Office Furniture London: A Timeline
A Rudimentary Office Chair
The design and layout of the office space has evolved continuously over the years. To help celebrate Andrews Office Furniture providing Londoners with office furniture for more than fifty years, we’re going to outline the main changes and trends that have taken place over the years, when it comes to office furniture London.
Office Furniture London; 50s and 60s
Basic form and function was the order of the day for office décor and office furniture in the fifties and sixties, in post-war London. Forty-plus hour working weeks were the norm, smoking and drinking alcohol in the office was perfectly acceptable, and formal attire was a necessity.
Typewriters Were Commonplace in the 50s and 60s
Open plan offices were also popular at this time, so that all employees could be supervised at all times, while the typewriter and filing cabinet were two of the most commonly seen and used office furniture items of the day.
Office Furniture London; 70s and 80s
The 70s saw post-war functionalism be replaced by more colour and vibrancy when it came to office space decoration and furniture. The 40-hour work week became the norm, more and more office workers now had a landline phone on their desk, and for the first-time offices began to recycle, although this would not become commonplace until a few decades later.
By the 80s Landline Telephones Adorned Many an Office Desk
In the 80s small cubicles replace open plan offices as companies tried to fit more employees into smaller spaces. The typewriter was on its last legs, while large unwieldy computers began to adorn more and more office desks. The fax machine also became commonly used in the office.
The 90s to the Present Day
As office life drifted into the 90s the fall of the filing cabinet began, thanks to the introduction of practical computer storage, in the form of the floppy disk. Mobile phones were becoming more commonplace, although would not yet be the main mode of communication until the 00s. Casual Fridays saw office workers dressing informally in the workplace for the first time, and we returned once again to the open plan office space, although it was less about controlling employees this time, and more encouraging open communication and productivity.
The Post-Modern Minimalist Style of the Present Day Office Space
Over the last twenty years the style of London offices and furniture tends to be more post-modern, with clean lines and an air of minimalism. Office desks and office chairs are now highly adjustable and ergonomic, looking to promote a healthier lifestyle for people. The landline and standard mobile phone have been almost fully replaced by the smart phone, and filing cabinets and desktop computers are making way for the more mobile laptop, as growth in the tech sector continues to grow exponentially.
Buy your modern ergonomic office desks and ergonomic office chairs here at AOF! Visit one of our showrooms, call us on 0800 102 6844, or email [email protected] for more information.
