Funky green chairs. Dark wood for the desks – no white melamine, definitely not. And it has to be wheelchair-friendly.

That’s what Jane Brearley, chief executive and founder of start-up Intent Health, had in mind when she was setting up her firm’s new office in central London.

Accessibility and aesthetics were key – but it didn’t matter if the desks and chairs had already been used by someone else. That just meant they came at a bargain price.

“I probably saved about 19, 20 grand by kitting out with second-hand furniture,” she says.

The pandemic caused a huge shift in working practices. While some have fully embraced working from home, others are returning to the office, perhaps part-time. As a result, many companies are downsizing central offices and that means a glut of second-hand desks, chairs and filing cabinets is available to those who want them.

In Dr Brearley’s case, the new office is sometimes empty since her staff choose to work from home much of the time – but she argues it’s worth having anyway.

“I have young people on the team who are working out of their bedroom or from their kitchen in a flat share, it’s really important that they have a place they can go,” she explains, adding that the office is useful for training, too.

Some of Dr Brearley’s colleagues use wheelchairs so it was important to find furniture that would meet everyone’s needs and also allow for plenty of space in the office.

She was able to source desks, chairs, meeting room equipment and personal lockers from multiple second-hand suppliers. The only thing she struggled to find was sofas, so those came new.

A wide variety of organisations are in the market for second-hand office furniture these days. Even former Prime Minister Liz Truss turned to pre-used kit for her campaign office, according to the firm, external that says it was the supplier.