If you think that this is too good to be true, then you had better look at our FORMAT range of office furniture.

The Format range has an extensive offering of desk shapes and sizes. Rectangular, compact ( waves and 120 degree ) and radial desks are all available from stock, with either a panel or an I frame desk end, in maple, light beech, salmon beech, copper pear, caramel cherry, or a grey finish.

With regard to storage both steel or wood finish mobile pedestals, as well as desk height pedestals are available from stock in this range, with prices starting at around £130 including delivery and installation.

The range also offers  various meeting solutions, including circular tables, I frame meeting tables, and various desk end meeting tables to suit most office spaces.

There is even a full range of matching wood finish cupboards and credenzas to choose from, all of which are also available from stock.

Should you wish to add a modern theme to this traditionally styled range of office furniture, then you should consider our range of tambour storage units.

Available in many different styles, sizes and finished, these units can also be colour co-ordinated to match the desk finish, and matching decorative tops can be added to the low tambour units to complement the deskfinish.

All of the products in the FORMAT office  furniture range have been pre- drawn on our sophisticated Cad system, which means that we can very easily produce 3D renditions of what your new office is going to look like.

All we need from you is a basic sketch of your office space, and a description of what office  furniture you are trying to fit into this space.  From this information we will be able to provide you with photorealistic drawings of your new office space.

So please contact us today. You will be surprised at just how little your new office layout will cost, and with full planning and installation provided for free, you will be amazed at how easy getting you new office can be.

All this plus a five year guarantee on all office  furniture products : We really have tried to make the whole experience as easy and cost effective as possible for you.

But in general  the main similarity is that the desks are designed as double desk ( two desk facing each other)  setups which can share their end legs with neighbouring desks.

This offers two advantages in terms of price and space as not so many legs are needed when compared to a free standing desk setup.

“OPEN”  is a budget range of office furniture which offers everything that a basic  bench desk range would offer and a little more.

The desks sizes are comprehensive, as you would expect (80 cm, 120 cm, 140 cm, 160 cm and 180 cm)  the systems comes with integral cable management, and the desk frame has been designed to accept a wide variety of central dividing desk mounted screens.

But the added advantage of this range is that the leg frames can easily be converted to free standing leg frames, enabling you to easily reconfigure your office space.
Furthermore the free standing single desks can then be linked to each other by sharing intermediate legs.  So you can produce a run of single depth bench desks, with all the benefits of the double desk units, or you can just use free standing desks butted up against each other.

In addition to these advantages any of the single depth desks can be supplied with a height adjustable desk frame, enabling you to alter  the working height of specific desks in your office to suit certain users.

The OPEN office furniture range really caters for just about every need, except when  your office space is just to small to use the industry standard 80cm deep desks.  But amazingly  the OPEN range also has 80cm desks available, which not only are height adjustable but which can share the intermediated leg and behave just like a full size bench desk system.

And one more advantage to think about is delivery. This range is available from stock, in all its permutations, with matt silver finish frames and a desk top finish of either Maple, Light beech, salmon beech, copper pear, caramel cherry, light grey, or snow white.

A truly versatile range of office  furniture

It seems that more and more workers are becoming aware of the advantages of height adjustable desks, but we should pointy out that there are distinct advantages and disadvantages with the different types of height adjustability.

In general though the advantage of having the desk height adjustable as well as your office chair is that you are one step nearer to acheiving your ergonomically perfect workstation

The most basic form of height adjustable desk is  what we would call the “fit and forget variety”. These office desks are relatively inexpensive when compared to a standard office desk, and have a double section leg frame, one of which slides inside the other.

The leg is adjusted by sliding the outer leg out over the inner leg, until the desired height is reached. The fixing holes are then aligned and  bolt or two fixed through the hole to lock the two sections together.

These desks are therefore fixed at the desired working height at installation, and left at this height.

The height can subsequently be altered but it does involve a reasonable amount of dismantling and  re-assembly.

This type of height adjustable desk is fine for  single users who want their desk set higher or lower than standard and then left like that for a considerable period. It is a low cost way or having your office desk fitted to your height.

