contract furniture

Contract Furniture is an industry term for products that have been designed, tested and manufactured to meet certain quality standards in order to be suitable for use in commercial environments. Commercial Furniture on the other hand is an all-encompassing term often used in the same context but Contract Furniture is more specific to the actual tests and criteria that need to be met.

An example of the criteria would be the fire regulation Crib 5 (BS7177) which is a regulation imposed on commercial companies who are expected to be using Contract Furniture. Any furniture that is used for commercial use will be 'Contract' and therefore will be required to be meet Crib 5 safety standards.

The reason we have the distinction for Contract Furniture is that furniture in this environment will be used more frequently and have more specific health and safety concerns. For this reason it needs to be better quality and more durable. Typically you would expect furniture to have a guarantee of around 5 years even with continued heavy usage.

How does the process work?

As the purchase of Contract Furniture is ordinarily project based the actual process can vary considerably. Ideally WE would work with you to develop a brief that would encompass the following information:

  • Types of furniture required
  • Target design style
  • Level of design input required
  • Timescales involved in the project
  • Budget criteria
  • Any project specific requirements (ie increased Fire Safety requirements, environmental issues etc)
  • Site specific requirements 

Once WE have developed the brief WE will put forward options for each product area of interest and work with you to put together a package that suits your selection criteria.

WE will then take the project through procurement and onto delivery and installation and beyond.

What types of Contract Furniture do Working Environments offer?

WE offer all types of furniture for all types of commercial environments, such as:

Why should you buy through a Contract Furniture dealer?

  • Expertise and experience of the dealer
  • Assistance with bespoke products or finishes
  • Knowledge of lead times and product options
  • Negotiate better discounts with the manufacturer than would otherwise be feasible
  • Co-ordinate procurement from multiple manufacturers to arrive in a timely way to suit your project
  • After sales care and enforcement of guarantees if any product issues

Why should you buy from Working Environments Furniture?

  • WE supply one point of contact from initial contact, through specification, procurement, installation and after sales care.
  • WE work with over 80 different manufacturers giving access to some of the best commercial furniture options on the market
  • WE have extensive experience in the Contract Furniture industry
  • WE offer competitive prices but a superior service
  • WE are proud of our reputation and our long term clients.

We hope we have managed to shed some helpful light on when you should be looking to invest in furniture for a commercial environment. If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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