With the coronavirus crisis in mind, Brussels start-up company Giotto is offering rental office furniture to people who only need it for a short period of time.
As Belgium's National Security Council announced on Friday that telework will remain the norm for the time being, many people who do not have a home office are working from their sofas or kitchen tables.
"We can make life easier for people in Brussels, and offer temporary home offices during the coronavirus crisis," Justine Hoppenbrouwers, one of the founders of Giotto, told Bruzz.
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The company offers, among other things, beds, chairs, sofas and tables for at least three months. In its 'Home Office' section, Giotto offers a desk, two types of office chairs and a desk lamp in several colours.
The start-up partners with manufacturing companies that have sustainable production systems to produce design furniture, the company states on its website.
People who only need furniture for a shorter period often choose low-quality furniture, which is then dumped afterwards when it is no longer needed, according to Laurence Odeurs of Giotto. "But if you no longer use a piece of furniture, it can often still be used by someone else," she added.
When clients no longer need the furniture they rented, it is inspected and sanitised, and repaired or refinished if necessary, to make it available for new people.
The company operates in the 19 Brussels municipalities.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times