Choosing Commercial Furniture That Lasts

Ask what the frame is made from and how it is joined. A well-made frame should feel solid when you lift a corner, with no flexing or creaking.

Seat cushions should recover their shape after someone stands up. If they stay compressed in the showroom, they will in a busy lobby too.

Velvet and bouclé are wonderfully tactile and suit suites, cabins and quieter lounges; tightly woven fabrics and leather are easier in receptions, cafés and co-working floors. There’s no wrong choice — only the wrong choice for the space.

Ask for samples and look at them in the actual space, under its own lighting, before you decide.

A sofa that’s twenty centimetres too long will always feel wrong. Measure the floor plan, the doorways, the lifts and the stairwell — and if a standard size doesn’t fit, ask whether the piece can be made to measure.

The best commercial furniture is the furniture you don’t have to replace. Proportion, comfort and honest materials are what get you there.