But nowadays, most business cannot afford to have an expensive room for the sole use of the top level executives and board members, and don’t feel the need to have to impress their clients or contemporaries to this level, as before.

Boardrooms have in many ways been replaced by multifunction meeting rooms, which can offer a wider range of staff a wider range of possibilities.  Multifunctional furniture can allow even the smallest person in the office, to reconfigure the meeting room into many things. A staff training room, a lecture room, examination room, function room, and presentation room are just some examples of the many uses to which these room can be put.

By using flip top tables and stacking meeting chairs, the furniture can be packed away into a small space, leaving just a few tables out for the client buffet.  These tables can then be brought out again, swung into action and locked in place for that big staff meeting.

These individual meeting tables may seem expensive but the variety of uses they can offer means that there are extremely good value, in terms of cost and in terms of the variety of uses to which they can be put.

The maxim nowadays seems to be to plan your office space for what you will need for 90% of the time.  So if you only have two meeting a year for 40 persons, don’t allocate the space and furniture budget for a meeting room which will accommodate this many people.
Instead make the meeting rooms big enough for your normal size of meeting, and then you may be able to have two meeting rooms of different sizes.  When the day arrives when you need that big meeting room, then think about renting the space in a conference centre or similar.

Another approach, if you have the space and budget, is to use a quality room divider wall, so that when the odd occasion arises for that big meeting, you can just unlock the wall and move it out of the way, and reconfigure the two meeting rooms into one large one.

Your starting point should always be what you need most of the time.  We can then work from there to arrive at a proposal which gives you what you want nearly all of the time, and is flexible enough to even help you out for those infrequent requirements

If for some reason we have missed you, then please get in touch and we will post you a copy by return.

The 2012 brochure is mainly a consolidation of the existing ranges, although it has to be said that there are at least 10 new ranges of office furniture which have been added to our portfolio.

In addition we have increased our number of stocked ranges of meeting and training tables, along with some very interesting boardroom tables.

We intend to publish these changes and the new additions in greater detail in due course but overall we are very pleased with the design, feel and usability of the new catalogue.

One of the main changes which you will immediately notice is that the prices and technical description of each product is now incorporated into the main brochure. This is how it used to be, but we changed a few years ago and had a separate technical data and price list.   Most of our customers have commented that this was not an improvement so we have gone back to what suits our customers best.

All of the other benefits which we have always offered are still there though. Competitive pricing, free space planning, fast delivery, comprehensive range of products to suit all offices and businesses.

Despite the continuing recession and general decline in business, we are still looking after our existing customers and indeed attracting quite a number of new customers.

We feel that our new brochure reflects the current market, in that in general the product range is geared to more everyday office furniture requirements, rather than exclusive boardrooms or executive office suites.

Having said that, most of the products which were in our old brochure are still available from stock, if you were looking for something a little bit special then you can still use the old brochure or if you do not have one, let us know and we can send you one.  We also have the brochure available in PDF version and are working on an on line “flip page” version which you can view on your PC, or even your PDA or smartphone, if you are that inclined.

So thanks to all our existing customers for the continued support and we hope to offer you the same high quality profession service we have always offered.

And we look forward to offering our new customers the same service

But in the main the office desk was essentially a rectangular work surface, supported by 4 legs and with some under desk storage attached.
Before the advent of computers, there was very little need for anything more than this.  A secretary could join a return desk to her main desk, so that she had somewhere to put her typewriter, and an executive could join two rectangular desks together using a quadrant section, to produce a really big double desk layout.

And even when computers started appearing, for a few years not a lot changed, except that now in the office was a dedicated computer workstation, to which people went to use the computer when required.  You have to remember that at this time Personal Computers were so expensive that they were not really personal, but shared between a department or section.
 Also, at that time, most people could not really see why they would need a computer all the time, mainly due to the fact that the software  was fairly basic and even a little “nerdy .  If you are old enough you probably remember the bloke in your office ( usually had a beard) who could speak in MSDOS, and could make the black screen do things by typing weird commands in green.
But then, with the advent of “gooeys” ( graphical user interfaces)  everyone in the office could use the computer and more importantly could see uses for it.

When economies of scale and open source architecture made the prices of PC tumble, they truly became personal, and now offices were gearing up so that every desk would have one.

And then suddenly , everyone started to realise that the 3 foot deep desks were just not deep enough for a massive monitor ( they were like televisions).
Health and safety directives were issued about monitor positioning, and suddenly manufacturers had developed a desk top which gave the user enough space to position the monitor far enough away, but still allowed the planners to design layouts which were as efficient in terms of space as the old rectangular desks. 

 This was the advent of the radial desk, also known as a crescent  or hockey stick shaped desk. 

This shape stayed with us for over twenty years, and in fact is still the most common desk around.  

