Carroll Seating, Author at Carroll Seating Company

Published: 25 June 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Does the idea of walking into your office cafeteria bring up horrific memories of that first 7th grade lunch period? An office cafeteria should have a very different feel than your middle school experiences, and careful design can help ensure that’s the case. Not sure how to make certain that your new office lunch room seating does nott turn into 7th grade all over again? These tips can help.

Go with a Restaurant Feel. While family style eating might be appropriate if you have more than one cafeteria in your building, it’s not the best option if you just have one place to eat. Instead, you want your employees to feel comfortable, and restaurant style eating is a good way to do just that. Add some booths in there. Go with some pub style tables. Vary the seating a bit, and your employees won’t feel quite like they’re headed back to school.
Consider Capacity. You certainly want to make sure you have enough space in your cafeteria area, so don’t forget to think carefully about how many people you can seat. If no one can ever get a seat in the cafeteria, they’re certainly not going to plan to eat there on a regular basis. Don’t let these calculations terrify you into going with communal tables. There are many different seating options that still give you the café style you want without resorting to long tables with bench seats.
Consider Other Design Features. Seating is a big part of any cafeteria, but there are other design aspects you may want to factor in as well. Think about your choice of artwork, flooring, and even accessories like drink stations and pay stations, as they can affect the flow and feel of your space as well.

The office cafeteria can be just as hip as you want it to be. Don’t forget to factor the right seating choices into your redesign, and you’ll be on your way to creating a Google-esque feel for your employees.

Published: 18 June 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Athletic lockers are a no brainer, right? You simply need a bit of ventilation, storage for your team’s gear, and a place to stash their stuff while they’re on the field, right? Wrong. The locker room should be a point of pride for your team. Designing the perfect facility can make all the difference in the world to team spirit and that winning attitude that really matters the second they leave. Here are a few things to consider.

The Sport – All athletic lockers were not created equally. What may work out perfectly for a soccer player may not be ideal for a football player. Unfortunately, most teams are limited by budgetary concerns, so many locker rooms have to play double, triple, or even quadruple duty throughout the year. As the seasons change, so do the dominant sports, and that may mean a different purpose for the lockers for every season. If that’s the case in your facility, you want to go with lockers that are big enough to house gear for each sport. In most cases, football will probably be the sport that requires the most gear. To ensure your football players have enough space for their helmets and their pads, you need a 72” tall locker that is both 15” deep and wide. The shelf has to be about 18” from the top to house a full-sized helmet. Players are only going to get frustrated if they can’t fit all of their gear into their lockers as they walk off the field or court, so make certain they have a bit of room to breathe.

The Number of Players – In addition to having enough space for their gear, you want to have enough space for all of the players. The standard size football team is forty players. For soccer, it’s twenty-five. A track team can have as many as fifty members, depending on the size of the school. The same is true for a swim team. Every player needs to have a locker to house his or her gear, and if this means a few lockers happen to go empty for this season or that one, write it off as an expense of the game. Giving each player his own space is key to building the ideal team.

Security – The last thing you want is for players to feel like their stuff is unsafe between games or meets. If you’re sharing lockers from sport to sport, make sure you offer individual padlocks for players or team members. Built in locks typically come with just a few possible combination, making them quite unsafe from sport to sport.

Color Choices – Feel free to get a bit creative with your locker room. Go with your school colors instead of a drab gray or dull green. You want to create a bright environment where players can truly feel the team spirit enthrall them before every possible match or game.

Good locker room design does not have to be limited by budget. With just a few simple considerations, you can build a locker room that is perfect for your team.

Published: 11 June 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Few people have fond memories when they think of the school cafeteria. From nightmares over the interesting food to the forced seating arrangements on those uncomfortable picnic table style seats, looking back on the school cafeteria isn’t always a pleasant experience. Fortunately, that doesn’t have to be the case any longer. It’s completely possible to build a café feel into your school cafeteria, creating a comfortable, fun, relaxing environment that is the perfect mid-day break for students.

Consider a Variety of Seating Options: Go with a nice mix of booths, round tables, square tables, pub style tables, and more to help students feel more like they’re out and about than stuck at school. It will help bring students together, and it may even help some make new bonds that will hold throughout the school day. What’s more, though, is that it can actually make your cafeteria more versatile to students and staff alike.

Add Artwork: You may choose the best seating arrangement in the world, but if it looks institutional, it’s still going to feel that way. Get some customized artwork in there. One decal of your school mascot isn’t going to do it either. Go for a complete change of pace. For example, if you’re the Barracudas, why not create a marine environment for your school cafeteria? It sets a great mood that could help students relax.

Think About Flooring: You could go with that standard school tile, but why not go with a black and white alternating pattern that makes it look like a fifties malt shop? Why not add wood laminate floors to create a distinct coffee shop feel? Your flooring can enhance the overall look of your cafeteria, and with today’s choices, you can find something that is just as easy to care for and still looks great.

Other Great Options: Have you considered adding a mobile ice cream cart? What about a hands free coffee station for students or staff members? There are all kinds of different ways to inject that café feel to your dining room, and adding some of these unique options can do that for you.