The other version is the height adjustable desk, which is specifically built to change height at the whim of the user. The desk top is mounted on two leg frames which have a central screw-thread and connector     (rather like a simple car jack) . On the user end of this mechanism is a hand wheel , which when turned, effectively lifts or lowers the height of the desk.  Due to the added complexity of the mechanism, these desks are about 70% more expensive than a standard fixed height desk.

At the top end of the scale is the electrically height adjustable desk, which literally changes height at the touch of a button. The electric motor is fed from the mains ( via a 12 transformer for safety). This type of desk is the ultimate for someone who changes from sitting to standing often during the day.

A few years ago  an electrically height adjustable desk would have been about 3 times as expensive as a standard office desk, but due to the huge number of sales of height adjustable desks on the continent  the costs have reduced dramatically.

In fact nowadays you can purchase an electrically height adjustable desk for less than one with a manual adjustment facility, and the cost is only about 20% more than the “fit and forget” variety.

But invariably having the boardroom properly kitted out costs much more than originally anticipated.  The reasons for this are obvious but often overlooked.

First of all most boardroom tables are quite big and made with real wood. Real wood ( veneer) is very expensive when compared to an MFC finish normally associated with office furniture, and lots of it means a big price.

Secondly a big table means that a big number of chairs can be put around it.  If you are going to the expense of a  wood veneer table, it would not make sense to use some cheap fabric chairs to go with it, so once again a higher unit price multiplied by a large number means a bigger than expected cost.

We normally find that most boardrooms tend to have leather upholstery which further adds to the cost, but money can be saved here if a stylish fabric is specified instead.  In fact many  leather meeting chairs are now only leather faced ( matching vinyl is used on the back and base) which helps reduce costs.

At the top end of the leather chair pricing range is the quality leathers from Connelly and Muirhead for example. These are seriously expensive but the quality is second to none.
Further down the scale average quality hides are split into 3 layers, through their thickness to produce two very thin outer hides and one inner hide, which has no grain.

This middle hide  then mechanically stamped with a grain pattern on to give the impression of a real hide.
So three hides out of one can seriously reduce the unit cost of the leather chair.  However at this level of pricing most of these hides are stained black in order to hide the imperfections in the hide ( from barbed wire for example)

Also we often see vinyl and faux leather being used, and many of these imitate real leather very well.  Unfortunately many customers are put off by the word vinyl ( it was pretty bad 20 years ago) and it is now forbidden to hunt the faux for commercial reasons.

As with everything you really do get what you pay for, but there are some very inexpensive but good quality meeting room chairs out there in the market.
However there are also many which are imported form China which really do not stack up in terms of value for money, or continuity.

So, if you are going to spend a considerable amount of money on a new boardroom suite, it really would pay to speak to an office furniture dealer. Give them your budget and you may be surprised with what they can come up. After all they have been in this position many times whereas it is probably quite new to you.

Thirty  different ranges of styles range from exciting to wacky, all available in a wide spectrum of fabric patterns and colours, and all at very competitive prices.

All of the chairs and sofas are made to order in about ten  days, which means that not only can we deliver almost as quickly as we can with our stocked reception furniture, but we can offer our customers endless alternatives with regard to dimensions, fabrics and finishes.

We can stain any of the displayed woods to match your existing office furniture, and match or compliment the fabrics on your office chairs or office screens.

Some products in the portfolio are just modern versions of traditional designs such as the tub chair or the modular reception seating, but others are truly original

For example the Bespoke1 modular reception seating is completely different to what you would normally expect to find in a reception area.  Some of the units even have an upholstered canopy for a more impressive effect.

This along with some of the other bespoke modules on offer, do at least what can be done with a little imagination, some planning and a great deal of manufacturing expertise.

Indeed it is very unusual to see quality products or this level, ready for use within 10 days of order.

You would normally have to wait for 3 to 4 weeks for bespoke manufacturing like this to be done.

