Blog - Page 15 of 29 - Carroll Seating Company

Published: 6 May 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Lecture and Theater Seating

Some of the most often forgotten spaces in any institution of learning whether it’s a teaching hospital, a university or a corporate event center. Lecture halls can lean towards the utilitarian, industrial look and that’s not what attracts people. If your lecture halls have this look, it may be time for a little remodeling.

The basic, traditional design of a lecture hall comes from a very different time. In the early days of education and training, the model was a little different. The focus was entirely set on the presenter. Perhaps he’d illustrate his points on a blackboard or have a visual aid on a work surface behind him, but the lecturer was where all eyes fell.

At this time, students we passive receivers of the information he had to impart so all they really needed was a seat and a writing surface. Most of the seats were notably uncomfortable and the surfaces were often awkward. Think about those little fold up, comma-shaped “desks” you may have once used in school. They were a nightmare for left-handers and had little room even for right-handed folks. Now imagine trying to navigate one of those while using a laptop or computer table and keyboard. They have not improved with time!

The models for effective learning have changed and so has the furniture. Social learning, where interaction and group thinking are valued, is now the model. Instruction and learning opportunities are available in more places that just colleges and universities now as well. Many corporations have on-site lecture halls for training and presentations, too.

It’s not just the teaching methods that have evolved. Students and technology have undergone their own alterations as well. Students are looking for learning opportunities that are a better fit for their own personal learning style. They aren’t often taking notes with pen and paper anymore. Students integrate technology into their learning and they need a proper surface to hold their devices, not a folding armrest.

To serve these need needs, your lecture hall furnishings may need an update. For more interactive learning, try chairs that swivel 360 degrees. They remain fixed for convenience but allow for movement at the same time. Swing-away seating is a perfect solution.

Serve the technological crowd by adding power to the table tops. Students or employees can plug in and not worry about their battery life ending before their class does. Add modesty screens to the table fronts or leave them sleek and open. The choice is yours.

Learning is taking new forms every day. Make sure your learning spaces are staying current.v

Published: 1 May 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Bleacher seating

You have a unique chance right now. You can make your facility a far better space than any other in your region. Not sure how to do it? There are many ways to achieve your goal, but one of the best is to invest in fantastic portable seating options that will help your facility seem as flexible as it is relevant.

Portable Seating Redefined

Portable seating has changed as much as everything else in today’s world. No longer is the idea of portable seating defined by ugly, uncomfortable folding chairs that make seating possible anywhere, but virtually guarantee that it will be uncomfortable no matter where you put it. If patrons will be attending an event that lasts for any length of time, the discomfort is sure to make your facility look bad. Fortunately, yesterday is not today. Now you have a number of other choices that can make portable seating just as comfortable as you other options. Take a look at three choice you can make to ensure your portable seating is beautiful, functional, and comfortable.

Go For Padding: Premium portable seating offers contour foam and suspension options that mean real comfort is just around the corner. It’s great for VIPs and others who need something more than a hard metal folding chair. Various levels and types of padding are available too, so no matter how soft you want your seats to be, you can certainly find a selection that will meet your needs.
Accessorize: Think portable seats all have to look the same? Think again. There are a number of different accessories you can add to your seats including arm rests, upholstered in the standard style or the waterfall style, cup holders, and even tablet arms to help with your facility’s flexibility. You could also go with ganging options to keep chairs together, and even frame trim to make sure your seats are more beautiful than you’d ever imagined.
Appearance Matters: Looking to ensure your chairs really shine? Consider adding a custom logo to the chairs. Whether you go with a team, the name of your company, or even sponsor names, custom logos are a great way to show off your facility’s loyalties and help enhance the overall look of the chairs.

Venues have to be increasingly savvy to attract the right visitors, and the portable seating of yesterday certainly isn’t going to be a selling point for your organization. Explore your portable seating options, then contact us to learn more about how we can make your facility shine with something as simple as great portable seating throughout.

Published: 28 April 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: School seating

Food court seating is all about maximizing seating space without compromising personal space. It’s not an easy task, even for a professional designer. If you’re an industry outsider tasked with planning a break room or similar space, it can seem overwhelming at first. Trust a professional company like Carroll Seating to teach you the rules of food court seating.

Be practical.

The choices in a catalog can look amazing. Professionally photographed tables and modular seating arrangements can really make an impression. However, the shiny pictures might not be at all what your space needs.

Multi-functional pieces in modular designs will give you flexibility. If you space will be multi-use, you need your items to serve in a few different capacities. Even if the space is dedicated solely to food service, you may need the furnishings to grow or shrink with your population.

Be aware (but also beware) of trends.

Those pictures likely feature the newest color, texture and styles. That’s great for choosing an up-to-date feeling. You don’t want your space to be dated before it’s completed after all. Pick up on all the design trends, learn what’s hot now and what the projections may be and then take a step back.

