• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Facility

What’s In a Room: How to Shop for Study Lounge Furniture

Buy study lounge furniture that offer these six features.

July 24, 2014 Jessica Kennedy Leave a Comment

Previous Slide Next Slide

Comfort – For students who pull all-nighters and stay planted in one spot, look into furniture that provides comfort. Other students may like their study lounge to just sprawl out, listen to music, or take a nap after finals. (Photo from Herman Miller)

Physical support – When students’ brains get overloaded and heavy, their spines need all the support they can get. Buy furniture that will cushion the sit-bones and support the curves of the spine. That way, students can sit contentedly and maintain good posture. (Photo from Herman Miller)

Portability – Even while working, students are always on the go. Find furniture that has wheels, so student can zoom around their project, get out of their group members’ way, and move around easily. If the wheels come equipped with locks, students will have the option to lock their furniture in place. (Photo from Herman Miller)

Supports electronics – Nowadays, furniture that supports electronics is a must-have. With dying phone and laptop batteries, students are in constant need of plug-ins for their devices. Some furniture comes with internet jack outlets and outlets that connect with TV monitors so students can access their work from the Web or see their project up on the big screen. (Photo fromSteel Case)

Privacy – For students who need to work solo, furniture that provides privacy is a smart selection. Cubicle style furniture provides high walls that close students off from surrounding distractions, and encourages them to get in the zone. (Photo from ThinkStock)

t

Collaboration – With collaborative learning trending quickly, furniture that offers wide spaces for collaboration are available for your study lounge. Good collaborative furniture will have flat surfaces for students to rest their laptops on, or wide dimensions so students can smooth out a large project. (Photo from Herman Miller)

A typical study lounge could look like this: a team of bio students huddle together at the table in the corner to work on a lab, while an English student punches in the last period of his thesis after an all-nighter, next to the girl lying on the couch lip syncing to whatever’s blasting from her headphones.

Whether they’re used for work or relaxation, study rooms, or hubs, are students’ home away from home while living at college.

What makes a hub a frequently visited place is determined by what’s in them.

Students require an array of furniture for comfort, privacy, collaboration, electronic support and durability.

Some students may need a hub that has tables on wheels so they can push the tables together before rolling out a project. Others may require cubicle style furniture to shut out distractions and get in their zone for an essay. Some students may need comfortable lounge chairs that are easy on the sit-bones but supportive for the back. Others, and maybe most in this digital age, may require spaces with easy access power sources and Wifi for portable devices.

With all these needs in mind, colleges have to do their homework on selecting the best furniture for its hub areas.

Derrell Jackson, the strategic education consultant and head of Herman Miller’s Learning Studio Research Program, suggests looking into furniture that supports students’ needs for a particular space.

“You want to be accommodating if students want to work in groups, soft seating so that they are comfortable, and a variety of furniture heights…so they have clear lines of sight in their environment,” Jackson says. “You want something more inviting and comfortable than a standard classroom.”

Most importantly, Jackson says that colleges shouldn’t be afraid to invest in quality furniture.

“If you invest in good furniture so that students can use it for what they need to do, they’ll respect you,” he says. “They feel empowered having solutions that meet their needs.”

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Jessica Kennedy
Jessica Kennedy

Jessica Kennedy is an editor at TechDecisions Media, targeting the higher education market. Jessica joined the TechDecisions team in 2014 and covers technologies that improve teaching and learning.

Tagged With: Furniture, Higher Ed

Related Content:

  • Crestron SoundMachine Logos SoundMachine Now Integrates with Crestron DM NAX Audio-over-IP…
  • AVI-SPL Signature Room Bundle_1000px AVI-SPL Releases Signature Microsoft Teams Room Bundle
  • X-TEN AV X-VRSE VR Solution XTEN-AV Unveils X-VRSE VR Solution
  • Cisco Live 2023 Cisco Live 2023: Simplified Management, Enhanced Security, AI

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Workplace Collaboration Tools for Corporate SpacesWorkplace Collaboration Tools for Corporate Spaces

    From lobbies and shared spaces to conference rooms and multipurpose facilities, you need high-performing AV technology to effectively share information. From the initial design and evaluation process through installation, you need the most reliable and high-quality display and image processing products possible. This new download, “Workplace Collaboration Tools for Corporate Spaces,” provides examples of successful […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the FREE Tech Decisions eNewsletter

Sign up Today!

Latest Downloads

Download TechDecisions' Blueprint Series report on Security Awareness now!
Blueprint Series: Why Your Security Awareness Program is Probably Falling Short

Learn about the evolution of phishing attacks and best practices for security awareness programs to ensure your organization is properly prepared t...

Workplace Collaboration Tools for Corporate Spaces
Workplace Collaboration Tools for Corporate Spaces

From lobbies and shared spaces to conference rooms and multipurpose facilities, you need high-performing AV technology to effectively share informa...

ChatGPT, generative AI, enterprise, workplace
Blueprint Series: ChatGPT and Generative AI in the Workplace

This latest release of the TechDecisions Blueprint Series explores the new phenomenon of tools such as ChatGPT and how IT leaders should go about d...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!
Sharp Microsoft Collaboration HQ Logo

Learn More About the
Windows Collaboration Display

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Subscribe to the Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Media Solutions & Advertising
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2023 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.