FF&E
10 years ago No Comments

Just say the initials. They stand for Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment. Every design project must have a budget for FF&E, but what that budget covers and who specifies it varies. Depending on the scope of the project, sometimes it’s the client, sometimes a purchasing agent or a furniture dealer, and sometimes it’s the design team. FF&E schedules and records are usually extensive and must be meticulously kept, and they don’t stop with the specification. There are four general phases of FF&E: design / specification, purchasing / acquisition, transportation / shipping, and installation / set-up. Depending on the project, FF&E budgets can easily rival construction budgets.

Furniture is considered to be any movable item in an interior that makes it suitable for working or living, such as a file cabinet or table. Fixtures are articles that are attached to the interior as a permanent piece of the interior, such as a sconce or ceiling fan. Whether fixed or mobile, equipment is deemed as what is critical for the day-to-day operation of the interior, such as a bank’s safe (fixed) or a clinic’s defibrillator cart (mobile).