The most basic office furniture that you will need is an office desk and a chair. This will give your office employee the space that he or she needs to perform their task. A standard office desk can also accommodate a computer, but if there are unique computer needs, special furniture should be purchased (see: Computer Workstations).
The Office Desk
There are many different types of office desks that are available and this can make choosing an office desk very difficult. You can simplify this task by deciding what style of office desk you would like (contemporary, traditional, classic wood, laminate, etc.) and balancing it with what you can afford. Additional costs will also be encountered with options that are added to each office desk. Office desk options can include: drawers, shelves, hutches, lateral file drawers, credenzas, peninsulas and wings.
Chairs
Lastly a chair will be needed for your employee to sit in while at their office desk. Chairs can range in price from about a hundred dollars to several hundred dollars. The price of an office chair is a function of two factors: durability of construction and features/options. The better a chair is built, the longer it will last - but the more it will cost. Features and options will also add the price of a chair. Some features include adjustments for tilt, height, back angle, seat angle, swivel, lumbar, etc. Options include arms, heavy duty casters, oversized seat, and material (cloth, leather, wood, plastic, steel, etc). The more features and options you want, the more you will pay.
Sharing
Remember, you may not need to buy an office desk and chair for every office employee. If your office is running multiple shifts beyond the standard work day, you can save money by having employees sharing an office desk across the different shifts. For example, Sue uses the office desk during the day shift (8AM to 5PM). Paul can use the same office desk during the evening shift (5PM to 2AM).