Your reception area is the first thing clients, candidates, and visitors see, so it carries more weight than almost any other room in the office. A reception desk that's too small looks cramped, one that's too large feels cold, and mismatched guest seating undercuts the whole impression. Here's how to think through sizing, seating, and finish so the space works for your staff and makes the right first impression.
How much desk you need comes down to two questions: how many staff work the front desk, and how much you need to keep out of sight (sign-in sheets, packages, a computer setup) versus on display.
The configurations above cover our most common stock setups, but a lot of reception spaces don't match a stock footprint exactly. We build reception desks to custom dimensions, corner and U-shape layouts, and transaction heights across our full casegoods finish line, so if nothing in our catalog quite fits your space, our planning team can spec a desk built around your room instead of asking you to compromise on a stock size.
Guest seating splits into two practical categories, and most reception areas end up using a mix of both. Stacking and sled-base guest chairs are the workhorse choice for waiting areas that see a lot of turnover, like a medical office or a busy front lobby: durable, easy to keep clean, and inexpensive enough to buy in a run of matching chairs, such as our Fuse Mesh Guest Chair (starting at $192). Lounge and club seating is the better fit for a corporate lobby where visitors wait longer or where the space doubles as an informal meeting spot; our Tribeca Reception Seating collection (club chair, loveseat, or sofa, starting at $557) brings a more residential, upscale feel than a row of stacking chairs.
Our reception desks share a finish program with the rest of our casegoods line, so a reception desk and any nearby storage can be specified to match rather than approximated. Guest seating is selected separately, since seating is upholstered rather than laminate, though our planning team can coordinate the two so the finishes and fabrics work together. Our finish range changes as we add manufacturers, so check the current options with our planning team before you order.
A single-desk reception setup with a handful of guest chairs typically starts around $700 and runs to about $1,800 depending on desk size and chair count. Two-person and U-shape reception centers with lounge seating start around $2,800 and can run to $4,500 or more once acrylic panels or additional seating are added. If you're outfitting a lobby along with adjoining offices, a quantity quote is worth requesting before you order piece by piece.
Browse the full range in our reception furniture collection, or talk with our planning team about a layout built specifically for your space.