One of the reasons that the delivery time is so much quicker that you would normally expect, is by clever use of laminated boards, instead of traditional timber for the seating frames. This saves cost, weight, and a huge amount of time.

Also this process allows much more intricate and stronger shapes to be made, in a fraction of the time it would take using the traditional construction methods.

So by using state of the art technonlogy, the finished product is stronger, better looking, cheaper and delivered more quickly than before.

So what do you do if you are looking for some good quality office furniture for your home office or study.

The man made office furniture finishes you see in most offices are fine for the workplace but do you really want it for your home?

The main reason that MFC is used for office desks is that it is cheap, very hard wearing and will not fade with time, so when you add to the office desks you already have, the finishes will match.

These are not problems we usually face at home so it would be nice to buy some office  furniture which is not  man made.

But when you start looking at wood veneers you suddenly realise that the price is considerably more expensive than the man made desks.

So a compromise between the two is needed, and a good option which suits everyone would be a pine finish option.

This style matches with most home furniture and doors etc, has a timeless look and feel, and is warm and inviting.

And the best part is that this pine effect board makes very sturdy and good value home office  furniture

For example the  150 cm wide study desk shown here,  with  7 fully opening drawers and brass effect handles can be delivered to anywhere in the UK for under £200.

Matching four drawer filing units are only £180 and an open bookcase with 5 wood shelves would cost you less than £130.

These are exceptional prices for good quality stylish home office  furniture.

If your study or spare bedroom is a little cramped but you still need a workstation for you computer or your kids homework, then  a single pedestal desk might be the thing.

At only 120 cm wide and 70 cm deep, the false drawer front opens to reveal space for your Computer Processor  and a shelf for discs, software and other bits of computer hardware.

And the best bit is that the price of this well thought out and compact traditional computer desk is under £150.

That certainly represents incredible value for money.

This also seems to be the case for other stuff usually bought through on line shops or on Ebay.

It does seem strange that in this recession the cheap stuff which was abundant in the boom, has suddenly vanished. Why is this the case, as you might expect demand for the cheapo stuff to increase when money is tight.

If you delve into this a little deeper the answers become quite obvious.

Firstly, one of the main reasons is that when budgets are tight, you simply cannot afford to buy cheap. By this we mean that you have to be looking for value for money, rather than just a cheap price.

When the economy is booming, it’s easy to just buy something cheap and then replace it in the short term, but when the market is tight, then you need to be looking to purchase something which will last a long time.

The second reason is to do with economies of scale. Simple economics dictate that when there is a large market and a large number of suppliers, then the price of goods will fall.

When demand falls sharply, the manufacturers cannot  sustain the cheap price, and either cease production of that product, or increase the price to achieve a more reasonable margin for the reduced level of sales.

Even if the manufacturer can afford to sustain his manufacturing cost, the cost of packaging,  transport and fixed overheads will increase per unit, due to the reduced demand, which means that the manufacturer still has to increase prices.

And the third reason is to do with competition. There will always be competitors in the market place who sell cheap due to desperation or stupidity, and these businesses are often the first to disappear when times become tougher.

In addition businesses which rely on low prices and offer minimal service, also rely on new buyers all the time. When the supply of new buyers starts drying up, so do their sales.

So a recession often forces customers to carefully consider their purchases and never to rely on impulse. It forces them to look for value for money, added value in terms of service and guarantees, and product or supplier heritage.

By this we mean that the buyer is looking for a seller with a good reputation and history in the market and products which are well known and tried and tested.

However, with regard to purchasing, a buyers decision should not vary according to whether the economy is booming or busting, or anywhere in between.

They should always be looking for value for money, decent service, and product heritage.

After all if you pay a little too much, all you lose is a little money, but if you pay too little, you  stand to lose a lot

People in general seem a little  happier and now there is some sort of stability with our government.
Plus the football has started, and even if you are not an avid fan of the game itself, the international aspect of it always makes it worthy entertainment.

Business seems to be a lot more buoyant with lots of enquiries for office furniture, both from home and from businesses.

