First impressions are formed in reception, usually in the ninety seconds before anyone says hello. This category holds the Neo tables, a round black table and a glass topped version, which anchor a waiting area and give visitors somewhere to put a coffee that is not their knee. Build the rest of the space around them from reception soft seating and the wider reception tables and seating collection.
Furnishing a reception
Work out the dwell time. A reception where visitors wait two minutes needs a couple of firm chairs and a Neo table for the visitor book; one where people routinely wait twenty needs proper sofas or armchairs, lower and softer, with the table at a matching height. Glass tops, like the glass Neo, keep a small space feeling open; the black Neo hides fingerprints better in a busy entrance.
Leave more circulation space than feels natural on the plan. Receptions collect people with bags, deliveries and pushchairs, and a beautiful layout that blocks the door fails on day one. Hard flooring plus hard furniture also makes an entrance echo, so softer seating earns its keep acoustically as well as visually. A rug under the Neo table, a plant beside the seating and decent lighting finish the job for very little extra effort, and visitors notice all three without ever being able to say why.
The rest of the entrance
If the desk itself needs replacing, see reception counters. Quieter corners and informal meeting spots take a low table from coffee and occasional tables, and there are more pieces for visitors under waiting area. Keep finishes to two or three across the whole entrance; receptions collect furniture over the years and start to look like a clearance sale.
Reception furniture in Belfast and across Northern Ireland
Office Interior Solutions design and furnish receptions from Belfast across Northern Ireland, with recent entrance areas completed in Lisburn, Bangor, Newtownabbey and Antrim, and installs reaching Derry and Newry. We deliver, place and level everything, then take the packaging away so the entrance never looks like a warehouse.
Reception is the one room that is always worth a second opinion, so send us a photo of yours with the sizes and we will suggest a layout honestly. Or ring +44 (0)2890 770019 and describe what visitors currently see when they walk in.