The Complete Guide to Office Chairs

A breakroom is more than a room for employees to sit and eat during lunchtime. It’s a getaway. It’s a space for coworkers to chat, chow down, and chill out. Workers need time in the middle of the day to get their minds off the job and relax a little, and providing a breakroom that’s inspiring and relaxing is the best way to get the batteries recharged and reenergized for the afternoon. So, where do you begin? This comprehensive guide to breakroom furniture should help.

Breakroom Tables 

Dining tables come in 2 heights—standard height, counter height, and bar height. All 3 are great options for a breakroom, and many businesses use a combination of 2 heights or even all 3 to create an interesting look and give users some options. Also include some ADA height tables (between 28" and 34" tall with at least 27" of knee clearance between the floor and underside of the table) to ensure your breakroom is wheelchair accessible.

Outdoor tables, including picnic tables, are great additions to outdoor spaces. Who doesn’t want to enjoy Mother Nature on a beautiful summer day? Equipping your outdoor space with weather-resistant furniture will give your employees plenty of options.

Coffee and end tables are ideal for lounge areas with sofas and loveseats. A well-placed coffee table or end table can be the finishing touch on a cozy spot, providing room for beverages and reading materials.

Breakroom Seating 

Café chairs and bar stools usually have a simple design that’s meant for breakrooms and restaurants. These seating options come in a wide variety of styles, including stackable options and nesting chairs, so you can create a look you’ll love in your office.

Benches and booths are great for seating multiple people in an area without taking up too much room. Whether you choose built-in booths or mobile benches, your employees will appreciate the extra seating options. 

Lounge seating is ideal for breakrooms because it provides a cozy space for employees to relax during their breaks. Lounge seating can include club chairs, sofas, loveseats, ottomans, and other soft seating commonly found in residential living rooms. While upholstery provides a more homelike feel, vinyl is much easier to clean, so consider which is more important before making your decision.

Breakroom Storage

Storage cabinets can be small or large and come in a huge range of styles. For the most part, your breakroom storage will come in the form of upper and lower cabinets, similar to what one might see in a residential kitchen. Mobile storage carts and credenzas are also viable options. 

Coat racks are smart additions to breakrooms of any size because they provide a designated spot for employees to hang coats and umbrellas, keeping your lunchroom looking tidy.

Magazine racks provide a designated spot for reading materials in the room. With magazine racks, your space won’t get cluttered with magazines spilled all over your tables, and employees will know exactly where to go to grab something to read during their break.

Refrigerators and beverage coolers are, of course, key components of the functioning breakroom. Make sure the refrigerators in your office are the right size and that you have the right number of them to support the number of employees in your business.

Breakroom Accessories

Waste receptacles and recycling stations should be added to your breakroom in an easy-to-see location so that everyone can easily tell where to toss their bottles, cans, and trash. 

Floor mats are especially necessary for a breakroom if you have a door to your lunchroom leading outside. A floor mat will trap dirt and debris before it gets inside. It can also prevent employees from slipping on a wet floor after a hard rain or snowfall.

Cleaning products and paper products are essential for keeping the breakroom neat and tidy. Equip your lunchroom with sanitizer and soap so that the space can be cleaned regularly. You should also keep paper products like plates and napkins on hand for employees who may need them to enjoy lunch.

Artwork comes in a vast and varied assortment to match the rest of the furniture and décor in your space. Measure your walls before deciding what type of painting or print to place on your walls.

Clocks aren’t totally necessary in a breakroom, but employees certainly appreciate them. Add one to your breakroom (or a couple if you have a large breakroom) so employees can easily tell when break time is over.

Acoustic dividers can keep sound within a confined space, making them especially beneficial in a breakroom where employees spend a lot of time chatting and making noise. Adding these specially designed tiles to your breakroom entry will keep the sound in and prevent echoing and amplification of noise from disturbing workers outside of the room.

Well-Designed Breakroom Advantages

A well-designed breakroom provides employees with a reprieve from their busy work life, improving morale and making the office an all-around better place. 

Almost every office needs a conference table—a hub for bright, new ideas and a space to facilitate a meeting of the minds. Some of the best ideas form around conference tables, but purchasing this piece of furniture is no small task. You must consider several factors before choosing a meeting table for your conference room, and we’re breaking down everything you need to know.

