Commercial Office Refurbishment Ideas

A Complete Guide to Transforming Your Office

Refurbishing a commercial office space is about more than just giving it a lick of paint. A modern office needs to fulfill many different functions at once, and a well-planned refurbishment can help you do just that.

Make better use of your space, support better working practices and give your employees a space they look forward to visiting. An office refurbishment is also the perfect time to make sure your professional space genuinely reflects your brand.

Whether you’re planning a full office overhaul, or just a few small changes, there are so many ways you can transform your office space, even when you’re working on a budget. From creating collaborative space and flexible hybrid working zones to refreshing furniture, communal spaces, or even adjusting the lighting, small changes can make a big difference.

In this guide, we’ll explore practical office refurbishment ideas, with a handy checklist to make sure your office refurb is a success.

Why Is Office Refurbishment Important?

Any business naturally changes over time; your team may grow, the way you work might change or your facilities might simply become tired and outdated. An office refurbishment is the perfect opportunity to bring your professional space up to date and make sure it works for your existing business.

Good office design could even have positive financial impacts on your business, by creating a space that fosters greater collaboration, improves company morale, or makes it easier for employees to do their jobs.

A well-planned refurbishment can help you:

Make better use of available space
Create a more comfortable working environment
Support hybrid and flexible working
Improve collaboration between teams
Refresh your company's brand image
Improve employee comfort and wellbeing
Reduce energy consumption and waste
Extend the lifespan of existing office furniture
Create a better first impression for clients and visitors

How Much Does an Office Refurbishment Cost?

As with any business decision, it’s important to consider the cost of what’s involved, and how much you are willing to spend.

The cost of an office refurbishment depends on the size of the space and the extent of the changes you want to make. Refreshing the decor will cost considerably less than a full fit-out involving changes to the structure of the office.

It is always a good idea to keep a contingency fund of around 10-15% of your total budget for any unexpected costs incurred during the refurbishment.

A good starting point is to decide how much you have available and then work backwards to see what’s realistic within your budget.

‘Refurbish’ Doesn’t Have to Mean ‘Replace’

In many cases when we’re talking about ‘office refurbishment,’ it’s just that – improving and updating your existing space…not going completely back to the drawing board.

An office refurbishment doesn’t mean having to replace everything. Consider whether your existing equipment and furniture can be repaired or repurposed. Not only is this a more cost-effective method of refurbishing your office, it’s good for the environment too.

Commercial upholstery is a great way to refresh your office space without having to buy completely new furniture. This can help you to save more of your budget for areas that need a genuine upgrade, whilst supporting your businesses’ sustainability goals by reducing the amount of furniture that goes into landfill each year.

Futureproof Your Office

If you’re planning an office refurbishment, it’s important to think beyond the immediate future and plan for your long-term requirements too.

Of course, your office space has to work in the here and now, but a refurbishment represents a significant investment, so the last thing you want is to have to do it all again if your business needs change.

Are you planning to grow the team in the next few years, introduce more flexible working arrangements or invest in more technology that changes the way you work?

If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, it’s especially important that you futureproof your office now.

For example, you could:

Choose modular or movable furniture
Create spaces that can serve multiple purposes
Install flexible lighting systems
Allow for additional power sockets
Consider future technology requirements
Choose durable, easy-to-maintain materials
Avoid designing the entire office around one way of working

You don’t need to know exactly how your business is going to change in the future to futureproof your office. A ‘futureproofed’ office is simply one that can be easily adapted to new business requirements.

Make Better Use of Your Office Layout

A simple way to transform your office is to consider how the space is being used.

Start to take note of things that are working well, and most importantly the things that aren’t working.

Are meeting rooms sitting empty, or do employees struggle to find a meeting room when they need one?
Is there a quiet area employees can use when they need to concentrate?
Are there communal spaces employees can use to collaborate or take breaks?
Do you have an area for clients or customers that creates a good first impression?

Are meeting rooms sitting empty, or do employees struggle to find a meeting room when they need one?
Is there a quiet area employees can use when they need to concentrate?
Are there communal spaces employees can use to collaborate or take breaks?
Do you have an area for clients or customers that creates a good first impression?

If you want to get the most out of your office space, it’s important that it supports a range of different uses, not just one.

Use Space-Saving Furniture

It could be tempting to cram your office full of furniture to meet all the different requirements of your business, but it could also make it feel small and messy.

Space is as important in any office refurbishment design as the furniture itself. Your choice of furniture directly impacts how spacious an office feels.

To maximise your office space, consider:

Desks with built-in storage
Mobile desks and tables
Foldable or stackable furniture
Modular seating
Vertical storage
Mobile screens and partitions

Create Different Zones

Creating different zones within your office is one of the best ways to make sure it meets your business needs.

For example, you could have:

Focus areas for quiet work
Open-plan workstations
Meeting spaces
Collaborative areas
Breakout spaces
Informal seating
Social and refreshment areas

Even if you don’t have multiple rooms with your office, zoning the space through furniture or partitions can help it to feel bigger and meet more of your business requirements.

This gives employees greater choice over where and how they work throughout the day.