Being on-trend now mean you’ll be out of style eventually. Your space needs a certain amount of timelessness in order to maintain a comfortable feeling and look. It shouldn’t be dated right away but maybe you don’t have to use every new trend either. Talk to your consultant to get a feel for looks that last.

Stay on budget.

It never pays to overpay. Set a budget and stay within the confines you’ve chosen. Your sales consultant can help you make the most of a budget of any size so make good use of their knowledge.

Carroll Seating has more than 60 years of experience helping people create spaces just like yours. Let us show you what we can do for your space.

Published: 21 April 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Casework & Millwork

More than anything else, a doctor’s office should be a place of healing. Warmth and concern must radiate from every surface to ensure patients feel comfortable and trusting in that environment. Few doctors realize the importance of good casework in creating that atmosphere, but it can absolutely play an essential role in the healing process.

Where Appearance Matters Most

Simply going to the doctor’s office is a big step for many people. The last thing they want is to feel more uncomfortable once they get there, and setting the mood can help put them at ease. While you certainly want facilities that look and feel professional, you also want an office that welcomes patients. We can design a spot that creates a positive first impression. With custom fascia options, great textures, wonderful colors, and other options, you’ll get less of an institutional feel and more of that healing sensation you want to promote within your offices. One call to us will connect you with a personal case manager who can listen to the mood you want to project, and come up with the right options.

Creating Better Options

Our casework components are perfect in any situation. In the event that you have areas that change infrequently, we have sizes and configurations that are as functional as they are beautiful. If you have an area that must undergo change regularly, we have modular options to help make that possible. No matter what works for you, though, you’ll always get strong units that perform exactly as expected, providing efficient work surfaces and storage where you need it most.

Contact Us to Learn More

Whether you’re giving your facility a facelift or you’re building an entirely new office, our casework solutions can help you do more with your space. Give us a call to learn more about our options and how we can help create the perfect environment in your office.

Published: 15 April 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Locker Solutions

Choosing the right locker material for your facility can be difficult. With so many different options available today, understanding which one is the right choice for you is complex. Many are going with stainless steel lockers in a variety of different settings today, but are they a good option for you? Explore the benefits of this locker material.

Damage Resistant: In many environments, lockers are subject to high levels of use and, sometimes, abuse. Stainless steel choices, though, give you the durability you need to ensure your lockers look good year after year.
Corrosion-Resistant: Metal is usually susceptible to rust, but stainless steel is different, even in high moisture areas like locker rooms or kitchens. This remarkable resistances means you get a beautiful set of lockers, no matter what the environment around them.
Fire-Resistant: Just as stainless steel can resist damage and corrosion, it can often hold its own for some time against a fire, so despite the heat and intensity of the flames, you’ll get great performance from your new lockers.
Variety of Configurations: As with almost any other locker type, stainless steel lockers come in several different configurations to help meet your needs. Single, double, or triple, stainless steel lockers help ensure your patrons have the necessary space available.
Budget Friendly: There’s one other thing stainless steel lockers can resist – draining your budget. While some lockers come with enormous price tags, stainless steel choices can often help keep the entire cost of the project lower than you’d planned, ensuring you get exactly what you want at a great price.

Whether you’ve settled on stainless steel lockers already or you simply want to explore your options, contact us today to learn more. We’ll put you in touch with a dedicated project manager who will walk you through the choices available for your facility so you have the information you need to select the right material for your lockers. To learn more, pick up the phone and call us today.

Published: 7 April 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Bleacher seating

Thinking of capturing every game? Your gym may want to upgrade your indoor bleachers with a video platform. A video platform is perfect for videotaping, photography, or radio broadcasting your teams events. They create a workable space for covering all the action. If you need some custom features, you can add an optional rail sleeves that can be used to promote school spirit or generate revenue through advertisers. Installation is quick and the platform works safely with any telescopic bleacher, new or old.

Video platforms co me in several options. They can be semi-permanent (wall-mounted) or fully portable. With the semi-permanent model, bleachers remain fully functional with the platform in place, opening and closing completely. The modular option, the Platforms is mobile and expandable to fit different applications and meet changing needs over time.

Adding flexibility and value to your gymnasium has never been easier or more cost-effective. They’re built to last. Using only the highest quality materials available, you’ll have one of the video platforms around for years to come. Ready to get started? Contact us today. We’ll pair you with an individual project manager who can help you better define what you’re considering, then provide you with a number of different options so you can get the aesthetically pleasing, fully functional video platform that will make your gymnasium look amazing.

Published: 1 April 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Casework & Millwork

Laboratories have to be more flexible now than they’ve ever been in past years. With so many industries relying on the results labs produce, the facilities themselves must be nothing short of incredible so scientists can come up with the right solutions. One step that can make those facilities better environments is the right research casework.