However, with flat screen monitors being cheap and plentiful nowadays, office desks don’t need to be deeper than 80cm, so we are seeing more and more wave desks( somewhere between a radial desk and a rectangular one) and  even more rectangular desks again.

They may have stylish metal legs, and super sophisticated cable management systems, but essentially they are just the same a what were used before the micro chip.
Maybe soon the old wooden desks will also come back into fashion

Available as ever, from stock, for delivery in a matter of days, Twin Distal offers ten  top finishes, including aluminium, plus two  desk frame and trim colour options,

The Twin Distal desk offers as standard, comprehensive cable management at no additional cost.

The thick steel frame supporting the 25mm desktop is L shaped with additional corner bracings sections to provide a wide and secure place to store all of your sockets, cables and chargers.

The leg frame has a removable cover (which requires no tools) which exposes a wide segregated channel section, leading from the top of the arched support foot right up to the central support beam.

A corner of the cover-plate has been cut back to allow cable access, although there is also a cable access cut-out on the inside lower section of the support leg.

Another useful design feature of the Twin Distal range is that the central support frame is telescopic, in that one section slides inside the other and then the two are bolted together to give the required width. There are two advantages to this design in that, firstly, one beam can be used on a variety of different width of desks, and secondly one leg can be used in intermediate positions instead of two.

By extending the telescopic frame slightly the end leg can be set to support the ends of two desks, reducing the cost of a tandem or  bench desk arrangement, and at the same time offering  more legroom  per workstation.

The range of  desk shapes and sizes offered by Twin Distal is also very well thought out.  Radial desks, wave desks, and the standard rectangular desks are all available in a variety of sizes.

There are even some desk shapes which include a built in compact meeting end or a 45 degree return desk.

As you would expect, this range is also complimented with a wide range of under-desk and desk height pedestals, and steel or wood finish storage cupboards.

There is also a range of free standing meeting tables and desk returns, so you are really spoilt for choice.

We are very confident that the Twin Distal range will give you everything you need in your operator furniture, and equally confident that our  volume sales and purchasing power mean that we will beat any Twin Distal Written quotation by 5%.

It compliments our other ranges of office desks by being elegant, simple and stylish.

The tapered leg frames, which are available in a cool white finish as well as the standard aluminium finish, add style to any office , at a price which is comparable to many budget office desking ranges.

The Pure office furniture range is available with a variety of top finishes, from  a dark cinnamon walnut to snow white, to match the desk frames.

There is even a height adjustable frame option in the Pure range, which caters for tall staff.

In addition to the rectangular and radial desks offered in this range, there are also meeting ends, meeting tables, and even a barrel shaped boardroom table.  Our standard range of desk high and under desk mobile pedestals also compliments this range, especially as we now have white finished mobile pedestals as a standard stocked furniture product.

The Pure office desk frame is certainly a break from the traditional look of office desks, and would not look out of place in a designer home or office, especially when finished in white.
As our photographs show, Pure is aptly named, as the desk exudes pure style as well as pure function. Clean lines, no clutter, and a beautifully designed leg base, adds a level of quality and sophistication not often found at this pricing level.

With over 15 shapes and sizes of desk, Pure can solve your small office or study needs, especially when you consider the thousands off complimentary products which are available in our main office  furniture brochure.

As with all of our desking ranges  the whole of the Pure range is available on our Cad system in 2 and 3D format, enabling us to produce stunning 3 D renditions of your new workspace using the Pure Office Furniture range.

So please call us today, and you new Pure furniture could be with you by the weekend

This range of office furniture includes  panel and I frame desking, desk height and under desk mobile pedestals,  all available in a wide range of desk top finishes  and styles.

The main two ranges are called WALTON and GANTON  and offer a very comprehensive range of desk sizes and shapes.

Both ranges also offer a variety of desk top finishes and well as some optional frame finishes where relevant

The Ganton range is a panel ended system which looks like a  traditional style of office desk, whereas the Walton range is a more contemporary style with I frame of corner legs frames.

Within the Walton range is also a double bench desk system, available in workstation sizes from 120 cm up to 180 cm. Something to suit every office layout, at very competitive prices and available from stock.
In addition to the main items in the Ganton and Walton office furniture ranges, are also a wide range of storage cabinets, including steel tambour units and matching wooden cupboards. These are also available from stock.
The Express office line also caters for other needs around the office.  Meeting tables, desk top  and floor standing screens, cable management systems and monitor arms are also available from stock.

We even have a stylish range of office reception seating and breakout chairs which match both the Walton and the Ganton office furniture ranges.
Operator seating is also well covered in the Express Office Line catalogue, ranging from basic operator chairs up to high quality leather executive armchairs.

In fact there are over 20 different chairs to choose from, all available in a choice of fabrics and still with a very quick delivery time.
So please call us to ask for a copy of our new Express office line brochure, packed with exciting new products and ideas. 

