In the first part of my post on visitor chairs I considered the different types of situation in which you might want to use visitor chairs for those visiting your business or offices.

Here are some thoughts on suitable visitor chairs for the different scenarios I looked into previously.

1. Visitor chairs for use by visitors on arrival in your reception.

There is quite a wide choice of possibilities here. The most obvious ones would be a standard 4 legged visitor chair, with or without arms and having either a metal or wood frame.

You could also consider tub chairs or even settees for receiving your visitors. If you choose to a low coffee table for all these visitor chair options would be fine.

2. Visitor chairs for use in a dedicated meeting room.

Probably the most obvious type of visitor chair for this environment would be 4 legged or cantilever framed visitor chairs in either metal or wood. Tub chairs and settees might be considered in the absence of a formal meeting table, but are otherwise inappropriate.

You might like to also consider swivel Office Chairs as well, possibly with a fixed return position particularly for meetings with important visitors. ]

3. Visitor chairs for meetings at your own desk.

Apart from the obvious visitor chair choices already covered in 1 and 2 you may well be able to obtain a visitor chair that matches your own Office Chair which will look better than having a completely different style of visitor chair.

4. Visitor chairs for refectory areas.

Visitor chairs for refectory areas can be a little more adventurous and less formal and you might want to consider a timber shelled visitor chair or even a polypropylene shell.

If you have a bar type worktop area you could even use stools or high bar chairs for your visitor chairs. There is a very wide range of this type of seating available today in a multitude of different styles and finishes, so you really can personalise your visitor chairs in this area if you choose to.

There are many different types and styles of visitor chairs to choose from and it really depends on how you plan to receive and meet your visitors as to which is the best choice of visitor chair for you.

Here are some thoughts on how you may interact with your visitors and this will determine the most appropriate choice of visitor chair for your needs.

“    Are you simply looking for chairs for your visitors to sit in on arrival in reception?

“    Are you planning to meet with them informally in chairs around a low coffee table?

“    Perhaps you want to meet with them a little more formally at a meeting table?

“    Do you want to meet with them in a more relaxed atmosphere in say soft visitors settees?

“    Are you intending to meet with them in your office, possibly at your own desk or at a table?

“    Do you want to meet in a refectory area over a cup of coffee?

These are just some of the scenarios that may affect your choice of visitor chair. In my next post I will be looking at the best choice of visitor chair for each of these different situations.

In the first part of this post I considered the different types of Office Chair suitable for meetings. I looked at the different styles of Meeting Chair and the different that you might put a Meeting Chair to use for.

So here’s a quick 10 point checklist that can be used for Meeting Chair selection, (not in any order of importance).

1.    How important is the comfort of your Meeting Chair?
2.    How important is the pricing of your Meeting Chair?
3.    How important is the appearance of your Meeting Chair?
4.    Is the room used for multi purpose tasks that include & exclude chairs?
5.    Are the Meeting Chairs likely to become easily soiled or dirty?
6.    Do the Meeting Chairs need to have arms?
7.    Do they need to be stackable?
8.    Do they need to be foldable?
9.    Are the chairs likely to be moved frequently? Ease of mobility, durability etc.
10.    Do the Meeting Chairs need any special fitments? e.g. linking devices, writing tablets etc.

By using the above checklist you can quickly work out the most important features your Meeting Chairs will need to include.