The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article about the uptick in demand for faux residential furniture. This stuff is made of cardboard, plastic and cloth. Each piece folds or rolls up into a tidy package for storage or shipping and can then be expanded to normal size for installation. These fake furnishings are apparently all the rage for “staging” high end homes and condos for sale. Home designers, real estate agents and home staging specialists can use these as a very low cost way to make a space look lived in – or at least livable. Some are even installing fake big screen TVs and other electronic devices (just shells with now wiring) to limit the costs associated with theft during open house events.

Faux Office Furnishings Could Serve a Purpose Too

What if you could do the same thing with fake office furniture? This could be a big seller in the office space rental business. You could make a space look like it’s fully outfitted with cubicles and task chairs – and even a big showy reception desk or a nice conference table – for just a few thousand dollars. With a good layout and attention to planning, it could be an excellent way to show the potential of the space. The business owner considering leasing the space might be impressed with how many workstations can fit in even a small area. Sure, 3D design images can give a general idea, but there’s nothing like seeing it in person.

With a little imagination, you could really dress up the place. It would look like every worker had a state-of-the-art ergonomic chair, two flat-screen computer monitors and a sit-to-stand desk. If you wanted to really go all out, you could even add some cardboard cutouts of well-groomed, cheerful employees looking busy. It would all be nice and shiny as long as the visitor you are trying to impress doesn’t try to sit on one of the fake chairs…