The Mod Squad Cumbersome office furniture is a crime--modular to the rescue.

Think of your office space as a canvas in need of painting. Youdon't have to approach it haphazardly like Jackson Pollack,splattering a hodgepodge of desks and furniture all over the place.However, you also don't have to approach it aesthetically likea "traditional" painter, hiring an interior designer togive it all a sense of cohesion. Simply investing in modular officefurniture will give your office a uniform appearance and offerflexibility for future rearrangement or expansion.

Buying components from a modular office furniture line is likepicking from a restaurant menu where you know everything will tastegood together. The hutch will match and fit the desk; the filecabinet will go snugly alongside; the peninsula will be perfectlyproportioned-and you can always move the hutch to another desk oradd a peninsula a year down the line when one of your employeesneeds more space.

With all that in mind, let's now consider your optionsindividually:

Desks: The anchor forany modular setup is the workstation. At its most basic, it'sjust a desk. Likely, this is where employees will park theircomputers, peripherals and individual office supplies (as well asthemselves). Some workstations come as more complex packages. Theymay include a CPU cabinet, a file drawer or media storage. If aparticular piece doesn't come standard, it's probablyavailable separately. Put several workstations together, and youcan construct a homogenous workgroup space. If everybody has thesame furniture, there certainly won't be any "deskenvy."

Desks are often available in various sizes. In the Sauder OfficeWorks Series 3000, for example, you have your choice of 36-, 48-,60- or 72-inch desks, with prices ranging from $190 to $370. Someare also designed to fit into a corner. The Bush Mod 4000collection includes a $149 (all prices street) corner desk.

Components: The mainoptions you'll find to complement your workstation are hutches,peninsulas, file cabinets and storage drawers. You can mix andmatch on a desk-by-desk basis to make the most efficient use ofspace. We'll look at the Bush Mod 4000 collection to get anidea of a typical pricing structure.

Hutches offer vertical space without sacrificing desk area.Adding a short hutch to a 40-inch Mod 4000 desk will set you backabout $99. Adding a corner hutch to a corner desk costs about $79.A peninsula attached to the main desk is the quickest way to expandworking space. One peninsula will get you an ample L-shaped workingarea. Two peninsulas can create an even larger U-shapedconfiguration. The Mod 4000 collection expands by attaching deskstogether with a $49 corner connector.

A three-door Mod 4000 file cabinet costs $140. Like many of themodel lines in our chart, it comes with casters and lockabledrawers and easily fits beneath the desk. In the miscellaneousstorage department, a CPU or printer shelf costs $30.

The more expensive Sauder Office Works Series 3000 offers evenmore customizable options. The product line includes matchingbookcases, storage armoires, keyboard drawers and pencil drawers.Those options are ideal for outfitting well-synchronized executiveoffices.

Panels: To divide up alarge space into smaller working spaces, you'll want to checkinto panels. They may conjure up images of the dreaded '90scubicle phenomenon, but they're still the most affordable wayto create privacy among multiple work spaces in the same room. TheKnoll Equity line offers a flexible panel system that can be pairedwith a wide range of work surfaces. The Kimball Interworks seriesis a similar system.

Panel systems are more than just glorified dividers. Whenyou're installing lots of desks in one room, you have to dealwith getting power to all the individual computers and peripherals.Running extension cords all over the floor is just asking fortrouble. Look for a panel system that's designed to help corralthe cables. The Knoll Equity panels, for example, sport built-inraceways for power or communications wiring and come with alifetime warranty.

Other features to look for include the stackability andacoustical nature of the panels. Stackability involves addingextensions to the top of the panels to vary their height.Acoustical panels will absorb sound to help keep conversations andphone calls from floating all over the room. These are a good waysto increase privacy.

Making It Work

Choosing a line of furniture can be as simple as picking astyle. Most office furniture manufacturers offer a variety ofmodular lines. You'll find everything from modern to missionstyles. If you run a tech company, a modern look with metal legsmight be appropriate. The Bush Mod 4000, for instance, would giveyour office a contemporary appearance. If, on the other hand, youwant your office to project a more traditional image, the Sauderline would suit.

Solid wood is pretty much a thing of the past when it comes tonew office furniture. A variety of laminates, consisting of woodcovered in plastic, have taken over. But not all laminates arecreated equal. Cheap desk laminates bubble up and pucker when theycome in contact with water-that's a good argument for notbuying your office furniture at a cheap discount store. Look forsomething along the lines of the Sauder Office Works Series'durable "short-cycle melamine laminate" and a 10-yearwarranty.

You'll also want to consider the future availability of theproducts. Find out whether the particular furniture line you'reinterested in will be discontinued soon. Most lines stick aroundfor quite a while, but eventually the manufacturer will quit makingthem. Some companies design certain lines to work interchangeably,however. The Knoll Equity panel and work-space line includes anonobsolescence commitment, so you can be assured of finding asuitable furniture addition down the line.

Before you buy, sketch out a rough layout of your work space.This is especially important if you're outfitting your entireoffice, but even arranging one room will be much smoother if youplan ahead. Get some graph paper and a measuring tape to make surethe furniture will fit. You don't want to find out afteryou've ordered and assembled a desk that it hogs up everysquare inch of your office or that you can only fit four-and-a-halfcubicles where you thought you could fit five.

Researching manufacturers online is handy, but, as with mostmajor purchases, it helps to see the products in person. Visit aStaples, OfficeMax, Office Depot or local business furniturereseller to get a first-hand impression. Is the desk sturdy orflimsy? Do the drawers work smoothly? Is the computer monitorposition adjustable? Are the file cabinet casters strong?

If you do order online or have the furniture shipped directly toyou, it will most likely be ready-to-assemble. That translates toputting it together yourself. When you're up against an officefull of desks in pieces, you might have to either draft someemployees or seek assistance from the manufacturer. Sauder, forone, offers assembly tips via streaming videos on its Web site.Just log on and view the instructions with either Windows MediaPlayer or QuickTime.

You're more likely to get knowledgeable one-on-one customerservice through a local dealership, however. Check with amanufacturer's Web site to find a listing. Many even offerdesign, project management and installation if you're notcomfortable tackling a floor plan yourself. These servicesaren't cheap, but they'll save you time and headaches. Italso doesn't hurt to compare prices online.

While investing in modular furniture may be on the low end ofyour to-do list, the payoff comes in the form of aprofessional-looking work space, flexible arrangements and positiveemployee morale. A comfortable, well-designed, ergonomic andfunctional desk area helps workers perform at their highest levelwith fewer distractions. Modular furniture ensures you'll beable to accommodate your business's evolution and futuregrowth.

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