What to Expect in the Office Design Process

Space-Planning The design process is an important part of any office furniture installation, but in some cases, it’s more complex than others.  Maybe your space is just a wide open floor plan with lots of flexibility as to how stations can be laid out and employees are positioned to work effectively.  But in other circumstances, physical challenges such as beams, doorways and corners or specific user needs make it a much more involved process.  That’s why having a design professional guiding you throughout the necessary steps and considerations of your project is not only eliminating the hassle for you, but helping you get the very best design for your office. So what should you expect in the office design process? Well, let us tell you a little bit about how it works here at EthoSource with our pre-owned and refurbished cubicle options!

1) It all starts with a conversation.  There are generally two types of customers that come to us with furniture needs: those who have a clear idea of what they want their space to look like and those who have a blank slate they need help creating into an office concept.  Even if you have very little idea of what you want, it’s ok! Our sales reps and designers provoke these decisions by asking questions.  How many people will be working in the space? What are the needs for privacy/collaboration? What kind of storage and organizational tools would be helpful to the users? …and any others.   We want to establish the various uses for the space to get a clear understanding of the type of space you’re looking to achieve.

[ezcol_1half]2) Presenting the options. More often than not, there will be a number of ways to layout the space, even after taking into consideration the customer’s desires and needs.  For example, we may present a layout that can get  (20) 5’x 5′ workstations in your office and then show you another option that fits (12) 6’x 8′ workstations.  These designs are shown through the use of the customer’s floor plan or CAD drawing.   Often in this step of the process, the customer and the designers will go back and forth more than once to make alterations, getting the customer to the design that is perfect for them.[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]office-cubicle-design[/ezcol_1half_end] [ezcol_1half]Space-Planning-Design-Office-Furniture[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]3) Time to build. Here we really dive into the specific details of the cubicles, so we can begin to know the necessary parts and pieces required for the job.  From the heights of frames, tile elevations and additional components, we establish just exactly how our inventory is going to create the workstations.  The customer will receive detailed 2-D and 3-D visual representations of the stations through our high-end rendering software. Our goal is to provide the very best representation of the space, so you have the chance to see the end result before the cubicles are even built.  This shows how color schemes, accessories, and other aesthetics of the workstations will all appear in the office.[/ezcol_1half_end] [ezcol_1half]4) Adding the Finishing Touches.  Everything about your cubicles is customized.  So for the last step of the design process, we figure out the fabrics and finishes that you would like for tiles, surfaces, trim and pedestals.  If the customer is choosing to go the As-Is (pre-owned) route, we’ll look through all of our inventory to find the available fabric options and send these swatches to our customer.  If you’re opting for refurbished cubicles, the customer will be sent swatches of all new fabrics and surfaces that are available.  Once we start to narrow down the choices, we’ll provide more finalized renderings that incorporate all the customers decisions from throughout the whole process.[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]A&D-6x8 46&62H[/ezcol_1half_end]

 

At this point, your order is placed we begin to take the necessary actions to pull all the inventory, schedule delivery logistics and get your new furniture installed in your space! Because of our ability to keep the customer completely informed and involved throughout the design process, there are no uncertainties once your furniture is installed.  The only surprise you may receive is how much your pre-owned/refurbished cubicles look like new!

*Note: All details are based on EthoSource’s design process.  🙂 We cannot speak on behalf of the quality, work ethic and customer service of our competitors.

If you have any other design process questions, just contact us today, or check out our Design video