The Great Home Office Furniture Hunt - Industry Trend or Event

Home Office Computing, April, 2001 by Lisa Kanarek

Where can I find high-quality home office furniture like I used to have in my corporate office?

Once open only to large corporations able to buy in bulk, contract furniture showrooms such as Steelcase, Haworth, Knoll, and Herman Miller (see "Guide to Home Office Furniture Retailers, Online Sites, and Catalogs" at the end of this article) now welcome home office professionals seeking new and secondhand commercial-grade furniture. Many of these companies now have resale sections (often in a warehouse) setting slightly used furniture (the better the condition, the higher the cost) at 30 to 50 percent off the list prices. If you have a particular style of furniture in mind, a sates representative can keep your name on file and contact you when the item is available. But be aware that shopping at a showroom is not like shopping at a retail store. Call first and ask what kind of products they sell to small businesses, and to schedule an appointment to visit the showroom.

Guide to Home Office Furniture Retailers, Online Sites, and Catalogs

While no one con keep up with the ever-changing world of home office furniture suppliers, here's a sampling of what's available. The types of transaction offered by each entity follow the name in parentheses.

Aaron Office Furniture ([easing)

(877) REN-FURN www.aoronrents.com/office

New furniture for lease or purchase. "Lease plus advantage" includes monthly payments and free service and repair.

Cort Furniture Rental (leasing)

(888) 669-CORT www.cort1.com

New and used furniture. Emphasizes corporate furniture with some for home office use.

Crate & Barrel (retail and catalog)

(888) 249-4158 www.crateondbarrel.com

Crate & Barrel offers traditional and eclectic looks, hardwood and pine desks, bookcases, and armoires.

Design Within Reach (online)

(800) 944-2233 www.designwithinreach.com

Cutting-edge designs. Its primary customers are interior designers, but products are available to the general public.

Ethan Allen (retail and online)

(888) EAHELP1 www.ethonallen.com

Sells up-to-date line of higher-end home office furniture.

Full Upright Position (catalog)

(800) 431-5134 www.fulluprightposition.com

Offers odd-shaped desks or chairs guaranteed to be conversation icebreakers for home office client meetings.

Furnitureonline.com (online)

(800) 407-8273 www.furnitureonline.com

Easy-to-navigate site offers affordable computer workstations, home office centers, seating, and lighting.

Haworth Inc. (commercial furniture showroom)

(616) 393-3000 www.haworth.com

Contract-quality desks, ergonomic chairs, and storage units are available through a dealer network. A dealer locator service, complete with detailed maps, is available on their site.

Herman Miller for the Home (retail and online)

(800) 646-4400 www.hmhome.com

Commercial and residential furniture manufacturer sells 150 home office items and has developed a "room planner" to help you create a virtual office that fits your dimensions.

IKEA (retail and catalog)

(800) 434-4532 www.ikea-us.com Ready-to-assemble in wood, steel, and glass with clean Scandinavian lines and clever style. Ask for the business furniture catalog.