Designing or re-vamping your establishment, whether it be a bar, pub or café, is often an exciting time. Choosing wallpaper designs, accessorising your space with odds and ends and fine-tuning your layout certainly are at the top of your to-do list, along with matching your furniture to your chic and modern colour scheme. But have you thought about the type of furniture required for a commercial environment?
What is contract furniture?
Simply put, contract furniture, often referred to as commercial furniture, and defines all furniture that has been designed specifically for commercial purposes. Its name originated from times when a contract was published stating that items supplied to a commercial establishment would be robust enough to withstand heavy use, whether that be indoors or outdoors.
Whilst pubs, restaurants, bars and cafés seem the most obvious environments with the need for contract furniture, offices, airports and hospitals too all require sturdy furniture designed with durability in mind.
As contract furniture is expected to be used more regularly in comparison to the furniture in your home for example, it is manufactured from stronger materials and must meet all relevant fire resistant legislation. This relates to fabric furniture too, as standards regarding the protective coatings affecting its ability to be cleaned and its longevity must be adhered to.
Can I use domestic furniture in my commercial environment?
The simple answer is no. Although it may be tempting to do so, especially for the price benefit, retail furniture purchased from high street stores or from online sites are not fit for purpose in any commercial environment.
The average sofa or coffee table has been manufactured with much lower usage rates in mind, therefore they are not suitable for the bustling environment of a café or restaurant. Furthermore, domestic furniture only complies with two fire safety regulations, BS EN 597-1 – Smouldering cigarette test and BS EN 597-2 – Match test. Commercial furniture, by UK law, must adhere to “Crib 5”, a flame retardant test, and this is performed by the manufacturer of the item.
With Trent Furniture, you’re in safe hands as all of our commercial furniture is fully compliant. We stock everything you need to furnish your customer friendly space.
As a market leader, we have over 60 years’ experience in supplying contract furniture from our Leicestershire headquarters, to businesses in the hospitality and catering industries up and down the country. Online or over the phone, we’re here to help you find the right product at the right price. Get in touch with us on 0116 2988 052 or email your enquiry to sales@pubfurnitureuk.co.uk.