Tables for the parts of an office that are not desks: the touchdown corners, training rooms and canteens where people actually talk to one another. These are Impulse tables in round, square, straight, semi-circle and trapezium tops, each on a slim post leg or a box frame leg. Trapeziums push together into a chevron or split into clusters, semi-circles cap the end of a run, and a round top lets four people talk without anyone taking the head of the table. For formal seated meetings, the meeting and boardroom tables suit better.
Choosing a shaped table
Work out how many people and how they sit before picking a shape. Allow roughly 600mm of table edge each and about 900mm of clear space behind every chair so people can get out without shuffling. A 1200mm round table takes four comfortably, and semi-circles on the ends of a straight top give a stadium shape with no hard corners. Legs are the other call: a post leg keeps the underside clear so chairs tuck in, and a box frame is steadier under a wide top.
The usual mistake is buying one big table where several small ones would work harder. Two trapeziums and a round top can be set out four ways in the same room, while a single slab dictates one arrangement forever. Height matters too, since a standard 725mm top suits normal chairs but a standing huddle wants the taller bar and poseur tables. If the room is reset regularly, the folding and flip-top tables nest against a wall, and the training collection is built around that.
Seating for a breakout space
A table is only half the setup. Around a round or square top, chairs from cafe and bistro seating keep the floor looking light, while stacking chairs suit a room that gets cleared and reset. For a softer corner, soft seating beats dining chairs, and a panel from acoustic solutions takes the edge off a hard-floored room.
Breakout tables across Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk
Office Masters is run by Neil Andrew Office Solutions, a family business at Edison Close, Ransomes Europark, Ipswich. It goes back to the 1980s, when Neil worked alongside his father Malcolm, and has traded under his own name since 2017. Breakout projects around Ipswich, Woodbridge, Felixstowe, Chelmsford and up to Norwich are day trips for our fitters.
Shaped tables are easy to get wrong on paper and obvious once they are in the room, so send us the dimensions with the doors and windows marked and we will sketch a layout back. Free standard delivery covers the UK mainland in five working days, and pre-build and installation can be added. Ring 01473 464644 to talk shapes and chair clearances.
