If there is one room in the office that’s constantly underrated and under-appreciated, it’s probably
the break room. Employers do not really consider this when going for office space planning or office interior design, thinking this little room serves no other purpose than providing space for staff to quietly eat their lunch and head back to work right after. But you see, it’s not called a break room for nothing.
Break rooms allow exactly what its name says- a break; and that’s one of the most important things in an employee’s life that keeps them sane. This room is not just for eating lunch or refilling tumblers and coffee cups, this room is where natural human interaction occurs, where your employees could get a breath of fresh air and talk about things that aren’t necessarily about work. In fact, just a few minutes of friendly catch up on the break room can increase efficiency and productivity by improving cognitive functions (such as problem solving, planning, and execution) through short social interactions. This is a real study done by researchers at University of Michigan.
In this light, isn’t it about time you start investing just as much time and effort in making the break room a great space for your employees to hang out? If you’re considering it, here are some key pieces of furniture to help you make the first step:

Break room chairs

Going for stiff, wooden chairs is letting the corporate robot in you take charge. Remember, your goal here is to make the break room a social space where employees can feel relaxed; and believe us, hard chairs are not helpful in relaxation. As we’ve mentioned, it’s time to invest in office furniture that do not only fit your long-term plans but also address the comfort of the people behind your company. And don’t think you’re limited to only new office furniture. If you want to redesign the break room on a budget, you could always look for comfortable pieces in used office furniture stores. Look for something that has sufficient cushion and padding so your employees will feel more relaxed than stiff when they’re trying to spend some short quality time with office friends.

Lunch and coffee tables

This one is pretty obvious. Lunch tables are, of course, central to your break room’s main function- lunch. You might think it’s easy to look for an office table fit for the break room but if you consider yourself a good boss, then you should know there’s more to the lunch table than just a place for placing your staff’s packed lunches. Again, just like the chairs, you need to consider comfort, and when it comes to tables this comes in the form of its height, size, and material used. Make sure the table’s height is appropriate to the purpose it’s supposed to serve- coffee tables, for instance, are shorter to allow for a more relaxed environment perfect for short talks over coffee while lunch tables are, well, for taking lunch.
There are just two key pieces of furniture you should prioritize when redesigning your office break room, of course, you could still play around with office interior design such as the colors and wall decors. If you have the budget for it, you can even include games like foosball, chess, and other board games that can provide a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the daily workload.
If you need help picking out great and affordable office furniture for your break room, just give our inventory a look or contact our office space planning experts to help you out.