The Big 6 Banquette Seating Blunders To Avoid

01/04/2014

We’ve had enough experience over the years to know what works and what doesn’t with banquette seating, so we’ve put together this list to help you avoid making those costly mistakes.


1) Choosing the Wrong Fabric
Slip up here and you could be breaking the law. Did you know ALL seating in public areas must be upholstered with Crib 5 certified fabrics? You do now!

 

Aside from the legal stuff, you also want to ensure you choose the right fabric to stand up to the rigours of your environment. You probably want to avoid choosing delicate fabrics in restaurants and bars, or anywhere they could come into contact with food and drink . Our customers often go for hard-wearing and easy-to-clean Faux Leathers that are resilient against stains, scuffs and scratches.


(2) Choosing the Wrong Seat Depth and Height
Failing to take time and consideration over these crucial dimensions could lead to your banquette seating being a disaster. Opting for insufficient seat depth is likely to make your seating uncomfortable, whilst going for the opposite is bad for space-efficiency (if that is of concern to you).

 

In terms of seat height, opting for lavish, grand backs may look stunning in some environments, but in others could be too domineering and may also detract from an open atmosphere – if that’s what you’re aiming for. We tend to design standard backs at a height of 960mm and tall backs between 1 and 1.4 metres, but we are happy to design to custom specifications.


(3) Booths Designed/ Made the Wrong Size
This probably goes without saying, but you’d be surprised how many customers set out with plans for booths that are way off the mark. Don’t worry, we’re not trying to put you off small booths and up-sell you to bigger ones. We simply encourage you to consider your environment, customer base and intended use before deciding on sizes.

 

For example, if you run a fine-dining restaurant in the centre of London, you are likely to opt for grand booths with lots of room and extra comfort all of which add value to dining at your establishment. One the other hand, the owner of a fast-food outlet which has a high turnover of customers per hour is more likely to select basic, smaller booths that enable him/ her to seat more customers in his/ her restaurant.

 

Knowing your environment, customer base and intended use is absolutely key.


(4) Opting for Cheap or  Thin Kickboards
This is another area where people often look to cut costs, but we really cannot speak highly enough about the importance of having good, solid kickboards. 

 

Kickboards come in for a fair amount of contact with all kinds of tough and sharp objects over the course of their lifetimes. Whether it be high-heeled shoes, mops or vacuum cleaners, cheap boards can scratch, scuff, crack and even dent. This does not look pretty to your customers or clients and isn’t the sort of image you want to project as a business. So, we strongly advise you go for nothing less than 12mm boarding.


(5)  Poor Positioning/ Layout of Banquette Seating
While it is popular belief that lighting and music sets the mood or atmosphere like nothing else, we believe it is actually people who ultimately create and determine an atmosphere, and seating which acts as the platform for people to interact and socialise.

 

With that said, poor banquette seating layouts can seriously damage the atmosphere of a restaurant, bar or nightclub. We’ve also seen instances of seating obstructing the walkway to the bar… the very place a business intends to make its money!

 

We cannot suggest a universal solution here as every room is different and every customer has different desires. But that’s why we offer a comprehensive layout planning service to ensure you not only create the best atmosphere possible, but also maximise space-efficiency.


(6) Not Enough Time Allowance for Installations
Underestimating the amount of time it takes to carefully craft a piece of banquette seating is a sin. Well, it is to us manufacturers! It takes a sufficient amount of wood, fabric and time to make this type of seating and no manufacturer keeps an aircraft hangor full of stock, so it is best to plan your project with plenty of time before your grand opening. We typically work to a schedule of 3-4 weeks from project initiation to install in case you were wondering.

 

That’s it! You now have the knowledge and expertise to be able to avoid making any of these crucial mistakes. So, when you come to ordering banquette seating in the future, make sure you remember all of the above.


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