Published: 31 May 2016

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Locker Solutions

Choosing new hall lockers for your students? You certainly have your work cut out for you. Whether you’re designing a brand new building or you’re retrofitting an old one with a locker facelift, there are several things you need to do before you choose school lockers for your student body. This guide can help.

Step 1: Identify How Many Total Lockers You Need

Before you can even begin to consider locker design, you need to think about your population and just how many lockers you might need during the course of the year. Carefully consider how many students you have and whether your entire population will need lockers or if you’ll pair some students up with others, thus needing only a single locker for two students. Also, keep in mind that enrollment projections are often low, so you’ll want to go a bit higher than you expect to ensure you have the necessary facilities for all of your students.

Step 2: Consider Size

The next major consideration is the size factor. How much do your students have to store in their lockers? If you don’t have gym locker facilities for your student athletes, they may need more space than the average student. Likewise, if students carry a backpack from class to class, they may also only need a small amount of space. In the event you’re a fully digital school, book space may be unnecessary. Students may simply need a place to store a coat and a backpack for each class. Think carefully about what students store in their lockers, and you’ll better know whether you should move forward with a full size locker or something smaller.

Step 3: Consider Durability

Don’t forget to think about how durable a hall locker is going to be. Students often use them multiple times per day, and that can mean a serious beating. While you can buy a fairly light gauge locker, the chances are good that you’ll be replacing it far sooner than you want.

Step 4: Don’t Forget About Features

School lockers come with a number of different features these days, including shelves, colors, and a variety of other options. A student’s locker is like a home away from home, so don’t hesitate to make some upgrades and make it the best locker your students have ever seen.

To learn more about selecting lockers for your student body, contact us today.

Published: 3 May 2016

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

What You Need to Know About Upholstered Portable Seating

When looking to upgrade your current old metal folding chairs, you may want to consider customized portable seating. Comfortable, flexible, and reliable, portable chairs are perfect for any space.

One of the quickest ways to turn a space into an event venue or meeting area is through the use of portable seating. If you have not considered the ways that portable seating can bring new revenue into existing spaces, then here are a few things you need to know about portable seating.

Adding upholstered seating creates more opportunities for existing space usage. Consider a public building with a large hall. Portable seating means more opportunities to hold awards banquets, to invite speakers for presentations and many other usages of the space. This is especially important if you are trying to build or revive an interest in the space.

Portable seating means options when it comes to the kinds of events you can hold in the space. The very nature of portable seating means you can design the setup as you wish with quite a bit of ease. Tear down will be quick and easy. Chairs in rows or semi-circles are easy to pull off and the designs are only limited by your creativity.

Customized portable seating is also an excellent branding opportunity. Specialized seating, for example, for VIPs and guests can be created with your business logo, team symbol or any other branded features you would like. What an exciting – and portable – way to promote your team!

Far from the old metal folding chairs of yesterday, modern portable seating is comfortable, a marketing opportunity and a great way to generate additional usage of larger spaces. While you can still order efficient folding all-metal chairs, today’s options include every sort of customization, from wider seats, tablet arms, cup holders, wood grain trim and your choice of upholstery.

Why not investigate how upholstered portable seating can change the way you use the spaces you are in?

Published: 21 April 2016

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Gym and Sports Equipment

There is nothing better than the opening day of baseball season! The great American pastime has generational connections to the stadium, the team and the experience. In fact, as any baseball fan can tell you, the experience is the best part. Going to the stadium, getting great seats, buying a hot dog and wearing team colors are often what bring back the best memories, whether the team won their season or not. Is your baseball seating up to date? Take a few moments to consider how you could bring a better experience to the fans.

Flexibility, reliability and value are key components of baseball seating. After all, you want audiences to enjoy this seating for years to come, not to continue to do costly repairs. With the seating comes ease of cleaning, as every event brings a significant amount of trash. Outdoor grandstands and bleachers must be put in to accommodate the excitement of the audience as well as the harshest weather.

Consider whether your seating is ADA compliant, so that audiences of all kinds can enjoy the event. Whether it comes to sight lines or spacing, creating customized seating is the best way to ensure that you have something to offer for every kind of audience.

Of course, no seating is complete without a designated fan section, and the colors, backrests and seating capabilities will ensure that the fans get into the spirit of the game, whether it is opening day or a tournament. Don’t forget about that locker room. Are the lockers in sufficient condition? Do you have enough seating in the room?

Ultimately, seating in a venue is designed to bring a project to a wide variety of audiences. The kind of world-quality seating that Carroll provides can make any event extraordinary.

Published: 11 April 2016

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Casework & Millwork

Choosing the right educational casework is about as complex as selecting the right teaching style for each individual student. Essentially, there are many different possibilities that serve today’s educational needs. While it can be difficult, we hope to narrow it down for you a bit with these tips on choosing the right educational casework for your needs.

Know your audience well before you begin to choose casework. While the offices in the administration wing may need a certain set of requirements and have given decor with which you want them to fit, something very different is going to be true in a science room or in technology lab area. Consider carefully who will benefit from the casework, and build an individual profile. The expectations of the individuals using those spaces truly matter.

