5 Considerations when Selecting K-12 Furniture

Imagine walking into an educational facility with no furnishings. Your first reaction may be “how do I use this space” or “what am I supposed to do here?” Would this space function on a day-to-day basis? Of course not! Furniture plays an incredibly important role in the daily lives of all users. It’s the element of an environment all occupants interact with, particularly students, from the time they enter school until the time they leave. It’s used for heads-down class work, project work, collaboration, socialization, and dining to name a few activities.

How can we make sure we select furniture that will contribute to an inspiring, dynamic, and healthy learning environment? Considering five key aspects of furniture selection will help inform a successful process for all ages: supporting well-being and comfort, providing choice through student agency, providing agility and adaptability, maximizing durability and getting direct feedback from students.

1.        Support Student Well-being and Comfort – When students feel comfortable in their environment, they have better focus, engagement, and interest in their learning and with peers. The built environment has a strong effect on student’s experiences, and we understand that through a wide range of design, systems and materials-based related strategies, we can positively impact these effects. In our experience, the furnishings selected has an equally profound effect. Research shows that proper ergonomic design with furniture can have its own profound effect -- allowing students the flexibility to move and adjust their posture throughout the day, supporting brain function and improving focus during traditional class time.

Another possibility to consider is creating intentional and structured fun through furniture selection, where designers can enhance social and emotional learning (SEL) needs. Think of it as secretly adding chopped vegetables to say chicken nuggets. Most children love chicken nuggets but wouldn’t know they are getting better nutrition that’s healthy for them!

When selecting furniture, provide options that are functional for the age group, fun and playful, such as a bean bag seat or a rocker stool, allows a student to sit sideways or even upside down in their own way, improving the benefits of SEL. They are learning and having fun at the same time!

2.        Provide Choice through Student Agency – Not all students learn in the same way. Universal Design for Learning concepts promote and support various learning styles such as visual, auditory and hands-on. These models are not just meant to support neurodiverse students but neurotypical students as well. When students are given a choice in how and where they learn, such as having the ability to stand, move, or fidget more often, there is increased engagement and focus. Distraction can lead to lost instruction time for not only one student but an entire class. Simple additions like a wobble stool or a sit/stand table in typical classrooms, breakout spaces, or anywhere students are engaged in work, benefits all learners. Giving permission to students to take ownership over their own learning promotes a higher level of respect and responsibility, and in turn creates a learner mindset.

3.        Provide Agility and Adaptability – Teaching and learning has evolved dramatically over recent years and will most likely trend that way as districts address SEL needs, curriculum changes and changes in future workforce trends. This means schools need to be able to adapt quickly whether it’s for daily activities, to support various learning style needs or more significant future changes to the function of space. If the right furniture is selected, rooms become instantly adaptable, transforming a space from a traditional lecture style setup into various sized groups supporting project collaboration. But this can only happen if the furniture can be easily reconfigured by educators AND students. If a custodian needs to be called to make adjustments, then changes are unlikely to happen. For example, student desks designed with locking wheels on two of the four legs create a wheelbarrow effect providing agility in setting up a room quickly for a variety of activities.

Limiting the amount of fixed and built-in products that restrict and limit flexibility is another way to provide adaptability. A large selection of mobile storage options is available to support the various needs of both educators and students. These options are a great way to scale back built-in cabinetry which is difficult and costly to change over time. Moveable storage allows greater flexibility and reconfiguration opportunities, improving the future use of the space.

4.        Select Durable products – Furniture is one the most used elements within a school facility yet are expected to last decades without major problems. The selection process should include discussions with the facilities department to find out what issues they have encountered in the past, which products have been successful, and which have not. One of the goals in selecting furniture is to minimize future problems due to use.

Nothing is completely indestructible, however, there are some elements to consider when reviewing potential selections. First, consider the age of the students using the furniture. Furniture used by elementary age students won’t necessarily stand up in a high school environment. Second, bring samples for evaluation and include the facilities staff for review.  Whenever possible, provide a trial classroom setup for an extended period. This may be one classroom completely outfitted with the proposed options to test or within a shared space like a media center that affords a greater opportunity for evaluation and review.

5.        Get student feedback! – Understanding what students gravitate toward, what makes them feel comfortable in their learning or provides better focus speaks to each of the previous key points.  Samples for review are important, yet if the evaluation is only happening amongst educators, administration and custodial staff, the project can be missing out on perhaps the most valuable feedback. Provide opportunities for students to spend time using the furniture options in real world learning scenarios. Electronic surveys with simple questions and rating scales allow for direct and honest feedback, giving students a voice in the selection process. Different points of views from different end users, overall provides the most informed decision when upgrading a space or facility with next generation furnishings.

A school building can be likened to a computer. The program a school operates represents the ‘software’, the physical building is the ‘hardware’, and the furniture is the peripheral which connects the user to both. The design and arrangement of school furniture shapes the aesthetic, functional, and efficiency of the learning environment, and can offer the additional benefit of improving user perceptions by reducing distractions.

Including these five considerations when planning furniture for your district will set your school on the path to an enhanced user experience, reduced operational costs, and improved student performance.

About the author.

Emily Czarnecki NCIDQ is an Associate Principal and Lead Interior Designer with JCJ Architecture. Emily has been an integral contributor to JCJ’s education practice group over the last 20 years and has dedicated her 25-year+ career to understanding the influence space and the built environment has on student achievement and strengthening school culture. In addition to her project work, she has presented topics related to design for education at the regional and national level including a recent presentation at EDspaces 2023 in Charlotte, NC.