Whether you are fitting out a new space or rearranging the one you have, the same checklist saves money. Work through it before anyone orders furniture.
Start with how the team actually works
Count the people, then count the desks you genuinely need. If a proportion of the team is hybrid, desk sharing changes the whole plan and frees budget for better meeting and breakout space.
Leave room to move
Allow enough clearance behind seated staff for someone to walk past, and keep main circulation routes clear and obvious. Check doors, fire exits and escape routes are unobstructed. Desks pushed one row too close is the most common and most annoying planning mistake.
Get the desk size right
Desk depth matters more than width once monitors are involved: a screen needs to sit roughly arm's length away. If people work from two screens or a laptop and a monitor, plan for it now rather than buying monitor arms in a panic later.
Meeting and quiet space
Provision usually falls short in two places: small rooms for one-to-ones and video calls, and somewhere informal to work away from a desk. Both are cheaper to provide with furniture than with partitions.
Power and data first
Where the power comes up through the floor or down from the ceiling dictates where desks can go. Confirm this before finalising a layout. In-desk power modules and cable management make the difference between a tidy floor and a trip hazard.
Storage, and how much you really need
Most offices need less filing than they think and more personal and team storage than they plan for. Lockers suit hybrid teams; tambour units and cupboards suit shared kit and stationery.
Think about the finish
Fabrics, finishes and colour are the cheapest way to make a space feel considered. Pick a small palette and hold to it across seating, desking and storage.
If you would rather not do this on graph paper, our team plans spaces every week. Send us your floor plan through the contact page and we will come back with suggestions.
