Office Partitions

Office partitioning and office screens can be used to create dynamic and flexible office rooms.

Some business owners find it hard to visualise how an open plan area can be turned into a productive and stylish working environment.

However, with the creative use of office partitions both fixed and moveable, it’s possible to have all the individual units you need without the expense and inconvenience of moving office or carrying out major building work.

These units may include a staff kitchen, meeting room, interview room, managerial suite or boardroom.

Office partitions, office screens and office dividers come in a range of materials including fabric, wood, glass, coloured glass, mirrored and frosted glass. They can also be linked together to better accommodate your size requirements.

Additionally some office partitioning can be fitted with castors so that they can be moved easily to other parts of the office as required. Moveable partitions are very useful if you can’t fix to the walls or floors in any way.

Please note that if you need to screen off a long straight run but are not able to fix your office partitions to the walls or floors, you will need plenty of supporting feet.

Depending on the height of the screens you may also need small supporting screens located at 90 degree angles.

Some office partitions can also be fitted with acoustic ceiling panels to create a flexible room within a room. The frames on these partitions are usually made from 100% recycled aluminium and are available in straight or curved configurations. This further enhances your space design options.

Room dividers, office screens and office partitioning are generally available in different heights including some fixed floor to ceiling units.

In most cases, Partitioning will require a site survey or at least very details architectural plan to be provided in order to give and accurate cost.

Office Partitions | Office Screens | Room Dividers

Office Furniture Feng Shui

The ancient Chinese art or science of Feng Shui dates back more than 3000 years.

Literally meaning ‘Wind’ ‘Water’, it is alleged that the positioning of furniture, ornaments, trinkets and paintings can directly affect the flow of energy in any given space.

Whether or not you actually believe that Feng Shui works, there can be no doubt that some of the principles have sound logical and practical elements that can affect your home and office environment.

Do you have a favourite public house or restaurant that you like to frequent? If the answer to this question is Yes then you will probably have a preferred place that you like to sit. The same is no doubt true within your own home. The reason for this is that some seating positions just seem more favourable than others and are perceived to be more comfortable and auspicious.

This of course could simply be attributed to something as simple and obvious as a good view, provided by a window seat for instance. However on the flip side of this, if you sit with your back facing the room and cannot see what’s going on behind you, it is not likely to be your first choice of seating.

For this reason I’ve compiled this quick guide to help you position your office furniture according to Feng Shui. This list is by no means exhaustive, but is merely designed to provide an insight into the more obvious benefits of Feng Shui.

Office Desk and Office Chair Placement

- Your office desk should be positioned so that you have a clear line of sight of your office door. This will help to protect you from betrayals. It also improves your general feeling of security because you will able to monitor those who enter or leave your office.

- Here are two of the more obvious benefits of Feng Shui but firstly, make sure that your office chair fully supports your back. Secondly, ensure you sit with the wall behind you. If you sit facing the wall you are more likely to encounter difficulties in obtaining promotion and other career path obstacles.

- If you don’t have overall control of your office environment or it is simply not possible to move your office desk, you can negate the problems associated with facing a wall by hanging a painting or picture of a beautiful landscape. This helps to create feelings of abundance and represents opportunity.

- You should avoid sitting with your back to a window because doing so symbolizes a lack of support. From a modern perspective this is another obvious one. Although it is highly unlikely that the ancient Chinese had computer screens, sitting with a window directly behind you could potentially cause screen glare!

- Placing an image or figure of a rooster on your office desk will help to protect you from malicious gossip, backstabbing and other office politics.

- Put a smooth, round object such as a glass crystal or orb on your office desk to negate negative energy and ensure a productive and harmonious working environment.

- Avoid sitting directly opposite a work colleague. Doing so can create a damaging build-up of negative Chi energy and can potentially lead to confrontations and conflicts. If you have no other option other than to sit facing another person in your office, consider mounting an office screen. Don’t forget to hang your picture of a landscape on the office screen! (See point above re. facing a wall).

Office Storage

Clutter is considered to encourage the flow of negative energy in Feng Shui and should be avoided.

- The obvious way to eliminate clutter in your office is to use office storage to help keep your office organised.

- It’s especially important to keep your office desk organised and tidy. This helps you to improve your focus . Once again, this makes a lot of sense from a practical point of view because removing clutter ensures that you are more efficient and productive. It’s also great for increasing your personal sense of wellbeing and positivity.

- Strong colours play an important part in Feng Shui and red is considered to be particularly favourable as an aid to prosperity and wealth generation. Try to incorporate some red office storage as part of your office furniture re-organisation.

- A gap of about 8-inches should be left between your office cupboards, office bookshelves and other office storage. Again this is supposed to encourage a positive flow of energy in the workplace.

Office Meeting Seating Arrangements

- Here’s a great Feng Shui tip if you are conducting an office meeting. Ensure that the office chairs or sofas are arranged into a triangular shape which faces your own office chair or office desk. This subliminally strengthens your position in the room as a centre of power and allows you to more easily take control of the meeting or discussion. It also makes your colleages feel comfortable and at ease.

- An additional benefit of forming this triangle is that it ensures the other meeting participants are all angled slightly towards each other. This creates an ‘all-inclusive’ environment which stimulates the flow of positive energy in the room and aids creativity and brainstorming activities.

If you have any additional tips or Feng Shui advice, please feel free to comment and let us know.

How Important Is Your Office Furniture For Your Business?

Your office or working environment can have a huge impact on your business both for your employees and for clients.

Certainly if your company requires you to entertain and meet clients on a regular basis then you will want to make sure that your office furniture is high quality and contemporary.

Your office furniture will be the first thing that your clients see and naturally you will want to try and create the right atmosphere that is both conducive to business as well as relaxing. First impressions can be immensely important when forging business relationships and alliances.

When planning your office space, there are a number of factors that you will need to consider. For instance office desk space, power and data solutions, equipment positioning as well as social aspects such as privacy (office screens can be very effective)…both for your employees and for your clients.

Another consideration when choosing office furniture is its visual appeal and comfort. When you consider the amount of time that you, your employees and your clients will probably be spending in the office; it is important to combine style and comfort with ergonomically designed furniture.

By carefully selecting the right office furniture you will be creating an environment which is both comfortable for your employees and relaxing for your clients.

Try to consider the space you have available and the number of staff in your employ. Where possible, try to create a relaxed atmosphere that is spacious and comfortable. Even if space is limited, with a little careful thought you should be able to achieve this desired effect. Your clients will notice this when they first walk in and it should help to put them at ease.

If you are having difficulty choosing the right office furniture, our helpful team are always on hand to help you design the perfect office space for your business.

Without a doubt, one of the best ways to impress your clients is to spend a little bit extra on any office chairs that your prospective business partners are likely to use. Firstly it makes them feel special and secondly, business transactions are far more likely to be successful if carried out in luxurious comfort. An additional benefit is that this also ensures your staff do not suffer any unnecessary discomfort due to long periods spent sitting at their office desks (CLICK HERE to read a previous blog post with more information on the importance of correct posture and a decent office chair).

BT Office Furniture have a huge selection of furniture from a range of manufacturers and our friendly staff will save you a lot of research time and money. We also offer a full installation service and can deliver throughout Great Britain.