The Casework of the Past

Not too many years ago, floor mounted casework was the standard. With no real ability to adapt a lab to a current project, many were frustrated with the facilities, but things have changed. Instead of the old floor mounted standard, today’s casework options offer so much more. With full systems that are designed to be more adaptive to the needs of any given project, labs find the help they need within their own facilities.

Looking for The Best

As you search for the right casework to support your own research facility, you’ll want to keep several things in mind. First, consider modular options with individual components including cabinets, storage units, and work surfaces. Modular designs mean setting up for the next project is always going to be easier than it might be with floor mounted casework. Second, if it may come up in your research work, you’ll want to consider chemical resistance. Not all work surfaces incorporate this feature, but depending on the type of research you do, it may be essential. Finally, don’t forget to factor in the overall appearance of your casework, as well. Not only may it make your facility a better place to work, but it also may prove important should any new companies or investors tour your lab.

As you shop for the right research casework to meet your needs, contact us for help. We carry a full line of excellent options that can help put your lab one step ahead. Learn more now.

Published: 24 March 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Furnishing a Library

School libraries are changing fast. Like classroom designs, they have to meet very different needs than they once did, and with that change comes a necessary shift in bookcase options. Before you design a new school library or offer a facelift to the old one, though, exploring the many choices available to you is a good idea. Take a look:

Single or Double Faced: Depending on the layout of your library, you may want to go with single or double faced book cases. Single faced are those that have a back panel with shelving on a single side. They work best against the walls of your library space. Double faced shelves have panels on both sides for sturdy book storage that makes the most of the available space in your library. You may need a combination of the two to achieve the right layout.
Construction Materials: Today’s school libraries are as much about feel as they are about the contents of the library itself, and going with bookcases that are a bit different can give you that warm feel you want. Wooden bookshelves offer you a classic look that comes in a number of different finishes. Steel bookcases are lighter and less expensive and can sometimes come in non-traditional finishes like school colors. You can also choose from newer options like those with wood and steel for the classic look without the cost.
Shelves: You typically have the option of going with adjustable or fixed shelving with each book case purchase. Adjustable shelves give you flexibility to change the layout at some point in the future to help make your library a bit different every single year. Fixed shelving, though, may be a must in elementary library settings so students can reach the bookcases.

No matter what bookcases you choose, let us help. Contact us today to reach a personal project manager who can help you select the right layout for your space.

Published: 18 March 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Flexibility – it’s key for many facilities these days. From auditoriums to meeting spaces, the ability to configure and reconfigure means more options with every event. For most, that flexibility can only be achieved through portable seating, but the last thing you want people to think of when they consider your space is hard metal folding chairs. Wondering how you can move things to an entirely different level? Custom portable seating can help, particularly if you incorporate these three options:

Contour Foam: Think all portable seating has to mean discomfort? Think again. Adding contour foam to your seats means one of the most comfortable portable seating experiences of your life. Plush softness means exceptional comfort, no matter how long the meeting or event.

Cup Holders: Adding an armrest complete with cup holder means more convenience for guests and patrons. Your guests will be able to concentrate on what’s most important, not whether their beverages are safe from a certain fall or spill. It could also save your janitorial staff from ongoing problems, as cup holders reduce the likelihood of messes they must later clean up.

Logos: You want people to remember your facility long after they leave, and adding logos to your seats will give you that personal touch you want. Branding is becoming increasingly important, even in venues like yours, and adding your personal logo to the back of your portable seating means the chance to put your brand out there a bit more with every event.

No matter what you’re planning to host, the metal folding chairs of yesterday should stay a thing of the past. Instead, choosing to go with custom portable seating that actually works for guests and patrons can help you do more with your facility. To explore your options now, contact us to chat with a personal project manager.

Published: 10 March 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Gym and Sports Equipment

Investing in new wall padding for your gym is an absolute must to help protect your athletes. Simply purchasing the first option you see, though, just won’t work. Instead, a bit more effort needs to go into your selection. Consider this:

Your Wall Padding Has to Be a Perfect Fit: No two gyms are the same, and it can be tough to get the right fit for yours. Work with a company that offers custom measuring solutions to help ensure you get the fit you need. Don’t forget to ask about custom configurations to work around doors, outlets, and other features of your gym.
Your Wall Padding Has to Be Safe: There are lots of wall padding options out there, but not all of them will protect your athletes. Don’t go for the flimsy stuff just because it leaves a little wiggle room in your budget. Instead, select wall pads that are made for maximum protection.
You Need Help: You may need installation help. You may need service and support. You may need help instantly or you may need help in a year. Sooner or later, though, you’re going to have a question or concern, and you’ll need a team to turn to who has been there over the years for facilities just like yours. Select only a provider who will be there again and again, no matter what you need.
Your Wall Padding Has To Look Amazing: Think you have to go with something boring for your wall padding? Think again. From bright colors to logos and other sources of inspiration, your wall padding can enhance the entire look of your facility, so don’t choose anything that won’t do exactly that and allow you to imagine the design possibilities.