Think about materials. While Carroll Seating does offer essentially any material, from plastic to wood veneer, you need to realize that wooden casework is not ideal in some situations, and stainless steel might not be perfect in others. Likewise, a plastic laminate isn’t welcome in all settings either.

Consider flexibility. Education is a continuously changing industry and with it changes the needs of everyone involved. Selecting casework that meets those flexible requirements means making an investment in something that is certain to last in the years to come. The more adjustable you make your casework, the more likely it is to meet both today’s needs and those of your future staff and students. While you may not want to fill every area with flexible casework solutions, it’s going to be ideal in certain settings like the media center and your science laboratory facilities.

Perhaps the best tip anyone could give you about educational casework is that you should always work with the right team before you order or install anything. Sure, this is something you can handle on your own, but you run the risk of making selections that just don’t meet your needs. Carroll Seating has been working with schools and other educational institutions just like yours for the past six decades, and we’re ready for any challenges you have when it comes to complex casework. Contact us today, and get the casework your school deserves.

Published: 29 March 2016

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Furnishing a Library

Many people first come cross the term “hoteling stations” when trying to find seating for their venue or business. Its meaning is very often a mystery, and here we will take a look at what these are and why they are important.

Generally, a hoteling station is a work area for someone who does not have a permanent office space or simply needs to take advantage of an office space for convenience. Perhaps you provide these spaces for your traveling staff or you fill your library with them for students on the run.

Unfortunately, all hoteling stations were not created equally. The consequences of not having a decent hoteling station become obvious very quickly. If a workspace is unusable for a part-time employee or students, productivity will quickly take a back seat. If it is not logically designed and organized, this will just add unnecessary confusion for the person and create some real problems. This can be particularly frustrating in office settings where higher productivity numbers are always the goal.

A Closer Look At Perfection

Trying to design the right hoteling space? First, think about your goal for the individuals who will use it from time to time. Offer adequate space for reading and writing, and ensure the lighting is perfect, even if cubicle style walls are in use. Access to power or a charging station of some kind is an absolute must, no matter what environment you’re in. You may also want to add some other comforting amenities. A coat hook is always handy, as is an accessible trash can. General office supplies may also be necessary in some cases like paper, writing utensils, paper clips, a stapler, and anything else your guests may need to utilize routinely.

If you are in need of a hoteling station, whether for an office or a library, don’t hesitate to contact us today. We’ll be happy to build you the ideal space.

Published: 23 March 2016

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Lecture and Theater Seating

If you own or manage a business that requires employee input through presentations, you know the importance of making the presentation room one of the highest priorities. This is where knowledge is transferred the most effectively, and it’s a great opportunity to show your dedication to the business. However, some presentation rooms fall into the “office trap,” causing them to look boring and drab. Here’s why having excellent, high-quality presentation room seating can help your space.

Professionalism Matters

One great reason to have good presentation room seating is to demonstrate how professional your room is and how seriously you take everyone’s input. Having attractive and well-made furniture to seat viewers speaks volumes about your business or space. It tells anyone viewing that you are willing to make a good investment into helping the presenter succeed, and it says that you take the comfort and well-being of everyone seriously, which generally increases morale and makes a benign incentive for people to put effort into their work.

So Does Comfort

In your efforts to make the space more professional, though, don’t overlook the comfort of your employees. Adequate seating can mean the difference between learning and ignoring for your employees. Adding features like the right chairs, tablet arms or tabletops, and more can help your employees make the most out of every presentation.

Don’t Forget Aesthetics

If you pick the right designs, it can complement your room, making it visually attractive. Presentation seating doesn’t have to mean a big contrast to the overall feel of your office. Instead, selecting the perfect design can stimulate the senses and add to the presentation, and with the right mix of art and comfort, your space will truly come alive.

If you need help picking out presentation room seating, don’t hesitate to contact Carroll Seating. We’ll pair you with a project manager who can not only help you choose the right seating for your space, but also walk you through the entire project step by step. Contact us today to learn more.

Published: 15 March 2016

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Bleacher seating

Choosing seating for any crowd event can be difficult. Whether it’s a soccer game, a concert, or a circus, bleachers are traditionally the best and most efficient seating mechanisms around. However, there are a few different types of bleachers you can consider purchasing for your venue or field. Perhaps one of the best options is the freestanding bleacher.

Unless it’s a huge environment, like a commercial baseball stadium, chances are that it is used for many different purposes. Due to this, seating may have to be frequently rearranged. Freestanding bleachers can easily be moved around to accommodate many different events than some other types. Additionally, there is far more flexibility with these in terms of seating dynamics. For example, if the event is a soccer game, chances are that no field administrator would advise putting bleachers behind the goals, since this is where the ball is most likely to strike. However, at a track meet, it might be advantageous to put them all around the field. In this manner, freestanding bleachers can create a much better viewing experience due to their nature.