Shapes

Round conference tables are compact options, which makes them perfect for small meeting rooms and tight spaces such as private offices and casual common areas.

Square conference tables are also ideal for smaller meeting areas but provide a little more work surface than round tables. Depending on the style of the table legs, multiple square tables may be pushed up against one another to create larger, rectangular conference tables, such as that found in our NBF Signature Series Horizons collection.

Rectangular conference tables are best for larger, formal conference rooms and are available in a wide range of sizes to suit the dimensions of your meeting space.

Racetrack conference tables are similar to rectangular options, but they are rounded on each end to provide greater seating capacity and easier movement.

Boat-Shaped conference tables are designed to provide clear sight lines for all meeting participants. With a wider middle, this type of table makes presentations easy for everyone to see without needing to strain to look around someone’s head.

Seating Capacity

If you hope to accommodate a certain number of people around your table, keep this general rule in mind: The length of the table measured in feet is also the number of people the table can accommodate. For example, a 6-foot-long table can accommodate 6 people, and a 20-foot-long table can accommodate 20 people. There are some exceptions to this rule, so be sure to consult an expert if you’re unsure. Read our guide to conference room seating to determine what type of chairs will work best in your meeting space.

Dimensions

The size of your room will be a limiting factor when selecting your new table. As a general rule, allow at least 3 feet of space around the table’s perimeter to serve as a safe and comfortable walkway. 

For example, if you have a 12’ x 12’ room, subtracting a 3-foot walkway around the room gives you a 6’ x 6’ table if there is no other furniture in the room. If you have furniture such as bookcases and storage cabinets along the walls of your conference room, be sure you’re measuring that 3-foot-wide walkway from the table to the nearest piece of furniture, not from the table to the wall.

Styles

Standing height and adjustable height conference tables allow you to take a stand for your health. These options bring more flexibility into the conference room and also provide the opportunity to incorporate more movement into everyone’s work day.  

Modern conference tables are simple and sleek. They create a polished look that comes from straight, clean lines and the idea that less is more. A modern conference room is often desirable for companies focused on innovation and the cutting edge.

Transitional conference tables are varied and versatile. This style is a happy medium, providing a tasteful combination of modern and traditional that is ideal for almost any office.

Traditional style conference tables are tried and true. Tables in this timeless style include crown molding, picture frame details, and other elegant touches. Traditional conference furniture can help create an environment of formality that’s often desired in professional settings.

How do I set up a training room that’s functional and beautiful? Although different offices will have specific needs for their training rooms, every training space should include certain elements. 

Tables

Training room tables are the staple of any good training room, but the type of table used will vary from one room to the next.

Folding tables are ideal for training spaces that accommodate meetings of various sizes. Extra folding tables can be easily stored in a nearby closet and brought out only when needed.

Flip-top tables have a tabletop that flips up, allowing multiple tables to nest together. This type of table usually has casters so you can roll multiple tables into and out of storage at a time.

Adjustable height training tables are great options for several reasons. First, users may stand at them, which can fend off some of the negative side effects of sitting all day. Second, adjustable height training tables can be set up in a stadium-style configuration so that the second row is taller than the first row and the third row is taller than the second. This ensures that everyone in the room can see the presenter.

Chairs

Training room chairs should complement the type of tables you have in the space.

Nesting chairs, like flip-top nesting tables, have a seat that flips up against the back of the chair. This way, multiple chairs can be nested for easy transport and storage.

Stacking chairs are often used in a training setting because they can be stacked on top of one another in the corner of a room and pulled out as needed.

Instructor Needs

Training room desks are not entirely needed in a training room setting, but they may be helpful for presenters who need a little extra work surface to get the job done. Training desks are usually simple and feature a basic work surface without storage. Some training rooms may use a laptop cart instead.

Lecterns are necessary in most training rooms because they provide a space for the lecturer to stand while providing a place for paperwork and other supplies. Podiums may be as simple as a small paper holder placed on top of a table or as complicated as a large unit with tons of storage.

AV carts are mobile audiovisual stands that house equipment like projectors, laptops, and televisions. Due to the technical nature of sharing information in a group setting, your training room will likely need at least 1 AV cart.

Whiteboards and projectors are almost always used in training room settings. The size of your whiteboard will depend on the size of your training room, but your presenters will want something to write on and project on to relay information to the group.

Aesthetics