We have even had new orders from some of our customers in the house building trade, which is always a good sign that the economy is moving again.

And on the sporting side ( not the world cup)  Danny Buchan, who is sponsored by  CHW in the British Superstock 600 Motorcycle championship,  managed a creditable and well deserved  podium place at Cadwell Park a few weeks ago.

The race was thrilling from the start, with plenty of action from the massive grid of eager youngsters. Over-excitement and relative inexperience caused a few crashes but Danny kept his head and (literally) rode  through it all to a brilliant 2nd place.
At one point it looked like he might make a bid for first, but after going on the grass at illegal speeds, discretion took over from valour and he settled for a second; his best this season.

This result has moved him to 5th in the championship, and has given him good coverage on television.  We are also grateful for Danny’s  televised mention of our support for his racing.

We cannot wait for Knockhill to see if he can repeat or better this performance.

This year we changed our logo for the racing sponsorship and have decided to do the same with the rest of our business. Our company was originally called Curtis Hicks, which mainly dealt with investing in Office Space in London and the South West.

But when we decided to branch into office furniture the name of the company was changed to CH Workspace.  We have now decided to go forwards with just the 3 main characters CHW. And have had a logo designed to reflect this. This logo will be rolled out through 2010, although our brochures will not change until 2011.

Please call us if you would like more information on any of the above,

The most common offering is literally just a fabric covered board, which sits on a tubular steel foot, and is edged with a thin PVC strip, or linking dumbbell.

They do what they are supposed, and are quite cheap, but they are certainly lacking in terms of style and design.

For a little more money  a much brighter and stylish effect can be achieved by using office screens made from melamine or laminated boards, acrylic, or even perforated metal sheets, all suspended on  an attractive tubular steel frame.

These floor mounted screens can be specified to  match or enhance your existing office furniture, and are available either from stock or on a very short lead time.

The joining posts between the large divider boards can be placed in any position relevant to each other, enabling you to make some very interesting and exciting shapes.
In areas where natural light is a problem the use of ribbed acrylic or Perspex sheet can really help, as almost all  of the natural light can pass through the screen, whilst still providing a near opaque or translucent office screen to break up the office.

Furthermore the support feet, which are necessary for any run of unsupported office screens, usually have a more  pleasing look to them.

The old fashioned tubular steel floor standing screen supports are considered very basic nowadays and are only really used where the office furniture budget is really tight.

We can even supply white MFC screens which have had a logo or design printed onto them for maximum effect.

This is as effective as having your logo screened or fixed onto and existing wall, with the added advantage of being able to take your artwork with you when you move offices.

So don’t let you budget drive you towards the cheaper options without having investigated just what you might get for a relatively small extra cost

These tables have the advantage of being easily reconfigurable in minutes and the job can be carried out by anyone in the office.

Their clever design means that the weight of the table does not have to be lifted during the reconfiguration.
Once in their new layout, the castors can be locked and the meeting table tops fixed to each other with an easy to use locking bracket or hand wheel.

These clever meeting tables only need a quick pull on the mechanism release lever to allow the desk tops to safely swivel into the vertical position.

They are then locked into this position and the whole meeting table can be easily wheeled into their new position or stored away for future use. Getting the table through narrow doorways is a simple, quick, one person operation.

If the tables are to be stored away they can be parked next to each other with one support leg inside its neighbour, which allows a large number to be stored away in a small amount of space.

These flip top meeting tables are available in a variety of finishes and sizes  and there is even a half moon flip top table available from stock.

This is very useful as it means that a truly multipurpose oval table can be made from the individual components.

In addition each section can be locked to its neighbour to ensure that all of the work tops remains at the same height, despite undulations in the office floor.

Once the castors brakes are set in the locking position the table is rock solid and ready for your large board meeting.

These tables are available from stock for express delivery, but if you are looking for something a bit more special, we can have the tops made in a wood veneer finish to match the rest of your office furniture, and we can even offer wood or more traditional frames to suit any environment.

Once you have experienced the versatility and usability of flip top tables you will wonder how you ever managed without them