Buying Guide · Gert Kantoor Meubels
How to Choose Office Furniture
Furnishing an office badly is expensive twice: once when you buy the wrong pieces, and again when you replace them. Furnishing well isn't about spending more — it's about deciding in the right order. Here's the process we walk customers through at our Rustenburg showroom every week.
Start with the floor plan, not the catalogue
Measure the room before you fall in love with anything. Mark doors, windows, plugs and network points. Every desk needs roughly 1.5m of depth including the chair and pull-back space; walkways need 90cm minimum. A 1.8m executive desk that dominates a small office isn't impressive — it's cramped. Sketch the layout on paper first, even roughly.
Buy in this order
Chairs first. People sit all day; the chair affects health and productivity more than any other piece. Ergonomic chairs for staff who sit long hours, executive chairs for private offices.
Desks second. Match desk size to the work: 1.2m suffices for laptop work, 1.5–1.8m for dual monitors and paperwork, L-shaped workstations where people spread out. Cable grommets save you from a floor of extension cords.
Storage third — and honestly. Count your actual files and stock, then add 30% for growth. Filing cabinets for records, cupboards for supplies, shelving for archives. Under-buying storage is the most common mistake we see; the clutter arrives within months.
Shared spaces last. Boardroom, reception and whiteboards — important, but easier to get right once the daily workstations are settled.
New, second-hand, or both
The smart money mixes: new chairs (they wear fastest and matter most), a mix on desks, and second-hand steel storage — steel cabinets barely age, making used ones exceptional value. A start-up can furnish an entire functional office from our 2nd Hand Gallery for the price of two new executive suites, then upgrade piece by piece as revenue grows.
Budget rules of thumb
Spend where bodies touch furniture daily (chairs, then desks), save where they don't (storage, shelving). Get everything quoted as one package — bulk orders earn better pricing and single-delivery logistics. And leave 10% of budget unspent; every office discovers a forgotten need in the first month.
The test that prevents regret
Before paying, walk your floor plan one more time and ask of each piece: who uses this daily, and where exactly does it stand? Anything without a clear answer to both questions gets cut. Then send us the final list on WhatsApp — we'll quote it as a package with delivery anywhere in the North West.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a small office budget for furniture?
A functional 4-person office runs from surprisingly little using second-hand stock to mid-range with new furniture throughout. Send us your headcount and rooms and we'll quote both ways so you can compare.
Should I buy everything at once or in phases?
One order gets better pricing and one delivery, but phasing is fine if cash flow demands it — start with chairs and desks, add storage and boardroom later. We keep consistent stock lines so later phases match.
Do you help plan office layouts?
Informally, yes — send us room dimensions and headcount on WhatsApp and we'll advise what fits and flag layout problems before you buy.