Another great benefit of freestanding bleachers is that they do not promote property decimation. Traditional bleachers, nailed down in one place, will make certain parts of your property non-conducive to grass growing and will encourage rodents and snakes to make homes under your bleachers. By having freestanding bleachers that can be moved to various locations, you can regularly clean under them very easily, and you can move them around throughout the year to ensure that your grass can stay green and your property can stay intact.

Carroll Seating Company has been in the bleacher business for more than 60 years, and we have the knowledge, expertise, and experience to guide you through purchasing the right bleacher option for whatever your needs may be. Contact Carroll Seating today to learn more about how we can help.

Published: 27 January 2016

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Casework & Millwork

Think about this: your company’s reception area often provides the first impression of your business to your customers or clients. So let us ask you this. Is this space inviting? Is it interesting? And most importantly, is it reflective of your business or brand? If you answered no to any of these questions, it may be time for a reception area overhaul, starting with the furniture.

There are lots of options for reception area furniture, along with a variety of materials and finishes. In terms of furniture types, there are two main categories: modular and custom.

Modular – This is furniture that is prefabricated and ready to install. The pieces are essentially one-size-fits-all, and you simply piece them together to create your desired workspace.
Custom furniture – Custom furniture is designed especially for your space, and according to your needs and specifications. With custom furniture, you get to choose the configuration, the materials, the finishes – literally everything.

With a custom reception area, you can design your furniture to match your existing space, creating a seamless flow from the front entrance to the rest of the space. Customized furniture also gives you the opportunity to let your creativity shine through, creating an inspiring workspace for your employees.

Carroll Seating specializes in creating custom casework for homes, offices, and more. We have extensive experience in working with customers who are redesigned their reception areas, and we know what it takes to maximize functionality in a space. Our quality and craftsmanship is top notch, and we have the experience to back it up. We’ve been in business since 1952, and our skilled team members can assist you every step of the way. Let us help you transform your reception area into a space you can be proud of!

Published: 19 January 2016

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Cafeteria and Food Court Seating

Food court and cafeteria furniture sure has changed a lot in the last few years, hasn’t? You probably remember the old, rickety long tables with uncomfortable seats in your school cafeteria from when you were a kid. Things are a lot different in lunchrooms these days, though, where the focus has shifted to making comfortable socialization a top priority. If you’re planning on updating your cafeteria or food court furniture to this more modern style, use the buying guide below to assist you in the process.

Consider the space. The most basic consideration here is the size of the room, and the size and quantity of the tables and chairs you’re thinking about. Obviously, you need to make sure that the dining furniture will fit in the room without it becoming overcrowded. At the same time, you’ll want to maximize the space, fitting in as many seating options as comfortably possible.
How will the flow work? Another factor in choosing table type is how it will work with the flow of the dining space. Think about how you want to arrange the tables and chairs. Will it be rows of long tables, or clusters of smaller, round tables? Make sure that people will be able to move about the space freely, and that the type of furniture you choose won’t impede that.
Think about your customers’ (or students’) needs. First of all, is the furniture going to be in a space where it’s okay if people linger, or will they be eating in a hurry? Attached stools can be good for the latter situation, where people can quickly get up and down and aren’t slowed down by moving chairs in and out. Conversely, detached chairs are a more comfortable option, so if you want people to sit and enjoy food and conversation, separate chairs may be the better choice.
Aesthetics matter too. Make sure that whatever type of food court or cafeteria furniture you choose is visually appealing and complementary of the overall style of the space. Clashing designs can make for an uncomfortable and unattractive dining environment.

Published: 14 December 2015

Written by Carroll Seating

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Categories: Seating Solutions

The Best Seating Options for Auditoriums

Thinking of redesigning your auditorium? Working to create the perfect atmosphere in a brand new auditorium? Your seating options matter more than any other design choice you’ll make. How can you ensure you get the best? It starts with the decision to pick up the phone and call Carroll Seating Company.

What’s Going to Work In Your Space?

What works well in your space may not be what works for everyone else. We don’t handle cookie-cutter installations. We design a plan based wholly around your needs. Take a look at a few options you may want to consider.

Fixed Seating: The perfect choice for many auditorium settings, our fixed seating choices mean a sophisticated layout that is flexible enough to fill your space. You can choose from wood and veneer laminate finishes, as well as fully upholstered comfort options that redefine the right combination of beauty and value. Choose from additional options like power and data connectivity, custom mounting, and more to ensure your auditorium is exactly what you imagined.
Telescopic Platform Seating: Most spaces these days are no longer designed to serve one function. Instead, even an auditorium is often a room where multiple purposes must be met, and telescopic platform seating is one of the best ways to do just that. They remain fixed to the wall when not in use so you get the floor area you want, but they easily pull out when you need them to help meet your expectations. Available with wireless control, they’re rigorously tested so you get the safe, comfortable seating surface you want.
Portable Seating: Looking for durable, stylish comfort without the added commitment? Our portable seating options fit the bill. With the freedom to arrange your auditorium in a number of different configurations, these are built to last, no matter what your traffic numbers look like.

Ready to get started? Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you create an auditorium that will stand out from the crowd.