Create New Meeting Spaces

One of the most common issues in modern offices is not having enough meeting rooms at busy times. In the majority of spaces, it’s not easy to make structural changes and it can be expensive.

An alternative is to create seating or desks away from the main working area that can be used as an overflow space when meeting rooms are full. You could also consider acoustic booths or meeting pods.

These offer a quiet, private area for meetings even in open plan office spaces. They also cause significantly less disruption than building permanent rooms in an existing space.

Design for Hybrid Working

The Office for National Statistics have published data that says ‘more than a quarter (28%) of working adults in Great Britain hybrid worked between January and March 2025.’ Other sources such as the CIPD state that ‘74% of organisations say they have hybrid working in place.’

This modern approach to working has changed what many businesses need from their offices.

It may be the case that you no longer need a dedicated desk for every member of staff. You may be able to introduce a hot-desking model that allows you to create additional spaces or meeting areas.

For businesses that offer hybrid working, technology should be a big part of your office refurbishment plans. Making sure you have reliable Wi-Fi, sufficient plugs and high quality equipment for video calls, helps your team stay in touch and move easily between home and office working.

Add Breakout and Relaxation Spaces

The Health and Safety Executive recommends that employees who use Display Screen Equipment such as laptops, should take 5-10 minute breaks away from their screens every hour.

A screen break doesn’t necessarily mean a break from work, it could be a planned meeting or change of activity, but it’s important to give your employees somewhere to take breaks, have informal discussions or just step away from their usual work station. We’ve all done it, you’re struggling to concentrate and a simple change of scenery does the trick.

Your breakout space doesn’t need to be extravagant. It could just be a sofa away from the main working area. If you have a larger space to work with, or a more substantial budget, it could be a larger soft seating area with refreshments and tables.

For these areas, it’s important to consider durability. Whilst comfort is key, they tend to be high-use areas so make sure furniture is high quality.

If you already have a breakout area that’s beginning to look tired, consider whether old sofas or seating could be reupholstered to give them a new lease of life.

Create Spaces for Collaboration

For most businesses, collaboration is key to delivering a high standard of work or service. Whilst breakout areas, communal spaces and meeting rooms already provide more room for collaboration, you might also want to consider:

The key is to make these spaces feel easy to use.

Upgrade Your Office Lighting and Ambience

In interior design, lighting is one of the most effective ways you can change the feel of a room, and it’s no different in an office space.

Just because offices are professional environments, that doesn’t mean you need to use cold, clinical lighting. Try to make the most of natural light by keeping windows unobscured and arranging desks so that they benefit from the daylight.

If your office lacks natural light, modern LEDs can provide an energy-efficient lighting solution with a range of tones to choose from to help you avoid the traditional fluorescent lighting associated with offices.

You could even use different lighting solutions based on different areas within the office to create different feels.

For example:

Making Your Office Feel On-Brand

Your office should be a reflection of your business. During an office refurbishment, take time to consider whether your plans match up with how you want your business to be perceived.

Your choice of colours, materials and furniture all contribute to your brand.

An organisation offering professional services may choose more traditional corporate colours, sleek modern design and bright lighting.

Whilst a branding and marketing agency might choose more unique furniture pieces, atmospheric lighting and natural materials.

Whatever your business, think about how you could incorporate more of your brand into your refurbishment plans.

You could introduce your brand colours into the decor through feature walls, upholstery colours, artwork or signage.

If you’re new to interior design, neutral colours can provide a safe base, whilst accent accessories in your brand colours can make your office feel on-brand without being overwhelming.

Try not to follow trends or you might notice the space starts to look dated when the next big design trend comes along.

Making a Great First Impression

When you welcome a potential or an existing client into your office space, what they see is going to influence their perception of your business. Make sure the impression you create is a good one.

If you have a reception area, you should think about:

The front desk
Visitor seating
Lighting
Signage and branding
Flooring
Storage
Accessibility
General cleanliness and presentation

If furniture in the reception area is damaged, it can make it look dated or even unprofessional. Reupholstering existing chairs and sofas can be a practical way to refresh the space without the need to replace furniture that is still structurally sound.

Improve Your Office Kitchen or Canteen

Most offices have some form of kitchen or canteen area that employees can use to make drinks throughout the day or take their lunch.

Kitchen and canteen areas serve a very practical purpose. They need to be easy to maintain and easy to clean.

Depending on your space and budget, consider:

Additional seating
Durable worktops
Improved storage
Modern appliances
Better lighting
Easy-to-clean surfaces
Recycling facilities
Comfortable dining areas

Make Sustainability Part of Your Refurbishment

Lots of modern businesses have internal sustainability goals when it comes to ways of working, but sustainability should also be one of your key considerations when planning an office refurbishment.

There are several ways you can reduce waste and make more sustainable choices.

Reuse Existing Furniture

One of the simplest ways to keep waste to a minimum during an office refurbishment is to reuse as much of your existing furniture as possible

For upholstered items such as chairs and sofas, it may be as simple as a quick clean, but you could also consider getting them reupholstered. Reupholstery can make old, otherwise usable furniture look brand new again. This prevents perfectly good furniture from going to waste, while reducing the demand for new products.

