The Costs of Poor Office Furniture: How Investing in Quality Refurbished Options Is the Smarter Choice For SMEs

Ida Gorecka • March 17, 2025

If you're running an SME, every spend counts. Whether you're launching a startup, expanding your team, or updating your workspace, office furniture plays a key role in daily operations. But here's what you should know - not all office furniture is created equal.


Cutting corners on furniture might seem like a smart way to save money upfront, but poor-quality pieces can cost you far more in the long run. In fact, substandard office environments cost the UK economy approximately £4 billion annually in lost output. Investing in high-quality refurbished office furniture is a smarter, cost-effective solution. It's better for your budget, enhances productivity, supports employee well-being, and aligns with sustainability goals.


Let's break down how cheap new furniture silently drains your budget, while quality refurbished pieces deliver returns year after year.

The Hidden Costs of Cheap Office Furniture

1. You’ll Spend More on Replacements


The ‘fast furniture’ trend promotes cheap, disposable products, creating endless buying cycles. Many low-cost office items use cheaper materials like particleboard and low-grade plastics from unsustainable sources. These aren't built to last, resulting in wobbly desks, cracked chairs, and peeling surfaces within just a few years-sometimes even sooner.



What seems like a bargain initially-like a £80 office chair-often leads to frequent replacements, ultimately costing more than investing in quality refurbished or modular alternatives. Higher-quality, sustainable office furniture features replaceable components and recyclable materials, reducing both long-term costs and environmental harm.

2. Productivity and Employee Health Take a Hit


Your team spends 35+ hours per week at their desks. If their chairs are uncomfortable or their desks are too small, it directly impacts productivity and well-being. Uncomfortable chairs, desks at the wrong height, and poorly designed workspaces cause real physical strain. 


According to Forbes, workers using poorly designed chairs experience a 17% drop in efficiency due to discomfort and back pain.

Investing in ergonomic, premium refurbished office furniture can improve employee well-being, reduce sick days, and boost efficiency.


Stop settling for less-reach out to our team at Coggin SOS for affordable, premium refurbished furniture that keeps your team at their best.

3. Your Brand Image Suffers


Imagine bringing a new client into your office. If they see wobbly desks, peeling veneers, and mismatched chairs, what message does that send? 


Your office space reflects your business. Clients, partners, and even potential hires take notice of worn-out, mismatched, or cheap-looking furniture. If your workspace looks neglected, it can send the wrong message about your professionalism and attention to detail.


Refurbished office furniture allows you to create a stylish, professional space without breaking the bank.


Find out why now is the perfect time to upgrade your office furniture and how your business can benefit from premium refurbished office chairs and desks.

Why Refurbished Office Furniture is the Smarter Choice for SMEs

1. Save 50-80% Without Compromising Quality


Refurbished office furniture allows you to access top-tier brands at a fraction of the price. Instead of overspending on lower-quality, mass-produced furniture that wears out quickly, you can invest in durable, expertly restored pieces that look and function like new-without the hefty price tag.


At Coggin SOS, we specialise in sourcing and refurbishing premium office furniture from leading manufacturers, ensuring you get long-lasting, high-quality desks, chairs, and storage solutions. Get in touch with our team to explore your options.


2. Customisation to Fit Your Brand


Unlike generic budget furniture, refurbished pieces can be tailored to match your company’s aesthetics and needs.

At Coggin SOS, we offer:


  • Desk resizing - Need a perfect fit? We resize desks to your exact measurements, maximising your space.
  • Fabric & finish choices - Match your brand with a wide range of colours, materials, and styles.
  • Reupholstery & refinishing - Refresh chairs, partitions, and storage to look as good as new.


Still not sure if refurbished office furniture is right for you? Read this article to find out more.

