Theo’s Thoughts on the Office Market Reset: Why Having a Furniture Strategy Matters
Industry insights from our CEO
After a long stretch of declining office demand, there are cautious signs that the market is beginning to stabilize, and demand is returning.
In a report issued in December, Colliers examined the state of commercial real estate and offered projections for 2026 under the subtitle, “Stability Through Uncertainty.” While the full report covers a range of market factors, one forecast stands out: Colliers anticipating vacancy rates will decline from their 2025 peak to below 18% by the end of 2026.
That is good news for landlords and property owners. But for companies leasing corporate office space, it means securing the right space, at the right price, with the right square footage, may become increasingly competitive.
At TFX, we think a lot about what “uncertainty” means for the leasing side of a facilities team’s responsibilities. Our perspective may seem a bit contradictory at first.
On one hand, uncertainty demands agility. Teams need to be responsive and able to react quickly to changing conditions that are difficult to predict. That is why we place such a high priority on responding quickly to our clients’ needs.
At the same time, uncertainty also requires stronger planning. Even when plans are likely to shift, having a proactive process in place is critical. That is why we see planning and preparation as essential first steps before any office move, lease renegotiation, or workplace change.
The space your company leases and occupies is clearly a major factor in supporting a productive, highly functioning workforce.
But whether you are renegotiating your current lease to stay put under more favorable terms, or planning a move to a new space that better fits your budget and workplace goals, we believe every organization should formulate a strategy for one key asset that is often overlooked: your office furniture.
A Strategic Asset or a Liability?
Our co-founder, Brian Silverberg, used to always say, “Office furniture is an asset, until it is a liability.”
While you are focused on meeting your landlord’s requirements to turn over your old office space broom-swept and free of furniture and fixtures, you are likely thinking first about avoiding penalties. In that context, the liability label probably feels accurate, especially if your company also cares about sustainability and avoiding landfill disposal of furniture you will not bring with you.
Over the years, however, Brian understood that what we provide our clients, goes beyond reliable, sustainable decommissioning. We help clients manage office furniture more strategically. We refined our services to enable clients to view office furniture as more than an asset they simply purchased, depreciated, and eventually handed off for disposal.
Somewhat uniquely in the industry, TFX combines end-to-end accountability with in-house remanufacturing services to help clients extract greater strategic value from the office furniture line item in their real estate budgets, beyond simple liquidation.
We do this because here is what we know, and what we are passionate about:
The right workplace furniture configuration, one that is functional and aligned with corporate design standards, signals to employees that their needs are being considered and that they can feel proud of where they work.
Moves are disruptive, especially for the people responsible for keeping operations running smoothly while old workplaces are vacated, and new ones are occupied. Even staying in the same location through a lease extension can be disappointing if staff are left with aging furniture and fixtures that are beyond their useful life.
Furniture can be an understated source of familiarity and continuity, while also bringing fresh energy into a new space. In an ideal partnership, your decommissioning provider also offers skilled design services, so the recommissioned space delivers this important part of the move.
There are tools available to inventory the furniture you own. Experienced partners can use those tools to identify, assess, move, refurbish, and reassemble your most valuable items in new spaces to your best economic advantage.
There is untapped value in office furniture assets that can be remanufactured to “as-new” standards and reassigned for extended reuse. We often refer to this as the circular economy, but the reality is that it is also just good business.
Even new items for a buildout in a newly leased workplace do not always need to be purchased brand new, if your partner has remanufacturing and resale capabilities as part of its end-to-end service.
But it all starts with a strategy that recognizes well-managed furniture inventory as a key component of workplace operations.
With TFX as your partner in office asset management, we can help you navigate the challenges and opportunities of the evolving office real estate environment.
We would love to help guide you toward an office furniture strategy that serves you well, even in the face of uncertainty.
Reach out today at inquiry@tfxfurniture.com.
Theo Silverberg
CEO, The Furniture X-Change