Start with the room shape and traffic flow
A long, boxy office can be tricky to furnish, but the right layout makes it feel open and efficient. Begin by mapping where people walk, pause, and work most.
Stand at the entrance and note the main paths between the door, windows, storage, and any meeting area. Keep these walkways clear so staff aren’t squeezing past chairs or bags. A simple rule is to allow at least 900 mm of circulation space wherever people need to pass frequently. Once you understand these movement lines, you can position desks, storage, and tables so they support the flow instead of blocking it.
Use the short walls for fixed items like shelves and tall storage, and keep the longer walls more flexible for workstations. Items such as Office Cupboards and Pedestal Drawer Units can sit at the room’s edges to free the centre for collaboration or extra seating. This approach reduces visual clutter and helps the room feel wider than it is.
If the space has a narrow “corridor” feel, avoid placing desks lengthways along the walls from end to end. Instead, break up the tunnel effect with clusters of workstations and one or two Office & Meeting Tables positioned across the room. These subtle breaks in the layout make the office more comfortable to move through and work in.
Choose desks that suit the dimensions
Desk shape strongly influences how well a rectangular room performs. The right mix of desk styles can prevent dead corners and cramped aisles.
For simple, straight runs against a wall or down the centre of the room, classic Straight Desks are ideal. They line up neatly, making it easy to add or remove positions as your team grows. In narrower offices, using slightly shallower straight desks can keep enough space for chairs and movement without sacrificing work surface.
Where the room has dead ends or awkward corners, look at Corner Office Desks and L-Shaped Desks. These designs wrap around the user, providing extra bench space for monitors, paperwork, and peripherals. They also help you use corners that might otherwise only fit a cupboard or small shelf.
If people mainly work independently, consider mixing Single Person Workstations with straight desks to create a rhythm of focused and shared zones along the length of the room. Team-based spaces, on the other hand, can benefit from shared benching like 2 Person Workstations or 4 Person Workstations, which pack more people into a rectangular footprint while still allowing generous legroom.
Plan workstation layouts for different team sizes
Once you’ve chosen desk styles, the next step is grouping them effectively. Think about how many people share tasks, talk often, or need quiet.
For small or remote-heavy teams, a row of Single Person Workstations along one long wall can work well. Each person gets a defined area, and the opposing wall is freed up for storage or a slim meeting table. Adding a couple of Pedestal Drawer Units under selected desks offers secure storage without needing extra cabinets on the floor.
Growing teams often benefit from island-style layouts using 2 Person Workstations or banks of 4 Person Workstations placed down the centre of the room. This frees wall space for whiteboards, pinboards, and Office Cupboards while keeping staff close enough for quick chats. You can run power and data neatly through the centre, reducing messy cabling along skirting boards.
If noise or visual distraction is an issue, introduce Partition Workstations into the clusters. These are desks with screens that act as acoustic and visual barriers. In a long rectangular office, you can alternate open benching areas with partitioned zones, giving staff the option of collaborative or quiet work without needing separate rooms.
Balance storage, privacy, and openness
A rectangular office must juggle storage needs with a sense of openness. Too many tall units will make it feel like a corridor of cupboards.
Begin by assigning permanent storage to the less desirable parts of the room, such as internal walls with no windows. Tall Office Cupboards are best here because they keep documents and equipment out of sight while freeing desk surfaces. To avoid a “wall” effect, break up tall units with lower pieces or seating so the line of sight across the room is not completely blocked.
Personal filing and stationery can usually be handled with Pedestal Drawer Units that slide under or beside desks. This keeps frequently used items close to each person without cluttering shared surfaces. It also means you can move storage with the workstation if you rearrange the layout later, keeping the space flexible.
For privacy, low screens or Partition Workstations can define zones within the rectangular footprint without shutting off light or airflow. Place higher partitions along the long sides where distractions are greatest, and keep screens lower in the centre of the room to maintain openness. This layering of heights helps the office feel structured, not cramped.
Create shared zones and meeting areas
A long room doesn’t have to be all desks. Dedicated shared zones make the office more versatile and comfortable.
Use one end of the rectangle as a natural hub for collaboration and quick catch-ups. A compact meeting setup with suitable Office & Meeting Tables can anchor this end, while the other end remains quieter for focused tasks. If space allows, choose a table shape that suits the width: rectangular tables align neatly in narrow rooms, while round tables soften sharp lines and make tight corners easier to navigate.
Between the ends, consider a central “project strip” with a slim table from the Office & Meeting Tables range and a couple of stand-up spots for informal chats. This breaks up long rows of desks and gives people somewhere to spread out work temporarily without covering their main workstation. Keeping this strip free of tall storage preserves sightlines from one end of the office to the other.
Finally, ensure shared areas are supported with nearby storage and power. A small cluster of Office Cupboards at the end of the room can hold meeting supplies, while a mobile Pedestal Drawer Unit can store tech accessories or markers. By planning these support pieces into the layout early, you avoid ad-hoc furniture that clutters the rectangular footprint over time.
