From Purchase to Repurpose: How to Extend the Lifespan of Your Office Furniture

Ida Gorecka • July 16, 2025

If you're managing an office move, refit, or hybrid transition, you've likely faced this question: do we buy new furniture, or make use of what we have? Every year, over 1.2 million desks and 1.8 million office chairs are sent to landfill in the UK-  enough to fill Wembley Stadium twice. (Source: WRAP) With Landfill Tax raised to £126.15 per tonne in April 2025 (Source: UK Government), the cost of disposing office furniture is increasing fast.


If you’re trying to balance budgets, meet ESG goals, and minimise downtime, choosing refurbishment over replacement could be the most strategic decision you make this year. In this guide, we’ll show you how to get more from what you already own. Saving thousands, supporting your ESG goals, and creating a more flexible, future-proof workspace.


Got a project coming up? Get in touch and we’ll help you explore your refurbishment options.

The Real Cost of Buying New: What You Should Consider

If you're managing a workplace transition - whether that’s a move, expansion, or layout change - you’ve likely felt the pressure to start fresh with new furniture. For many organisations, fit-out professionals and facilities managers, it feels like the simplest option: order new, deliver fast, move on. But that decision often leads to overspending, supply delays, and a growing pile of unnecessary waste.


New waste regulations are live. Find out more in this article to make sure your office furniture plan is still compliant.


Office spaces don’t need more short-term fixes. They need smarter, longer-term thinking. All too often, cheap, fast-turnaround furniture wears out quickly and can’t be repaired or reused, locking you into a cycle of replacements that drains your budget and wastes valuable resources. 


Refurbished office furniture offers a clear alternative. Not as a compromise, but as a strategy. It helps you prioritise quality over quantity, investing in furniture that lasts longer and adapts to your changing needs.


Choosing refurbished can:


  • Cuts capital costs - ideal for stretched or fixed budgets
  • Deliver in as little as 10 days, keeping projects on track
  • Avoid Scope 3 carbon impacts and mounting disposal costs 
  • Provide traceable ESG data to support tenders, sustainability frameworks, and internal reporting


If you’re not sure where to start, that’s where we come in. At Coggin SOS, we help organisations across the UK assess what they already own and uncover the value that’s hiding in plain sight, saving thousands in the process. Contact us today to explore your refurbishment options - it could be your most valuable first step.

The Furniture Lifecycle - Five Circular Touchpoints

1. Specify for Serviceability


Think ahead when you buy. Choose items that are modular, durable, of good quality, and repairable. Can you replace components easily? Is the product made with materials that age well? Asking these questions now means you’re not boxed into wasteful choices later. Brands like Herman Miller, Vitra, and Orangebox are known for designing with longevity in mind. Many of their products are made to last 10-20 years!


For example, Herman Miller’s Aeron chair is 91% recyclable and has a design lifespan of over 12 years (Herman Miller). By investing in serviceable, high-end furniture, you're buying decades of value.


2. Use & Maintain


A little maintenance goes a long way. Regular inspections can catch early signs of wear such as loose screws, damaged castors, or stained upholstery, all of which can worsen over time if left unaddressed. Encourage your team to report faults early through a simple internal system. This could be as straightforward as a shared log or tagging system. 


Routine checks help. Strategic refurbishment helps more. Take a look at our top 5 office refurbishment tips that save you money, without compromising quality.


3. Refurbish (The Sweet Spot)


When furniture starts to look tired, it’s often nowhere near the end of its life. Professional refurbishment restores function and appearance with:


  • Deep cleaning and sanitising
  • Repainting or powder-coating frames
  • Swapping damaged components
  • Reupholstering to your chosen colours


This results in high-end, project-ready furniture and a typical cost saving of 30–80%, depending on the scale and scope of your project.


At Coggin SOS, we’ve refurbished over 10,000 desks, chairs and storage units, saving more than 300 tonnes of furniture from landfill to date. 


4. Reconfigure & Repurpose


Your office furniture might be more flexible than you think. Most teams assume their existing desks and chairs are fixed assets - but in many cases, they can be resized, reupholstered, and reimagined to meet new workspace demands.


At Coggin SOS, we regularly help clients adapt what they already have. Need smaller desks to suit a hybrid layout? We can resize existing tops. Want to freshen up tired breakout seating? We can reupholster chairs in your brand colours.


Go to this article to learn more about customising refurbished office furniture.


5. Recycle Responsibly


When furniture has truly reached the end of its life (beyond repair or refurbishment), it still shouldn’t end up in landfill. Responsible recycling ensures that every component, from timber panels to metal frames, fabrics, and plastics, is carefully dismantled and diverted through the correct UK recycling streams. It’s all part of closing the loop - keeping valuable resources in circulation and supporting a genuinely circular economy.


