If you have a waiting room or a lobby, chances are pretty good that your customers are going to need a place to sit. There are several factors to take into consideration when furnishing a waiting room or a lobby.

At ABC Office we offer:

• Office Chairs
• Stackable Chairs
• Linked Chairs
• Lobby Chairs
• Padded Benches
• Bariatric Chairs

Here are a few of the most common questions you will want to ask yourself prior to making a purchase.

How Long Will People Be Waiting?

• The amount of time people will be waiting may determine whether or not you need padded furniture or not. If people will only be waiting for 5-10 minutes, a simple plastic or non-padded chair may be fine. If a customer will be sitting in excess of 15 minutes, you may want to consider a padded chair. You don’t want your customers grumpy from discomfort when you see them.

How Many People Will Be Waiting?

• If you have a dozen or more people waiting in a room at any given time, you may want to consider a sled-style bench, linked chairs or heavier wooden seating. This will help keep furniture from falling into disarray.

Is The Floor Carpeted Or Smooth?

• If the floor is carpeted, chairs should be able to stay in place without much movement. If the floor is smooth, you may need a heavier chair or a chair with floor pads to keep it from sliding around the floor.

Will Children Be Around?

• Children by nature can be very messy. If there is a chance of food or other messy products being around furniture, you may want a plastic non-fabric chair that is easy to wipe down and clean up.

What Type Of Existing Furniture Do You Own?

• If you already have furniture in your lobby or waiting room, you will probably want a chair that matches or blends in. Wooden chairs typically blend in well with existing furniture.

Is Space An Issue?

• If space is an issue, you may want to consider using stackable chairs. This makes putting chairs away easy and can make cleanup easier as well.

Answers to these questions should help point you in the right direction. In the meantime, you can find our entire selection of waiting room and lobby seating here.

We are proud to announce that we have just added two new models of Dakota Wave wooden bariatric chairs from Wooden Mallet. Both of these new models feature a wide variety of fabric patterns and wood stains. Here is what makes these chairs so special.

To begin with, these chairs are designed to hold up to 800 pounds. This is made possible thanks to a durable one-inch thick wooden oak frame that has been reinforced on the back and bottom. The padding on the chair, found on the seat and back, is designed to also provide added support and comfort.

Wooden mallet doesn’t hold back on their furniture, and this includes their line of bariatric chairs. Wooden mallet furniture is known for holding up for years and is specifically designed to be used on a daily basis.

These chairs have been widened for extra comfort and are designed for use in lobbies, waiting rooms, conference halls, churches, schools and more. These chairs are comfortable for use by children, teenagers and adults and can be placed next to a wall, can be lined up in rows or can be used in the middle of the room.

New Wooden Bariatric Chairs

1. Dakota Wave DWBA1-1 Sled Base Bariatric Chair
2. Dakota Wave DWBA3-1 Standard Leg Bariatric Chair

We are excited about this new addition. We will continue to add more furniture to our site as we continue in our effort to provide you with durable, high quality office furniture. You can find our entire selection of comfortable office seating here.

There are a lot of options out there for waiting room chairs or office lobby seating. When furnishing a lobby, there are several things that should be taken into consideration. This guide will go over a few common questions you will want to ask yourself prior to making a purchase and will make a few recommendations.

Common Questions:

• How much money are you able to spend? Budget is always a factor, regardless of the business or organization. There are several options out there for the budget-minded shopper. Just be careful you don’t sacrifice quality for price.
• Will the customer, patient or client be waiting for a long time? The longer a customer waits, the more uncomfortable they will be. An comfortable customer is often an angry customer, which makes them harder to work with. If the customer will be waiting long, padded furniture is highly recommended.
• Is space an issue? Many lobbies and waiting rooms are limited on space. If space is a concern, you may want to consider going with bench-style seating. This type of seating can still sit a lot of people, but will not take up as much room.

Lobby Furniture Options:

1. Bench-Style Seating (found here) – Bench style seating typically does not feature a back support and is usually placed up against walls and hallways. This isn’t always the case. Bench seating may also be placed in the middle of a room. Benches are typically made of wood and feature some sort of fabric-covered padding.
2. Padded  Wooden Chairs (found here) – Padded wooden chairs look nice and are comfortable to sit in. These are especially nice for use in lobbies and waiting rooms where long waits (10 minutes or more) are the norm. Wood fits in well with existing furniture.
3. Plastic Chairs (found here) - Plastic chairs are cheap, easy to clean and can be moved easily from one place to another. These chairs are especially nice for waiting rooms with a lot of children present as they can easily be cleaned off with a washcloth. Plastic chairs are also especially durable.
4. Padded Metal-Frame Chairs (found here) – Padded tubular metal-frame chairs have more of an industrial look, but are still very reliable, comfortable and durable. Many of these chairs feature padded seats available in a variety of different fabric patterns. These are a great choice for convention halls, churches and other large gatherings.
5. Stackable Chairs (found here) -  Stackable chairs save space. This is especially nice for cleaning as the chairs can easily be stacked and moved for easy access to the floor. Stackable chairs are commonly found in multi-purpose rooms. These chairs are often padded and can be found in plastic, metal and wood designs.

Hopefully some of this information helps you make a decision. If you are still not sure if the furniture mentioned above will work for you, feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 and speak with one of our experts.