Office tables include everything that is not a desk: boardroom and meeting tables, folding tables for training rooms, café tables for the canteen and tall tables for breakout spaces. They are usually the last thing chosen in a fit-out, which is why they cause so many problems. Here is how to get them right in an Irish office.
Get the height right first
Offices use three table heights, and you cannot swap one for another.
- Standard height pairs with normal chairs. This is the height for meeting and boardroom tables.
- Coffee height sits low, in receptions and lounge areas, where the table is for a drink or a magazine rather than a laptop.
- Poseur height is for standing, and it is the height of our bar and poseur tables.
Buying tables at one height and seating at another is the error we most want you to avoid, because it cannot be undone once the furniture is in.
Meeting rooms and flexible rooms
Measure the room before you count the people. If the table almost touches the walls, nobody can get past a seated colleague, and the end seats sit empty. Where laptops are part of every meeting, boardroom tables with power bring sockets up through the tabletop, so nobody needs to run a lead across the carpet.
With folding and flip-top tables, a training room can become an open floor for an event and then turn back again. Most nest together when folded, but check the space you have for storing them before you buy. The Training Collection combines folding tables with chairs at matching heights.
Canteens and breakout areas
Bistro and café tables get bumped all day, so pick steady bases and tops that wipe clean. For touchdown spots where a long rectangle would feel too formal, breakout and shaped tables keep things relaxed.
One look across the building
If you are furnishing several rooms, sticking with one range keeps the finishes consistent. Italia offers boardroom, coffee and poseur tables in the same family, while High Gloss Furniture suits more formal rooms.
Need a hand choosing?
Our small team knows these tables well and can help you plan sizes and heights room by room. Call 01 816 6600 or email hello@officedesks.ie. You are welcome to visit our Dublin showroom, strictly by appointment, and if you see something you like, contact us about trying it before you buy. If you cannot find what you need on the site, get in touch and we will try to track it down.