At Coggin SOS, we operate a zero-landfill policy, and when you choose to refurbish or purchase refurbished furniture with us, we’ll recycle your old furniture free of charge. 

Why Refurbishment Makes Sense for You

Whether you’re overseeing a fit-out, upgrading a workspace, or managing a multi-site rollout, you’re likely balancing a mix of tight budgets, sustainability requirements, and looming deadlines. Refurbishment offers a practical way to meet all those demands, without compromises.


Here’s why it works:


Cost savings you can measure


Refurbishing with Coggin SOS typically saves clients between 30-80% compared to buying new. Whether you're updating 10 chairs or 100 workstations, the difference can mean thousands, freeing up budget for other priorities.


Faster, smoother delivery


With global supply chains still unpredictable, waiting 8-12 weeks for new office furniture is often a risk. At Coggin SOS, refurbished items can be delivered in as little as 10 working days, especially if we’re working with your existing stock.


Fewer headaches


No need to coordinate multiple suppliers, wait on customs delays, or gamble on last-minute pricing changes. We handle the audit, refurbishment, delivery, and install, so your team can focus on what matters most.


Stronger sustainability and ESG outcomes


Refurbishment directly reduces Scope 3 emissions, which often make up the largest share of your carbon footprint. According to WRAP, refurbishing just one tonne of office desks avoids around 3.6 tonnes CO₂e per year. And at Coggin SOS, we provide exclusive Savings Certificates with diversion data and carbon savings - ideal for ESG reports, tenders, and internal targets.


Quality you can trust


We refurbish premium-grade furniture from brands like Herman Miller, Vitra, Senator, and Orangebox, designed to last 10+ years. To give you peace of mind, refurbished furniture from Coggin SOS comes with a 12-month warranty as standard.


Considering buying refurbished? See what’s in stock now.

You Asked - We Listened: Your Refurbishment Questions, Answered

We’ve had more and more of you asking practical questions about refurbished office furniture. 


So here it is: your most common concerns, answered, based on how we work at Coggin SOS.


“Won’t refurbished furniture look used?”


Not at all. Every item we refurbish goes through a detailed process. Most customers can’t tell it’s refurbished, and that’s exactly the point.


“Isn’t refurbishment more hassle than just buying new?”


Not with us. At Coggin SOS, we handle everything from asset audits, storage, recycling your old furniture, and delivery. No third-party delays, no multiple suppliers. Just one expert team delivering a smooth, time-efficient process that’s tailored to your project.


“Can you handle large or multi-site projects?”


Definitely. We’ve delivered hundreds of refurbished desks and task chairs at a time, with installations and logistics designed around minimal disruption. Our infrastructure is built for scale.


“Will the furniture actually last?”


Yes, and often longer than some new, budget alternatives. We focus on high-end, commercial-grade brands like Herman Miller, Vitra, Orangebox, and Senator. These are designed to last 10+ years.


“Does refurbished furniture come with a warranty?”


It does. We include a 12-month warranty on most items as standard. We stand by our work, and we’re here if anything needs adjusting after installation.


“Can we customise it?”


Absolutely. Choose from a wide range of high-performance upholstery fabrics to match your brand or interior scheme. Want new sizes or layouts? We resize desks, add coloured tape to desk tops, and reconfigure systems to suit evolving needs.


“What if you don’t have what I need?”


We’ll source it for you. Our national network means we can track down premium second-hand stock, then refurbish it to match the rest of your space. You’re never limited to what’s just in stock.


Still wondering if refurbishment is right for you? Go you this article to find out more.

Final Thought: Don’t Replace What You Can Repurpose

Most office furniture still has years of life left. It doesn’t need replacing, it needs repurposing. And that choice doesn’t just save you money. It saves you time, hassle, and keeps valuable resources in the loop - not in landfill.


Why start from scratch when you can save time, cut costs, and keep materials in play? Refurbishment puts you firmly in the driver’s seat, supporting smarter decisions and a circular approach that turns what you already own into your biggest asset.


Ready to get more from what you already have? Start the conversation with our team today.


Why waste what still works? Refurbish it. Rethink it. Reuse it.

