A customer drops their car off for a service and decides to wait with a coffee. Across the sales floor, a salesperson walks a couple to a desk to talk through a trade-in. Good car dealership furniture looks sharp from every angle, stays comfortable through a long wait and stands up to people coming and going all day.
This guide covers sales desks, the service counter, the customer lounge and a coffee bar, with seven products and their stated specs. For more desk sizes and finishes, browse our office desks collection.
Sales desks and client chairs on the sales floor
A desk in the middle of an open sales floor is seen from every side, so the front matters as much as the top. A modesty panel screens legs, bags and cables from the customer's view. The Anvil Straight Desk with Modesty (from $424) has a 300mm high modesty panel matched to the worktop colour, on a 50mm loop leg frame.
Choose a studio white or new oak worktop, a black or arctic white frame and one of five sizes, from 1500mm x 600mm up to 1800mm x 900mm. The desk stands 715mm high, each foot adjusts by 30mm, and it carries a 10 year warranty. The deepest top leaves room for a screen at one end and paperwork in the middle.
Give the customer side of the desk a chair that feels considered, not one borrowed from the lunch room. The Eros Breakout Chair ($236) is a PU leather chair designed for comfort and durability, on a steel four-leg frame finished in black powdercoat. It comes in Amber PU or French Navy PU and measures 530mm wide, 580mm deep and 830mm high. The seat height is 445mm, the weight rating is 120kg and it carries a 5 Year Warranty.
The service counter: room for staff and customers
The service counter is where customers book in, collect keys and pay. Size it so that everyone who serves customers at busy times can work side by side. The Calvin Reception Counter (from $3,410) comes in 2100mm, 2500mm or 3200mm widths, each 950mm deep and 1150mm high.
An elevated jade white stone hob on chrome pillars gives customers a clean transaction space, while staff work at a durable white melamine desktop behind it. The counter body is metallic grey with a matte white 2-pack feature panel, set on the left or right. Aluminium trim lines and a stainless steel kick plate add durability where shoes and bags meet the base. It is backed by a 5 year warranty.
More counter shapes, including L-shaped and curved designs, are in our reception furniture range.
A customer lounge that is easy to keep clean
If customers wait while their car is serviced, the lounge becomes a second front office. Choose upholstery that wipes down quickly and frames that cope with daily use. The Cedar Lounge (from $1,090) is a PU reception lounge designed for high-traffic, public-facing areas. Its page describes the upholstery as durable and easy to clean and maintain.
It comes as a 1-Seater, 2-Seater or 3-Seater, so you can mix single chairs with a longer sofa. Choose Tan PU or Charcoal PU on a black powdercoated frame. Our guide to waiting room chairs for reception and client areas covers more seating options for the same space.
Put a coffee table within reach of every seat for cups and phones. The Nido Stone Medium Round Coffee Table ($255) has a Grey Carrara 12mm sintered stone top with a chamfered edge, described as hard-wearing for high-traffic environments. It measures 600mm across and 302mm high on a black powder-coated cross brace underframe with adjustable levelling feet. It carries a 5 Year warranty.
More sofas, armchairs and modular lounges are in our office lounges range.
A coffee and work bar with stools
Some customers would rather work on a laptop than sink into a sofa. A bar leaner along the front glass gives them a place to perch and keep an eye on the forecourt. The Flare Bar Leaner (from $531) stands 1050mm high, including its 25mm worktop. It comes in sizes from 1200mm x 750mm up to 4800mm x 1200mm, so it can run along a long window.
The splayed 80 x 40mm legs and 50 x 25mm rails are premium mild steel in black or white powdercoat. Choose a White or New Oak top, and it carries a 10 Year warranty.
Pair it with the Arlo High Stool - American Oak ($440), an oak bar stool with a back in a natural finish. Its 760mm seat height suits a 1050mm leaner, and it has a 160kg weight rating and a 3 Year Warranty. Overall it measures 466mm wide, 476mm deep and 1050mm high.
Car dealership furniture by area
Use this table to match each area to a product and the stated spec that matters most. Finance and management offices can use the same desk and client chair as the sales floor.
| Area | What it needs | Product | Stated spec to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales desks | A screened front facing customers | Anvil Straight Desk with Modesty | 300mm modesty panel, 10 year warranty |
| Client chairs | Comfortable, easy-care seats | Eros Breakout Chair | PU upholstery, 120kg rating |
| Service counter | Room for staff and a transaction ledge | Calvin Reception Counter | Up to 3200mm wide, stainless steel kick plate |
| Customer lounge | Seating that is easy to clean | Cedar Lounge | 1, 2 or 3 seater, Tan or Charcoal PU |
| Lounge tables | A hard-wearing top | Nido Stone Medium Round Coffee Table | Sintered stone, 600mm across |
| Coffee and work bar | A long, high bench | Flare Bar Leaner | 1050mm high, up to 4800mm long |
| Bar seating | Strong stools at the right height | Arlo High Stool - American Oak | 760mm seat, 160kg rating |
| Finance and management offices | A finished desk and visitor chairs | Anvil desk with Eros chairs | Desk suits private offices and managers |
Furnishing a dealership for Australian conditions
If your sales floor has a wall of glass, it will catch strong sun through an Australian summer. Keep lounge seating out of direct afternoon sun where you can, and use blinds so screens on the sales desks stay readable.
Deliveries go to the ground-floor entrance, and goods arrive flat-packed unless the product page says otherwise. Each product page has a Delivery line naming the metro cities it can be delivered to. The Eros chair, Cedar Lounge, Nido table, Flare leaner and Arlo stool go to metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Two pages differ. The Calvin Reception Counter goes to metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, but not SA. The Anvil Straight Desk with Modesty goes to metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, but not WA, so a Perth dealership needs another desk from the range.
Car dealership furniture — frequently asked questions
What furniture does a car dealership need?
A car dealership needs sales desks with client chairs, a service counter, lounge seating and tables for waiting customers, and desks for finance and management offices. A bar leaner with stools gives waiting customers somewhere to work.
What is the best seating for a customer waiting area?
The best seating for a busy waiting area has upholstery that is easy to clean and a sturdy frame. The Cedar Lounge's page describes its PU upholstery as durable and easy to clean and maintain, on a black powdercoated frame.
What height bar stool do I need for a 1050mm bar table?
A 1050mm bar table suits a stool with a seat height of around 750mm. The Arlo High Stool - American Oak has a 760mm seat height, and the Flare Bar Leaner is 1050mm high.
How wide should a service counter be?
A service counter should be wide enough for everyone who serves customers at the same time to work side by side. The Calvin Reception Counter comes in 2100mm, 2500mm and 3200mm widths, all 950mm deep and 1150mm high.
Shop the range
Every product above is listed below in the order it appears. Our office desks, office lounges and reception furniture collections hold more sizes and finishes.
- Anvil Straight Desk with Modesty (from $424): a sales desk with a 300mm modesty panel and a 10 year warranty
- Eros Breakout Chair ($236): a PU client chair for the sales desk, in Amber or French Navy
- Calvin Reception Counter (from $3,410): a service counter up to 3200mm wide with a stainless steel kick plate
- Cedar Lounge (from $1,090): easy-clean PU lounge seating for customers waiting on a service
- Nido Stone Medium Round Coffee Table ($255): a hard-wearing sintered stone coffee table for the customer lounge
- Flare Bar Leaner (from $531): a 1050mm high leaner for a coffee or work bar along the glass
- Arlo High Stool - American Oak ($440): an oak bar stool with a 760mm seat and a 160kg rating
Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
