Office Breakout, Booth and Lounge Seating for Workplace Projects: Frame, Foam, Covering and Fixing Specified for Use

Office breakout seating is judged in use: whether a booth gives two people a place to work, whether a lounge chair keeps its shape, and whether the covering still matches the next delivery. Quotations for the same plan differ most where the schedule is silent: the frame, the foam, the covering, the way a booth is fixed, and the evidence that comes with each.

FBM Furniture works with companies only: Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers. Send the plans, the schedule and the quantities, so we can compare the same drawing line by line.

Product scope

• Lounge chairs and sofas for breakout areas and informal meeting zones
• Booth seating for collaboration areas, with or without a fitted table
• Soft seating for reception and waiting areas
• Ottomans, benches and occasional seats that sit with the range

Task chairs, tables and storage come from different production lines. See our pages on office furniture, task and meeting chairs and meeting and boardroom tables. Hotel and restaurant seating is covered on hotel lobby and lounge seating and restaurant booth seating and banquettes.

What to specify before requesting quotes

Schedule field	What to record
Item code and quantity	One code per seating type and size, with the quantity per floor, zone or tenancy.
Plan and clearances	The plan with the position of each piece, the circulation space around it and the walls, glazing or columns it sits against.
Size	Overall width, depth, seat height and back height as drawn, with the number of seats per piece.
Frame	Frame material and construction for the model quoted, and how the frame is joined.
Foam and fill	The foam or fill for seat, back and arm, written for the model quoted, not for the range.
Covering	Covering type and reference, whether the maker or you supply it, and the pattern direction and seams.
Fixing	For booths and banquettes, whether the piece is freestanding or fixed to the floor or a wall, and the fixings the drawing shows.
Power and fittings	Any power or data module, table or shelf fitted to the seating, the position of each and who supplies the electrical parts.
Finish	Finish names or codes for legs, frames and trims, with an approved sample against each item code.
Evidence required	The test or certification the specification requires, with standard and edition, for the materials offered and the destination named.
Packing	How each piece is protected and marked by zone, and which parts ship separately.

The table is a checklist. Add a line for anything your project needs that is not listed, such as acoustic panels on a booth back, wipe-clean coverings or a mobile base.

Booths and banquettes

A booth is built into a room, so its dimensions and fixing matter more than they do for loose chairs. Record the back height, whether the booth has a divider or a side panel, and how it meets the wall or glazing. Ask the factory to show the fixing, the junction with the wall and the way a long run is split on its drawing, and to say how sections are aligned on site.

Where a booth has a table, say whether the table comes from the same maker. If it does not, your team has to match the dimensions, the fixing and the finish, so give each maker the same drawing and finish codes and approve the samples side by side.

Lounge chairs, sofas and modular groups

Loose soft seating is moved around a floor as the layout changes. Ask each maker to describe the frame joints, the seat support and the foam for the exact model, and to say whether the covering is fixed or removable. For modular groups, record how the units connect and whether corner and end units are separate items in the schedule.

If pieces from a later delivery will stand beside the first, record the covering reference, the colour reference and the approved sample, and ask what the maker does when a covering lot differs. Our guide to contract upholstery fabrics and foam sets out the covering evidence to ask for, and our page on commercial sofas and upholstered lounge chairs covers the frame, foam and covering lines in more detail.

Rules to name in the specification

The rules that apply to office soft seating depend on the destination, the building and the materials. Name the requirement in the specification and ask each factory what evidence it can provide for the exact model offered. Two that come up are set out below; your specifier or certifier decides what applies to your project.

• United States: 16 CFR Part 1640 sets the standard for the flammability of upholstered furniture. Section 1640.3(e) defines upholstered furniture as an article of seating furniture intended for indoor use, with an upholstered seat, back or arm, that meets the other conditions of that paragraph. Section 1640.5(a) requires such furniture to comply with California Technical Bulletin 117-2013, and section 1640.4(b) requires a permanent label with the statement “Complies with U.S. CPSC requirements for upholstered furniture flammability”. Under section 1640.2 the standard applies to upholstered furniture manufactured, imported or reupholstered on or after 25 June 2021, and the labelling requirement from 25 June 2022. This reading is of the eCFR text as of 2 November 2026.
• Australia: wooden furniture imports are subject to the Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 and the Rules 2024; see our reading of the Illegal Logging Prohibition Rules for wooden contract furniture and our Australia and New Zealand compliance page.

Our United States compliance page explains how we approach the main rules. For projects that included booth seating, lounge furniture and round tables for Melbourne offices, see the case studies Office Booth Seating and Lounge Furniture for a Melbourne Office Project: 3 x 40HQ, Office Lounge Seating and Round Tables for a Melbourne Office Project: 2 x 40HQ and Reception, Seating and Storage for Australian Office Projects — 3 x 40HQ.

Samples, approval and acceptance on delivery

Approve a finished sample of the covering on the frame, the finish chips and, for a booth, the fixing detail, not a photograph, before bulk production, and record the approval in writing against the item code. Keep the approved sample as the reference for the bulk order. Our guide to samples, finishes and approvals sets out the sequence. On delivery, check each piece against the item code, the approved sample and the packing list before it is installed.

What to request from the factory

• A description of the frame, foam, covering and fixing for each item code, with the sample reference.
• A finished sample of the covering on the frame, and of the finish chips.
• Evidence the specification asks for, issued for the materials offered and the destination named.
• Drawings showing booth fixings, junctions with walls and glazing, and the way long runs are split and aligned.
• A packing and marking description by zone, and a statement of any proposed substitution for approval before production.

Send the plans, schedule and quantities together. For the rest of an office schedule see our pages on office workstations and height-adjustable desks and office storage cabinets, filing and lockers. FBM Furniture is the furniture-focused team of FBM Sourcing, and the two sites share one company.

Frequently asked questions

What should an office breakout seating specification include?

Give the plan with the position of each piece, the overall size and seat height as drawn, the frame and foam for each model, the covering reference and who supplies it, how booths are fixed, any power or table fitted to the seating, and the finish codes with approved samples against each item code.

How are booths and banquettes fixed in an office?

Decide this in the schedule. Say whether each piece is freestanding or fixed to the floor or a wall, and ask the factory to show the fixings and the junction with the wall or glazing on its drawing.

Who supplies the covering, the maker or the buyer?

Either can. Say in the schedule whether the maker supplies the covering or you do, and if you do, record the pattern direction, the seams and the quantity per piece on the drawing so that the maker can confirm it before cutting.

Does upholstered office seating sold in the United States need a flammability label?

For furniture inside the definition in 16 CFR 1640.3(e), section 1640.4(b) requires a permanent label with the statement “Complies with U.S. CPSC requirements for upholstered furniture flammability”. Whether a particular piece is inside that definition is for your specifier or certifier to decide.

How does FBM Furniture charge for office furniture?

For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and your team is welcome to attend.