Ask your Carroll Seating Company project manager what school cafeteria seating choices may be available.

Published: 4 June 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

In many situations, a solid lecture hall is a must. From educational institutions like schools and universities to large company campuses across the nation, lecture halls are critical. The best lecture halls, though, have unique seating choices that meet both the needs of those listening as well as the speakers themselves. Before you simply go with the first lecture hall seating provider listed in a directory, it’s best to carefully consider every aspect of your seating needs.

Tiers – Within most lecture halls, tiers are quite common to allow everyone in the room to have a good view of the instructor as well as the front of the room. One key aspect of choosing the best lecture hall seating style to meet your needs is the number of rows per tier you wish to include. Talk to your designer to see what might fit best within your space.

Seating Styles – There are actually a variety of different seating styles available in the world of lecture hall seating, no matter how many rows per tier you want. Perhaps most traditional is fixed style seating. There are many options here, though. If space is tight, you may want to go with something that allows for maximum comfort while playing to your space needs. You could also go with swivel style seating to allow listeners to interact with those behind them. Portable seating is another option. Folding chairs, stacking chairs, stools and more are all options in a lecture hall. Each, however, tends to work best in conjunction with fixed tables.

Other Options to Consider – Lecture halls are changing these days, and there are so many different options to consider when you think about seating. Don’t forget to factor in ideas like whether you need modesty panels, space for instructors to move about the room, and even space for laptops, coats, bags, and the like.

As you design the ideal seating to meet your needs in a lecture hall, don’t forget to include concerns like handicapped seating options to help you remain ADA compliant. Talk with your project manager about your space, your goals, and your needs to come up with the best possible solution.

Published: 28 May 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

These days, no two locker rooms are alike. Whether you’re in a high-end club setting or middle school, athletic locker rooms are changing fast, and with them, the types of lockers available to those who need them. Wondering which lockers might best meet your needs? Take these factors into account first.

Space Concerns: One of the first things you want to consider is how much space you have. In some cases, your space for the locker room will be quite limited, and that can not only affect where you put the lockers, but also the size and type of lockers you choose to use. Keep in mind that you’ll want to create a solid traffic flow around the lockers as well as a sense of privacy for those using the lockers to change, so be careful as you begin to think about where you may want to place your lockers.

Locker Size: There are three basic locker sizes: mini, half, and standard. Mini lockers are perfect for keys, a folded set of clothes, and maybe a set of court shoes, but not much else. Half lockers give you slightly better sizing, but they’re still small enough to wrinkle the bottom of a man’s shirt. Standard sized lockers are perfect for that suit, but they also typically mean a lot of wasted space. Carefully consider the facility and the needs of its patrons. High school kids may only need half lockers, but those in a commercial gym facility may need mixed sizes.

Locker Materials: Athletic lockers hardly have to be the standard metal ventilated type these days. You can go with stadium style lockers, open front lockers for gear, or even lockers with a wood laminate paneling look to enhance your dressing rooms. Depending on exactly who your facility serves, you may want to go with something that reflects your wants and needs.

There are a number of factors to consider as you plan the ideal athletic locker room. Your best bet is to chat with a project manager before you make any final decisions.

Published: 24 May 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Wondering how to keep students coming through those library doors? In a world that’s more connected than ever, it seems libraries are finding themselves outdated. Fortunately, you can still grab their attention, but it’s going to take some serious design planning.

Start with Beauty – Who says those perfect design magazine settings have to stay inside the world of residential settings? Create a cool environment, and students will want to be there day after day. The key, though, is to balance the educational needs of students with the awesome factor in design. You want to have an amazing design that attracts students, but you need it to be functional as well.

Sprinkle in Flexibility – You may have students who want to lounge before school, but during second period, you may have the entire biology one section waiting to hear from a special presenter. Traditional library furniture can’t possibly serve both needs, so get creative with your designs. Go with innovative seating and presentation areas to make the most of both spaces.

Don’t Forget The Electronics – Tablets aren’t going anywhere soon. Neither are smartboards, desktops, laptops, and ebooks. Don’t sell your library short by not including both a power supply and the right hookups for devices. Similarly, think about your lighting arrangement, too. It can be tough to see a smartboard presentation with sunlight streaming through those gorgeous windows, so manage things carefully from the outset.

Libraries can be cool, functional spaces, but it takes quite a bit of planning to get them there. Fortunately, Carroll Seating can help. With turnkey solutions available for school, public, and private libraries alike, here you’ll always find the planning and follow-through necessary to create that perfect space.

Published: 21 May 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Good casework is an essential part of any lab. Before you make choices on how to outfit your new lab, though, it’s essential that you carefully consider your options. After all, the last thing you want is to end up unhappy with your new fixtures.

Your Layout
The first set of choices you’ll need to make deal with layout. This will depend extensively not only on your layout, but also on your budget as well. While much of the laboratory casework world relies on made to order furniture, you can also choose modular pieces from various companies that can be rearranged to meet the changing needs of your lab. These modular pieces are sometimes cheaper than the made to order option. You may want to talk with your casework company’s project manager to make the decision that best fits your needs.

