Complete Guide to Active Seating

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. 

If your medical facility is looking to purchase new recliners, you may be overwhelmed by the options. How are you supposed to know the difference from one to the next? This guide is a great starting point.

Treatment Recliners

Treatment recliners have a simple, functional design and are meant to be used for short periods during exams or clinical use. This type of chair is often used for dialysis, oncology, and geriatric situations where the patient will not need to be seated in the chair for more than a couple of hours. Treatment recliners are the most basic form of healthcare recliner and are designed for function above style.

Senior Living and Long-Term Care Recliners

Long-term care recliners are designed for senior living and nursing homes. They feature a more residential look than treatment recliners and usually include rocking or gliding functionality. These seating options are typically smaller than most healthcare recliners, making it easier for senior citizens to get out of the seat. These recliners typically have limited customizable features, so what you see is what you get.

Patient Room Recliners

Patient room recliners are made with commercial-grade durability and are heavy-duty for continuous use. Most include replaceable parts so that if a backrest, seat, or other portion of the chair breaks or tears, you can simply replace that one part rather than having to purchase a completely new recliner.

When it comes to customization, patient room recliners have plenty to choose from. You can choose how you want the chair to recline, how mobile you want it to be, and what accessories you need. Common recliner accessories include footrests and IV holders. There are even patient room recliners with heated seats. Drop and fold-down transfer arm options are also available for patients who need to be transferred from a wheelchair. 

When it comes to transportation of the unit, you can choose from small wheels that are good simply for moving the unit out of the way for cleaning or bigger wheels for actually moving patients from place to place in the recliners.

Specialty Recliners

Specialty recliners come in a wide variety and are designed for very specific purposes.

Trendelenburg recliners are used when a patient’s position needs to be moved to a negative recline as quickly as possible. For example, if a patient were to pass out while in the recliner, the Trendelenburg tilt allows caregivers to tilt the bed backward to keep the patient’s feet higher than the head.

Bariatric recliners can support 750 pounds or more. Ideal for larger patients, these recliners have much wider seats than standard options and limited recline for the safety of both the user and caregivers.

Pediatric recliners are designed to accommodate children comfortably. As you might expect, this type of recliner is typically built smaller than average for use in the children’s wing. Many options are equipped to support gaming systems so that the patient can stay busy during what may otherwise be an uncomfortable or even frightening visit to the doctor.

You use the chairs in your office every day, and they’re bound to get dirty even if you’re careful. To ensure your chairs look their best year after year, take these tips for the regular cleaning and maintenance of all upholstery types.

General Chair Care

Always test cleaning techniques on an inconspicuous spot first. Try the bottom of the chair, the back, or anywhere else that doesn’t show. Make sure you test an unseen spot before you try a new cleaning method on the whole chair. Even if you only use a mild soap, you never know how certain substances might react with your specific chair. Testing a hidden spot first will ensure you don’t damage an important part of the furniture.

Remove stains immediately. The longer a stain sits, the harder it is to remove. Do yourself a favor and clean it up now.

Beware of breathing in harsh chemicals. If using a cleaning agent that has a strong scent or chemical smell, only clean in a well-ventilated area.

Always check your chair for a tag with cleaning instructions. Most office chairs have a tag under the seat that outlines care tips. Look there first before beginning any cleaning.

How to Clean Office Chairs

Fabric upholstery can usually be cleaned using water-based cleaning agents or water-free solvents. First, vacuum any crumbs that may be hiding in cracks and crevasses. If you don’t have a vacuum cleaner handy, use a can of compressed air. Next, mix a few drops of mild soap in a bucket of water. Using a soft, lint-free cloth, wipe this on your test spot first. If it looks good, wipe down the entire chair, then use a second lint-free cloth to wipe it dry.

Genuine leather upholstery can be cleaned in 1 of 3 ways: store-bought leather cleaner, vinegar and linseed oil, or rubbing alcohol and water. For a more detailed description of how to clean and maintain a leather office chair, read our guide to cleaning and maintaining leather furniture here. 

Faux leather and vinyl are easier to care for than real leather. In many cases, you can clean faux leather and vinyl using water-based cleaners in the same manner as fabric upholstery, and many vinyl options can even be cleaned with bleach solutions. Double-check the tag on your chair for any special instructions to avoid damage. Read our guide to leather upholstery to learn more.

Mesh chairs should be vacuumed regularly, as crumbs tend to get caught in the little spaces. Any remaining dirt or stains can be removed using a damp cloth, but do not drag the cloth across the mesh, as this can cause the material to fray. Instead, dab any problem areas until clean.

Plastic chairs can be cleaned with soap and water, but avoid using bleach, which can damage the material. For stains, dampen a soft cloth with white distilled vinegar and wipe. Baking soda on a wet sponge can also create a mild abrasive that eats away stains without damaging your plastic.

Wood chairs need cleaning too! Regularly wipe down your wood chairs with a dry lint-free cloth. For deeper cleaning, choose a wood polish and apply it to the chair in small amounts using a cloth. Like with your upholstery, you’ll want to test your polish on an inconspicuous area before going over the entire piece of furniture.