personal office or a stylish metal drawer with matching central locks right next to your desks, these versatile pieces of furniture can add some charm to your workspace.
If yours is a business that deals with a lot of paper documents, you need to look for secure office storage cabinet solutions. You also have the option to choose storage units that have multipurpose compartments for your specialized storage needs.
Bookcases and shelving
These are great storage solutions for those who intend to reduce their clutter but would want quick and easy access to their files. Besides the fact that bookcases and shelving can help you keep your reference materials close by and organized, they can also make your office space look cozier and inviting. If you want a less cluttered look, consider pairing bookcases with drawers and dividers.
Workbench systems
Regardless of their configuration, every office would need workstations, chairs, and storage. However, if you’re looking to furnish an office with an open floor plan, you’ll want to purchase the pieces of furniture that will help you create a beautiful yet highly-functional collaborative workspace. Furthermore, the right kind of furniture will increase your organization’s productivity and provide your office with additional flexibility.
Enter workbench systems. These are the best solution for your open space office because they allow you to effortlessly maximize space without requiring you to buy more pieces of furniture. In case you’re wondering, this technology enables you to use several tops mounted on one large structure to eliminate the need for more desk frames and legs as you create a stable and multi-user workplace.
Bottom Line
Do you want to give your office a fresh new look? Perhaps you’re looking to find open space desk frames, folding table legs, height-adjustable desks, plastic and metal drawers that come with matching central locks, and other practical accessories. Our team of modern furniture design experts at Mila Design can help you furnish your workplace with buy-it-for-life furniture pieces that are guaranteed to give you your money’s worth.
Besides from designing and manufacturing modern and functional steel legs for office furniture, cabinet furniture, restaurant furniture, hotel furniture, and other individual projects, we also produce steel and cast-iron central bases for desks and tables that can be adjusted mechanically or electrically.