Many Materials
The other key decision you have to make as you select the right casework to meet your needs lies in materials. Wood casework is one of the most popular choices. It can be made from a number of different types of wood, and the doors are usually custom-designed. Plastic laminate is getting more popular thanks to its inexpensive nature. You often find this in school settings.

Metal casework is also an option, and it can even be painted to suit your needs. Steel is another solid choice, and it’s easy to clean. It can also deal with the chemicals you may be using the lab. Looking for another choice that will handle frequently cleaning? Stainless steel is a reliable choice. Phenolic resin is too, as it is corrosion and fire resistant.

You’ve already come up with an innovative design to enhance your lab. Choose the ideal casework to meet your ongoing needs.

Published: 14 May 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are expanding on almost a daily basis, and with good reason. While people certainly aren’t any sicker than they were decades ago, they’re far more likely to seek medical care today. From great prevention to better treatment all the way around, people visit doctor’s offices and hospitals in record numbers these days.

The University of Missouri health system is no exception to that rule. Just like many other care facilities, the number of patients they see on a daily basis is ever expanding, and so too is their need for state of the art facilities. We were excited to help when they called us about their new patient care tower.

The Project
The new care tower itself is seven full stories. Inside are additional operating rooms as well as procedure rooms. There are also private patient rooms and lots of new space for the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. The goal throughout the building was to offer a level of comfort that helped visitors feel at ease and patients begin to heal. The space even includes an outdoor garden and a boutique in the Cancer Center with items like wigs for chemotherapy patients.

We were asked to provide custom millwork solutions on all seven floors. We also provided the casework throughout as well as solutions for solid surfaces, wall paneling, and countertops throughout the building. Throughout this project, we wanted to infuse the same healing theme that was already working throughout the building. That said, though, we knew that our work had to be as practical as it did beautiful.

The results were nothing short of phenomenal. We managed to strike that perfect balance with this project, and the initial feedback on this has been wonderful.

Published: 10 May 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Each year, thousands of people are injured while on bleachers at a variety of different kinds of facilities. In some cases, it’s purely negligence on the part of the individual. In many other cases, though, the problem could have been prevented through solid bleacher inspection and maintenance. Most states have gone so far as to require yearly inspection for bleachers. Wondering what that entails?

Here’s a quick overview:

You should make certain that the bleachers aren’t unstable in any possible way. For example, they shouldn’t be leaning to one side, and they should be placed on level ground. Moreover, while walking on them, they should feel completely stable.
You should also make sure the structural support of the bleachers is solid. There shouldn’t be any signs of corrosion or rotting. All of the cross braces should be in good working order. None of them should come out past the bench seat edges. None of the welds should be cracked either.
Bleachers should have handrails in place, and if there aren’t any, warnings should be posted.

There are often other guidelines from state to state, and understanding those is your responsibility. For example, in many states, a simple safety inspection by your staff isn’t enough. In most cases, you’ll need a certified technician to look things over and file a report. Depending on the company from whom you bought the bleachers, some yearly inspections are required to keep your warranty in check, too.

Preventative Maintenance
Whether your annual check reveals a problem or not, you may still have a bit of work to do. Proper upkeep of your floorboards, stairs and walkways is a must. It can help reduce any falls from patrons. They need to be cleaned regularly as well. Handrails, if present, need to be tightened, and supports should be lubricated with all other moving parts.

Keep in mind that if you allow food onto the bleachers, it can get into the mechanisms and create real issues, so keep a close eye out for potential problems with food. There are ways to clean them well, but it’s a bit harder, so custodial staff should be part of the maintenance plan. The real key with preventative maintenance is not only to make certain issues are addressed as soon as they’re realized, but also to follow the manufacturer’s instructions with regard to the right maintenance procedures.

Bleachers are one of the biggest problems for many facilities because, while they do provide useful seating, they can also be hard to maintain. Contact a certified bleacher technician to make sure your bleachers are safe from year to year.

Published: 7 May 2013

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Bleacher seating

A facility like yours has so much potential. It can be tough to realize that potential, though, if you don’t have the right seating options. While you may have great fixed seating choices, deciding to add high quality portable seating can be a great way to increase the level of flexibility your facility has, leading to better options at every turn.

When Performance Counts
Whether you have a stadium, an arena, a theatre, or even a worship facility, portable seating may mean the ability to alter your seating arrangement, allow for additional guests, or simply host a larger variety of events. The key, though, no matter what your event is real comfort for all of your guests as well as durability.

As you shop, your choices will likely range from all steel choices to something like an upholstered folding chair. Naturally you’ll want a balance that not only meets your budget considerations, but also one that will help give your guests an unmatched level of comfort. There are even upgrades you can consider. For example, you may want to go with wider than average seats. You could also go with tablet style arms or even those that come complete with cup holders. It’s even possible to add your logo to every chair, which can make an amazing impression depending on your facility’s goals.

Making the Choice
No matter what your needs, Carroll Seating Company can help. With the high quality portable seating choices you need most, you’ll always find a turnkey solution that is perfect for your facility.