Modular Office Furniture Defined

What is modular office furniture? I admit, when I first considered this question I had a pretty limited view of what it is. The first thing I thought of was the traditional cubby cubes that office workers are relegated to. As I considered it more, I realized that it was actually much more than that. When considered more accurately I began to understand that the design of the furniture we use in our offices can make a monumental impact on how productive we are. This article sheds some light on modular office furniture by defining it more clearly. Hopefully, it will open a world of possibilities to you, for application in your office environment.

Modular office furniture is just that, modular. So what is that? Modular is based on the word module, or a basic standard unit of measurement. As applied to furniture, it has to do with the construction method used. Basically it boils down to furniture that is made with standardized dimensions. This concept gives uniformity as well as greater flexibility for use. Everyone loves variety, and the modular concept allows both that variation as well as uniformity, depending on its use.

So where does modular office furniture get used? Easy, in the office. But not all offices are the same. It's interesting how our brains tend to classify and visualize based on our own experiences. If you work in a large building or high rise office, then that is what you think of. If you work in a small company with a smaller work environment,  that is what you think of. I work at home, so when I think about an office something entirely different comes to my mind. Each setting has obvious differences, but ultimately have the same, or at least similar, requirements that must be met by the furniture that is used there. And that leads me to the next point of my discussion, which is, what is furniture?

Modular office furniture refers to things. What constitutes furniture for one may be quite different from what another person might consider furniture. Is a card table furniture? When I was first starting out working from home my office table was one of those flimsy little wonders. I thought of it as furniture. It wasn't a couch, but it fit the category. In your world, a desk may not qualify as furniture unless it is made out of a fine hardwood, have lots of drawers, and look amazing. I don't know. But there are some things that certainly tie us all together. What one person uses as a bookshelf, desk, credenza, hutch, printer stand, or other modular office furniture piece, typically found in an office environment, aren't really all that different from what someone else may use. Remember your bookshelf back in college? What did it do? It held books. One may have been pine on cinder blocks while another might have been finely worked white oak, but the function was basically the same. You get the idea.

Modular office furniture serves us in our work and office environments so that we can be as effective and relaxed as possible when tending to the tasks required of us. It is so much more than what I first thought it was. We can move things around, use different tables, chairs, and shelves to create just the right place for our things and for ourselves. This flexibility is what makes modular office furniture special.