Choose Durable Materials

Think about the lifespan of the products and materials you choose.

Durable flooring, commercial-grade upholstery and hard-wearing furniture may cost more initially but can be better suited to busy office environments and reduce the need for more frequent replacement.

Reduce Energy Consumption

An office refurbishment could also be an opportunity to improve energy efficiency through:

When Is the Best Time to Refurbish an Office?

Disruption is the last thing a business wants. You might have been considering an office refurb for a while, but haven’t quite found the right time to do it yet.

For an occupied office space, there is rarely a good time to do a refurbishment, but there may be better times than others.

Try to schedule the most disruptive work during quieter periods, over weekends or outside of working hours where possible. If you offer hybrid working already, it may be best to ask all employees to work from home for a set period whilst work is carried out.

If you are just carrying out smaller changes such as replacing or reupholstering furniture, you can usually fit this around normal ways of working.

Mobile upholstery services can often carry out reupholstery at your premises, in as little as an hour per piece. This reduces downtime for your business.

Office Refurbishment: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now we’ve covered the different areas you should consider as part of an office refurbishment, how do you actually go about planning and carrying one out?

Step 1: Define Your Objectives

Decide what you want to achieve during the refurbishment.

Is there something that prompted you to consider a refurbishment? Are you running out of space for employees? Have you changed how you work recently? Is it just starting to look a bit old and tired?

Step 2: Audit Your Existing Office

Take a good look at your existing space. Look at the layout, furniture, technology, lighting and facilities. Make a list of what needs to be replaced, what can be repaired and anything that needs to be removed altogether.

Step 3: Gather Feedback From Employees

One of the best ways to make sure your office refurbishment is successful is to speak to the people who actually use it day to day. By gathering feedback from your employees, you can uncover practical problems that might not be obvious at first glance.

Step 4: Create Your Budget

Once you have an idea of what needs to be done during the office refurbishment, put together your budget, breaking down estimated costs by area. Make sure to allow a contingency for any unexpected expenses.

Step 5: Plan Your Layout

Before you start doing anything, plan your office layout. You should measure out how much space you need for desks, meeting rooms and breakout areas.

Step 6: Hire Professionals

Depending on the scale of your office refurbishment, you may need help from electricians, decorators, builders or commercial upholsterers. Get quotes from professionals for the work that needs completing and make sure it falls within your budget set out.

Step 7: Prepare the Office

To avoid disruption to your business, office refurbishments should always be clearly communicated to all employees. In some instances, refurbishment work might be able to take place outside of office hours, but where larger projects are concerned, it might be necessary to ask employees to work from home or make arrangements for a temporary office space.

Step 8: Complete the Refurbishment

You should always have work carried out by qualified professionals. Make sure the finished workplace is safe, clean and ready before employees return.

Office Refurbishment Checklist

Before your refurbishment begins, use this checklist to make sure you’ve considered the key areas of your project:

Planning and Budget

Define your objectives
Audit the existing office
Measure the available space
Set a realistic budget
Include a contingency fund
Check your lease and any relevant requirements
Plan the refurbishment schedule
Identify the professionals and contractors you need

Layout and Workplace Design

Review how employees currently use the space
Identify opportunities to save space
Create suitable work zones
Plan quiet and focused working areas
Include collaborative spaces
Include breakout areas
Consider hybrid and hot-desking requirements
Allow for future changes to the workplace

Furniture and Comfort

Assess existing desks and chairs
Identify furniture that can be repaired or refurbished
Consider commercial reupholstery
Check ergonomic requirements
Choose durable furniture and materials
Consider flexible or modular furniture

Lighting, Technology and Facilities

Maximise natural light
Review existing lighting
Consider energy-efficient LED lighting
Check Wi-Fi coverage
Review power and data requirements
Assess meeting room technology
Review kitchen and canteen facilities
Check storage requirements

Style and Sustainability

Review your colour scheme
Incorporate your branding where appropriate
Refresh reception and front-of-house areas
Reuse suitable existing furniture
Consider durable and repairable materials
Plan how refurbishment waste will be handled
Look for opportunities to reduce energy consumption

Before Employees Return

Complete all planned work
Remove waste and building materials
Deep clean the workplace
Check furniture and equipment
Test technology and facilities
Check that the workplace is safe and ready to use
Communicate any changes to employees

How Can Upholstery2u Help With Your Office Refurbishment?

We provide commercial mobile upholstery services across the UK, having helped hundreds of businesses transform their office space. We can reupholster chairs, sofas, benches and other upholstered furniture to give your office furniture a new lease of life.

To reduce downtime for your business, we come to you and carry out work on-site in as little as an hour per piece. We have thousands of durable fabrics to choose from. We can expertly colour match to your existing furniture or give everything a new look using your brand colours.

Furniture reupholstery is a great way to give your office a much needed face lift without breaking the bank. Reupholstering extends the life of existing furniture and reduces the amount going to landfill each year.

If you’re planning an office refurbishment, get in touch to discuss your requirements.