In today’s diverse environments—offices, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and other commercial spaces—furniture is an important piece in enhancing productivity, comfort, and collaboration. Leading brands offer a range of solutions to address these needs. This post is a quick overview for the main furniture solutions and the top office furniture brands with offices in North America.
Furniture Solutions
Chairs: Ergonomic office chairs, task chairs, executive chairs, lounge chairs, collaborative seating.
Workstations: Modular and flexible workstations, collaborative workstations, benching systems.
Desks and Tables: Adjustable desks, sit-to-stand desks, meeting and conference tables, collaborative tables.
Storage: File cabinets, lockers, shelving systems, mobile pedestals.
Walls and Panels: Privacy screens, modular wall systems, acoustic panels.
Leading Office Furniture Brands
Steelcase (Michigan, USA): Known for ergonomic designs and sustainability. Offers a wide range of seating, storage, and workstations.
Haworth (Michigan, USA): Specializes in adaptable workspaces with a focus on style and functionality.
Herman Miller (Michigan, USA): Renowned for ergonomic solutions like the Aeron Chair, emphasizing comfort and eco-friendly practices.
Knoll (New York, USA): Offers sleek, modern designs for upscale environments, balancing aesthetics with functionality.
Kimball International (Indiana, USA): Provides customizable solutions for workplaces, healthcare, and hospitality with a focus on craftsmanship.
Teknion (Ontario, Canada): Leading in sustainability and collaborative workspace solutions.
HON (Iowa, USA): Known for affordable, durable office furniture suitable for various environments.
Allsteel (Iowa, USA): Focuses on modular systems that allow flexible workspace configurations.
Humanscale (New York, USA): Specializes in ergonomic designs to enhance worker health and well-being.
Global Furniture Group (Ontario, Canada): Offers durable and adaptable furniture for corporate, healthcare, and educational settings.
These brands are at the forefront of innovation and sustainability, shaping the future of office environments with their unique strengths.
Budget before design
Comparing two spaces? Compare their fit-out cost, not just the rent.
Base-building condition, landlord work and the tenant improvement allowance often weigh more on total occupancy cost than the rent does. We price each option on the same basis, before you sign.
For corporate real estate, finance and asset management teams evaluating a relocation or lease renewal, before a designer is engaged.
What furniture adds to your fit-out budget
Furniture is usually carried outside the construction budget, as a separate FF&E line bought through a dealer by the client or owner. FF&E stands for Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment. As a corporate real estate leader, asset manager of business owner, if your budget estimate covers construction only, the total cost of the project is understated from day one. The same situation happens when you develop a budget based on a random cost per square foot with no knowledge of context and risks.
When dealing with furniture in a project, here are three things to plan for:
Lead time. Workstations and seatings are often made to order, and a late order can delay your move-in date.
Full cost. Delivery, installation, dealer services and taxes come on top of the product price.
Coordination. Power and data at workstations must be agreed between the furniture dealer and the contractor, or they turn into change orders.
Before you approve the budget, ask yourself or your team this question: is furniture in this number, or carried separately?
Tenant improvements · Greater Montréal
Planning an office upgrade? Start with a clear budget.
Trade-by-trade pricing, a monthly cost report with the forecast final cost, and no change order executed without your approval. Tenant improvements for offices, branches and professional firms, in occupied or new space.
For organizations planning tenant improvements in Montréal, Laval or the North Shore.