Make an impression

The new trend is for office interiors to reflect a company's image. Many businesses are almost virtual nowadays and need to have something physical that represents the company. Seek out new furniture designers to show that you are a business which keeps track of trends.

Show true colours

Now that the minimalist look is being replaced by interiors with splashes of colour, office furniture companies are responding with coloured furniture. Buying products in the same colour as the company logo will give a positive message to visiting clients. Don't paint all of your walls with it but have key pieces of furniture in the company colours.

The best position

When designing an office you need to look at who does what. It's no good just giving plush furniture to the executives and then giving any old chair to those who are working long hours. People sitting at computers all day need to have a workplace that is ergonomically designed for them. In a home office, it's tempting to think that you can just grab any piece of furniture to hand but you'll probably end up sitting in an awkward position.

You need good circulation which means the backs of your knees shouldn't be pressed too hard against the edge of the chair. Your legs need to be supported with your feet flat on the floor. You should be in a position where your arms and shoulders are relaxed down - if your desk is too high you will be forced into a hunched position which is stressful. Ideally you need arm rests under elbows and wrist supports on the desk. The head should be in a neutral position, not looking up or down.

Stand up

You should have an area where you can work standing up to give yourself body breaks, which are just as important as screen breaks for the eyes. One new piece of office furniture is a stand-height table where people can hold short meetings either standing up or sitting on bar stools (which also stretches the muscles).

Relax into that meeting

The traditional big conference rooms where everyone meets in suits are coming to an end. In Tokyo one company has built "cocooning" rooms, raised up in the air with curved moulded walls, where staff hold meetings sitting on the floor. Many international companies now have comfortable sofas and armchairs for meetings and you should have a couple of good quality, spare chairs that you can bring to your desk for meetings with clients.

Get a think tank

In the home office think about having a space where you can dim the lights and go and sit comfortably while you are thinking something through. One innovative piece of office furniture is a divan on wheels, which is really comfortable. It comes with a table on wheels and you can sit with your laptop on a pillow in front of you working away. If you are brainstorming, you should feel free to go and sit on a sofa or into the garden. Some people who like routine would find this difficult, but workplaces should be designed to help people have the freedom to work as they wish. The new buzzword is lifestyle offices.

Divide the space

If you have a large conference room, install a room divider so that more than one group can use it at the same time.

Get flexible

Seek out flexible office furniture. There is a lot of furniture on wheels nowadays and this is easy to move around and makes the workplace adaptable to different scenarios.

Use natural cover

Instead of using synthetic upholstery, seek out wool and leather which now come in a range of colours.

Don't try to hide it

Don't hide your work. When planning a home office don't just choose a dark, faraway corner. In one of our jobs staff worked in the reception area but the company wanted to hide the printer and so on. We persuaded them to keep everything in the reception and to store equipment in a cupboard. Now it's a dynamic space where visitors can see things are happening.

Titta Isokuortti and Ulla Enkvist, interior designer, run 2CoolDesign, a contemporary furniture shop and interior design service in Temple Bar.