In general, Steelcase, Herman Miller, and Knoll are all pretty similar, and all considered top-of-the-line. Knoll is more design focused than the others, and also offers reproductions of pieces by mid-century designers, such as Charles Eames.

Steelcase makes a really great lower-priced line of office furniture called Turnstone: http://www.turnstonefurniture.com/. The line is geared toward emerging and cost-conscious companies.

Here is the bottom line, truth be known, lay it on the line reality. Every major manufacturer makes similar things. They all have their “high end” products, their “value end” products and their “quick ship” products. Each has their own unique benefits and drawbacks. Many are insignificant. There are some products that could be very parts intensive so you want to watch out for those.

They could be a real bargain on product cost but they will probably significantly increase your labor and installation costs. The more important issue is the dealer that you work with. Manufacturers don’t sell direct to you. They have a network of dealers that sell their products. It would be like wanting to buy a car from the Ford factory. It won’t happen. You’ll buy from the car dealership. You can Google these manufacturers and look at their websites to get an idea of what their furniture looks like. Most people quickly realize that most furniture starts to look the same. Interform C