If you call us we can also help you out with and advice about space planning and office design, and could even provide you with realistic 3D renditions of your new office, all completely for free.

Most businesses, when budgeting for their new office furniture, don’t always allow an amount to cover any additional cable management requirements which they may have.

Another important factor is where you site your CPUs. The best place is in a CPU holder which is mounted to the underside of the desk, but again you have to be careful as some desk frames are not CPU friendly.

 Also if you go for sliding  top desks, which offer the most accessible types of cable management, you have to make sure that your CPU holders will work with them. If not, every-time you slide the desk top forward you risk pulling the cables out from the back of the CPU.

However, by carefully thinking out your requirements you should be able to get your ideal desk, without having to add on bits ( which can be expensive) at the end to make the desks work the way you require.

As with all things, careful planning and understanding of what you really need, will save you a lot of time, money and effort.

This is because an office chair is a dynamic piece of furniture, which can have an influence on your health and you productivity.  Bad backs are the most common cause of staff absenteeism and most of this can be attributable to unsuitable office seating.  

For most people an office chair is an office chair, but in reality there is a bewildering range of confusing mechanisms and adjustment options, some which are useful and some not so useful.

And to the uninitiated it is difficult to work out which ones are really useful and which one are just gadgets or gimmicks.
At the bottom end of the office spectrum sits a basic entry level budget operator chair.  These are typically around £50 to £60 each, and will give you something to sit on, but not much else. There will be a gas ram seat height adjustment mechanism, and probably some means of altering the seat rake, but often not much else.

More worryingly are the things that are missing which you cannot see. The gas ram for instance may only be rated for 11 stones. Also the mechanism has probably not been designed for all day use. 

This is the sort of chair that you may use at home , or for an occasional workstation , but certainly not in an everyday office.  And if someone in your office is over 11 stone and is using it all day there is a good chance that something will fail, and then your problems with the warranty will begin. 

It will be easy for the manufacturer to spot where the chair has been overloaded or overused. And they would have every right to reject you warranty claim, as you had not used the office chair for its intended purpose

So it really does pay to speak to your office furniture dealer, and you let him know exactly what it is you require from a chair.

He will guide you to the most suitable product, and will be able to explain to you all of the useful mechanisms and features which are available

If you staff are going to give you their best, sitting for over 6 hours a day for 48 weeks of the year, then you owe it to them to make sure that you are giving them the best in terms of their office seating.

After all, even an expensive ergonomic armchair, with a full 5 year warranty is only going to cost you less than twenty pence a day.  

 Surely every member of your staff is worthy of such a minimal investment

No problem we thought, and paid the bill for one year’s subscription.
After a few months we realised that the information that we were getting from QSL tenders was not really of any use to what we were doing, so we stopped using the service, and just let the subscription run to its normal expiry.

After all, on the welcome page of their website, its states that if you do not cancel your trial by  the agreed date, your subscription will continue for a further 12 months and we( QSL tenders) will invoice your business.

This to us is concise, straightforward and easy to understand.

However what QSL tenders should have added, is that we ( QSL tenders) will automatically renew your subscription, indefinitely, until you give notice to cancel your subscription, and this notice to be by email only.

So beware of QSL tenders cancellation policy as it is not what we would normally expect in business, and it is not made clear when you sign up for the free trial and subsequent subscription.

QSL tenders do make their cancellation policy very clear in their terms and conditions, which are sent to you, highlighted in red, once you have fallen foul of their cancellation policy

So beware of this as the trial may cost you more than expected.

Whilst  looking into this matter we searched the internet for QSL tenders and found more than a few pages of comments about their general business practices. 
We are not here to make comment about them, but they certainly made for interesting reading

So, since the beginning of June we have implemented an immediate shipment programme  called our “Express Office Line” and have produced a mini brochure to back it up.

The products in the brochure are held in stock in the Midlands, which means that we can literally deliver and install the office  furniture the next day, if required.

The two main desking ranges, Ganton and Walton, are both available in beech, white, oak, birch, walnut and olive finishes, in a variety of shapes and sizes from the standard rectangular desk to radial,  and even bow fronted executive desks.

The difference between the two ranges is that Ganton is a stylish panel ended design whilst Walton uses a more contemporary C frame design.
As well as the extensive range of desk sizes and finishes the Express Office Line brochure also includes matching filing pedestals and storage cabinets, meeting tables, desk top and floor standing fabric screens, plus and comprehensive range of desk accessories such as monitor arms, CPU Holders  and cable management systems.

The Express Office Line even offers a comprehensive range of operator chairs, again ready for immediate dispatch, as well as over ten different types of executive chairs. We also offer meeting chairs as well as a range of catering furniture, again ready for immediate dispatch
So, if you have left it to the last minute, or have suddenly changed your plans, don’t panic. We can help you out, and  can be delivering and installing our Express Office Line products in no time.
Please call us or visit our main website for more information