The Office Furniture Strategy That's Hiding in Plain Sight

By Sam Coggin • October 16, 2025
Why Treating Furniture as Disposable Is Costing You More Than Money Walk into any office during a refurbishment and you'll see it: perfectly functional furniture heading for skips whilst new equivalents get ordered. We've normalised a throwaway culture that makes no business sense. Here's the thing—your office furniture strategy is actually a resource management strategy. And most businesses are getting it completely wrong. The 10-Year Desk That Could Last 30 Quality office furniture is engineered to last decades. That Herman Miller chair? Built for 30+ years of daily use. Solid wood desks? Practically indestructible with basic maintenance. Even well-made MDF furniture can serve for 15-20 years. Yet average office furniture replacement cycles run 5-7 years. Not because furniture fails—because offices move, rebrand, or someone decides it looks dated. We're throwing away assets with 70% of their useful life remaining. The Hidden Value in "Old" Office Furniture That dated reception desk isn't broken—it just needs refinishing. The conference table that doesn't match your new brand colours? It's still a conference table. Those filing cabinets from 2010? They still file things. The furniture reuse market is booming because smart businesses realised: Refurbishment costs 20-40% of replacement Quality vintage office furniture often exceeds modern standards "Dated" to you might be "perfect" for someone else Storage costs less than disposal plus replacement Why Circular Makes Commercial Sense The traditional model: Buy → Use (5 years) → Skip → Landfill fees → Buy again The circular model: Buy quality → Use → Refurbish → Use → Redeploy internally → Sell/donate → Someone else uses The second model extracts maximum value from every purchase. It's not environmental ideology—it's basic asset management. The Material Hierarchy of Sense When you must dispose of furniture, the value recovery hierarchy is straightforward: Metal furniture (filing cabinets, desk frames): Scrap value often covers removal costs Infinitely recyclable without quality loss Local scrap dealers will collect Wooden furniture: Refurbishment market is strong Solid wood retains value for decades Worst case: biomass fuel value Upholstered items: Reupholstery extends life by decades Foam and fabric recycling infrastructure growing Frame often outlasts covering by years Plastic furniture: Limited reuse market Recycling depends on plastic type Often the truly disposable option The Procurement Shift That Changes Everything Instead of asking "What's cheapest?" ask: What's the total life cost including disposal? Can we lease furniture and return it? Is there a take-back scheme? What's the refurbishment potential? Could we buy refurbished instead? Quality furniture that costs twice as much but lasts three times longer isn't expensive—it's a bargain. Your Practical Action Plan This month: Audit furniture due for replacement—does it really need replacing? Get refurbishment quotes alongside replacement quotes Find local furniture reuse charities—tax benefits plus free removal This quarter: Build furniture lifecycle into office move planning Create internal furniture redeployment system Partner with furniture refurbishment specialists This year: Shift procurement to quality + longevity over low initial cost Track furniture age and plan maintenance, not just replacement Calculate true total cost of ownership including disposal The Business Case Nobody's Making Every piece of furniture that gets reused or refurbished: Reduces procurement costs Eliminates disposal fees Maintains proven functionality Avoids delivery disruption Prevents waste compliance headaches This isn't about sustainability targets. It's about extracting maximum value from assets you've already paid for. The Bottom Line We've been conditioned to see office furniture as disposable. But it's not packaging—it's infrastructure. And successful businesses don't throw away functioning infrastructure. Your office furniture strategy shouldn't be about staying trendy. It should be about managing valuable assets sensibly. Next time someone suggests replacing functional furniture, ask: "What's actually wrong with what we have?" The answer might save you more than money. Want to discuss furniture lifecycle strategies? Share your biggest office furniture challenge in the comments.
Refurbished Herman Miller Aeron chair in a home office with text overlay on size and options guide.

Aeron Chairs: How to Choose the Right Size and Options

By Sam Coggin • September 30, 2025
Discover how to choose the right size and options for a Herman Miller Aeron chair. Save money and support sustainability with refurbished models.

One Size Doesn't Fit All: The Benefits of Resizing and Repurposing Office Desks

By Ida Gorecka • September 8, 2025
Your office transformation is approved. Budget's signed off. New layout's finalised. There's just one problem: those 1600mm executive desks that worked perfectly in the old corner offices are now 400mm too wide for your new collaborative pods. The reception desk you spent £3,000 on last year? It's the wrong height entirely for your rebrand. Most facilities managers would see this as a disposal problem. Skip hire , landfill tax , 12-week lead times for replacements. But what if that's completely backwards? What if the furniture that doesn't fit isn't a problem to solve, but an asset to unlock? Every year in the UK, around 1.2 million desks and 1.8 million office chairs are sent to landfill and only 14 % of them are being reused (Source: WRAP , Lancashire Business View ). Those old, "wrong-sized" desks you're planning to skip? They can be professionally refurbished and resized to your exact specifications in 7-10 days , at 40-70% less than new , with zero waste and a 12-month warranty . This article is for facilities managers, procurement leads, and fit-out teams who want practical, product-focused solutions. You’ll see when resizing and repurposing makes sense, the savings it delivers, the compliance boxes it ticks, and how to roll it out step by step. Curious what your current desks could deliver if resized or refurbished? Book a free assessment - we’ll map options, costs, and timelines for you.