3. Scalability Without the Stress


If you’re growing, refurbished office furniture offers flexibility. At Coggin SOS, we make growing your workspace simple and stress-free:



  • Bulk availability - We stock large quantities of high-quality refurbished furniture, ensuring consistency across your office.
  • Modular & reconfigurable solutions - We provide adaptable workstations and storage that evolve with your business, reducing future costs.
  • 10-Day turnaround - No long lead times. Our refurbished pieces are ready to go, helping you scale quickly to meet demand.

4. Sustainability Matters (And Your Customers Care)


ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors are now essential business considerations. Today's consumers, investors, and employees expect companies to demonstrate genuine commitment to sustainable practices.


Your office furniture choices directly impact your environmental footprint and reflect your company's values. By choosing refurbished furniture, you demonstrate a visible commitment to reducing waste and conserving resources-something that resonates with clients, partners, and team members.


At Coggin SOS, we don't just touch on sustainability, we help you quantify it. Every sustainable choice with us is captured in an exclusive savings certificate, showing:


  • Items kept from landfill
  • Carbon savings
  • Material recycling rates
  • Money saved versus buying new


You can use this certificate to show customers, staff and stakeholders your commitment to sustainability, strengthen tender applications, and prove your green credentials.

Make the Best Choice for Your Business and Start Saving Today

Can you afford to keep losing money on disposable furniture? Investing in quality refurbished pieces elevates your workspace, performance, and ESG credentials all at once. 


At Coggin SOS, we're committed to helping SMEs like yours create productive, professional workspaces without the premium price tag. Our refurbished office furniture delivers the quality, durability, and style your business deserves-all while supporting your sustainability goals and protecting your budget.


Want to stop paying the hidden tax of poor furniture choices? Get in touch.

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.

Why Paying More Isn't Always Better: The Smart Choice of Refurbished Ergonomic Chairs

By Ida Gorecka • August 19, 2025
Refitting an office today means juggling a lot: tighter budgets, faster timelines, and pressure to deliver on ESG goals. And when it comes to ergonomic chairs, the one piece of furniture an office team relies on every day, many assume paying more for “new” automatically means better. But that’s no longer true. Refurbished ergonomic chairs offer the same comfort , durability , and support as new, backed by warranties , come with less cost and with far shorter lead times . For facilities and procurement teams, that means more budget freed up for other priorities, and fewer delays holding back your project. At Coggin SOS, we work with organisations that once assumed refurbished meant second-best. Until they saw the results. High-performance, fully warranted ergonomic chairs. Fast delivery. Circular outcomes they could actually report on. And savings of up to 80% compared to new (check out our case studies here ). In this article, you’ll learn what refurbished office chairs really offer in practice, why they’re becoming a preferred option for FM teams and procurement leads, and how your next fit-out or move could be both greener and smarter than you think. Thinking about your next office project? Contact our team and see how premium refurbished ergonomic chairs can give you comfort, savings, and sustainability in one.

Beyond Recycling: The Role of Office Furniture in a Truly Sustainable Economy

By Ida Gorecka • August 7, 2025
If you're here, you're probably managing a lot. A relocation, a refurbishment, or a growing ESG brief. Maybe you’re under pressure to meet sustainability targets, stay on budget, and deliver results your team and clients can actually see. And right now, office furniture might not be on your radar. But it should be. In most organisations, furniture is still treated as an afterthought. It’s functional, it’s bulky, and when it’s no longer needed, it’s often sent straight to landfill. But here’s the truth: when you start thinking of office furniture as a strategic asset within the circular economy , everything changes. For your budget . Your carbon reporting . Your project timelines . Your reputation . This article is for you if you’re tired of defaulting to skips. If you want smarter ways to meet ESG goals without blowing your budget. If you’re ready to make office sustainability a measurable advantage - not just a checkbox. We’ll show you just how much office furniture is wasted each year, what it’s really costing your business, and how the circular economy can apply directly to your projects. You’ll learn how organisations like yours are saving thousands, avoiding skips entirely, and turning unwanted furniture into reportable ESG wins - plus practical steps to get started today. Curious what your office clearance could be worth? Get in touch with our team for a free circular furniture audit.