This is far and away the most common question — and for good reason. Every decision you make flows from how well you use your space.

Start by measuring your room carefully, including door swing clearances, window positions, and any fixed features like columns or radiators. Then sketch out a rough floor plan. Free tools like RoomSketcher or even graph paper work well for this.

The golden rule is to think vertically, not just horizontally. Wall-mounted shelves, tall narrow storage units, and monitor arms that clamp to desks all free up precious floor and desk space. Keep the centre of the room as open as possible to maintain a sense of spaciousness and allow easy movement.

It depends on the room shape and how many people are working in it. For a solo office, an L-shaped desk in a corner is hard to beat — it gives you a generous work surface without dominating the room. For two or three people, consider desks along opposite walls facing outward, which maximises usable desk space and gives everyone a degree of visual privacy.

Avoid pushing a large desk into the centre of a small room. It might feel executive, but it eats up floor space and creates dead zones behind it.

A good rule of thumb is to allow around 4 to 6 square metres per person for comfortable working. That includes their desk, chair, and enough room to push back and stand up without bumping into anything. If you're working with a 15-square-metre room, three people is tight but doable — two is far more comfortable.

Don't forget to account for shared spaces: a small meeting area, a printer station, or even just a clear walkway to the door.

Compact desks in the range of 1000mm to 1200mm wide are ideal for small offices. A standard desk is 1400mm to 1600mm wide, and that extra 200 to 400mm adds up quickly when you're fitting multiple workstations into a tight space.

Depth matters too. A desk that's 600mm deep rather than 800mm can make a surprising difference in a narrow room, especially if you're using a monitor arm instead of a freestanding screen.

If the budget allows, sit-stand desks are a worthwhile investment. They're great for health and energy levels, and in a small office where people might feel boxed in, the ability to stand and change posture throughout the day can make a real difference to morale.

That said, manual crank models are significantly cheaper than electric ones and take up the same footprint. If you're watching the budget, they're a smart compromise.

This is where many small office fitouts go wrong. The temptation is to fill every wall with shelving and filing cabinets, which makes the room feel smaller and more chaotic.

Instead, go digital first. Scan documents, use cloud storage, and reduce your reliance on paper wherever possible. For the physical storage you do need, look for multi-functional furniture — desks with built-in drawers, ottomans with hidden compartments, or a single tall cupboard rather than several small ones. Under-desk pedestals on castors are also excellent because they tuck away completely when not in use.

This is one area where it genuinely pays to invest. A good ergonomic chair will cost anywhere from $400 to $900, but considering you or your team will be sitting in it for 6 to 8 hours a day, it's one of the most important purchases you'll make.

Look for adjustable seat height, lumbar support, adjustable armrests, and a breathable mesh back. You don't need the most expensive brand on the market, but avoid the cheapest options — they tend to break down within a year and offer little back support.

More than you think. A single workstation typically needs power for a computer, one or two monitors, a phone charger, a desk lamp, and possibly a heater or fan. That's five or six outlets per person, and that's before you've plugged in a printer, router, or kitchen appliances.

If your office doesn't have enough wall outlets, a qualified electrician can add more. In the meantime, use high-quality power boards with surge protection — not cheap multi-plugs daisy-chained together.

Ideally, central and elevated. A router on a shelf in the middle of the office will give far better coverage than one tucked behind a desk in the corner. If your office has thick walls or unusual shapes, a mesh Wi-Fi system with two or three nodes will provide more consistent coverage than a single router.

For video calls and large file transfers, consider running an ethernet cable to at least one or two desks. Wi-Fi is convenient, but a wired connection is more reliable and faster.

Cable management is one of the simplest ways to make a small office feel more professional and less cluttered. Use cable trays that mount under the desk to bundle power and data cables together. Velcro cable ties are cheap and reusable, and are far better than zip ties when you need to add or remove a cable later.

Run cables along walls rather than across floors, use cable covers if they must cross walkways, and label everything. Future you will be very grateful.

Natural light is ideal for wellbeing and productivity, so position desks to take advantage of windows wherever possible. However, natural light alone is rarely sufficient — it changes throughout the day, and on overcast days or in winter it can leave your office feeling dim and gloomy.

Add a layer of good overhead lighting (LED panels are energy-efficient and even) and consider individual desk lamps so people can adjust their own light levels. Avoid positioning screens directly in front of or behind windows, as this creates glare and eye strain.

Acoustics are often overlooked in small office fitouts, but in a compact space where people are sitting close together, noise can quickly become a problem.

Soft furnishings absorb sound, so consider adding a rug, fabric-covered acoustic panels on the walls, or even a bookshelf filled with books — all of which reduce echo and ambient noise. If phone calls are frequent, a small phone booth or pod (you can buy compact ones designed for offices) can be a game-changer. Failing that, a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones for each team member is a cost-effective solution.

Small rooms heat up fast, especially with multiple computers and people in them. If the building doesn't have central air conditioning, a split-system unit is the most effective option for a single room. Portable air conditioners work in a pinch but are noisier and less efficient.

In cooler months, a small office can be heated quickly and cheaply — but make sure there's adequate ventilation. A room full of people and equipment with no airflow gets stuffy fast, which kills concentration. Even a window cracked open for ten minutes every few hours makes a difference.

Spend on: Chairs (your back will thank you), a reliable internet connection, good lighting, and quality monitors. These are the things you interact with all day, every day.

Save on: Desks (a sturdy, simple desk does the job — you don't need solid timber), decorative items (a few plants and a coat of paint go a long way without breaking the bank), and storage (secondhand filing cabinets are just as functional as new ones).

Secondhand office furniture is an option that can offer significant savings. However, there are practical considerations to keep in mind. Matching quantities and colours across your workspace can be challenging with used furniture, and expanding your team later may leave you unable to find matching pieces.

With chairs especially, inspect the gas lift, mechanism, and mesh carefully, as worn components make even a bargain price not worthwhile. 

If you're working with existing furniture, consider refreshing your space by replacing just the desktop surfaces or updating frame components instead of buying complete secondhand setups—this gives you a cohesive look with warranty-backed quality.

Check out our desk tops and frames collection here.

For a simple office with a few desks and chairs, doing it yourself is perfectly manageable and will save you a significant amount. Measure carefully, plan your layout, order your furniture, and set aside a weekend to put it all together.

For anything involving electrical work, data cabling, partitions, or structural changes, bring in professionals. The cost of getting it wrong — both financially and in terms of safety — isn't worth the savings. 

Check out our office fit out designs and ideas: 10 Person Office Fit Out and 20 Person Office Fit Out

If you're simply furnishing an existing office space, generally no. But if you're changing the use of a room (say, converting a residential room to a commercial office), adding partitions, altering plumbing or electrical systems, or making structural changes, you may need consent from your local council or building authority.

It's always worth checking before you start. A quick phone call to your council can save you a lot of hassle down the line.

Even if it's just you right now, think about where you want to be in 12 to 18 months. Choose modular furniture that can be reconfigured or added to. Run a few extra power and data points while you're setting up. Leave at least one section of the office flexible — an empty corner today could be a second workstation tomorrow.

If growth is a real possibility, consider a slightly larger space than you need right now. The marginal extra rent is usually far less than the cost and disruption of moving to a bigger office in a year's time.