After 25 years running serviced office space, I can tell you the honest answer to this question: it depends far less on formulas than most people think, and far more on how you actually plan to use the space, work, and grow.

I've watched hundreds of businesses go through this exact decision, and there's a pattern I see time and time again. So let's get into it.

The Most Common Mistake: Underestimating

In my experience, most businesses underestimate how much space they need, not overestimate. They tend to think in terms of "how many desks can we cram in" rather than "how do we actually want to work."

That's part of why we've always kept our office suites generous in size. We don't like people sat on top of each other. Every member of a team should have a proper, good-sized desk to work at, not just a spot that technically fits.

How We Actually Calculate Space Needs: Bums on Seats

When clients ask us how much space they need, we base everything on what I call "bums on seats," simply, how many people are actually going to be in that office. That's the starting point for every conversation.

From there, it becomes about what those people need to work well. Some clients want a bit more space than they currently need because they're planning to grow, and that's completely valid. But most of the clients we see at Leigh House take the space that fits what they actually need right now, not what they might need in five years.

What Real Office Sizes Look Like

One of the most useful things I can offer here isn't a generic online calculator, it's real numbers from real offices.

At Leigh House, our smallest office is 77 sq ft and suits one person comfortably. Our largest office is 505 sq ft and comfortably suits eight people. Everything in between is genuinely usable, working space, not space that's been squeezed to hit a number.

Here's roughly how that breaks down:

• 1 person: around 77 sq ft
• Small teams: proportionally sized suites, not just "the leftover room"
• 8 person teams: up to 505 sq ft

And crucially, our spaces are flexible. As an example, we might have a 3-desk office with 3 desks in it, but if a client doesn't like the desk style we provide, or wants a different room layout, we can often reconfigure the space to fit 4 desks instead. It genuinely comes down to what works for that specific business, not a fixed template.

It's Not Just About Desks

When people think about office space, they almost always think about desks first. But there's more to it, and it's often the things people forget until it's too late that make the biggest difference day to day.

The questions I get asked most often, beyond desk space, are about:

• Meeting rooms – we offer these on an hourly basis for tenants, plus half-day and full-day hire
• Storage – whether that's a filing cabinet, a bookshelf, or additional storage units within the office itself
• Reception services – having that professional front-of-house presence

None of these are one-size-fits-all. They're entirely dependent on what the client actually needs from their space and how they run their business.

Why Generic "Square Foot Per Person" Formulas Miss the Point

You'll see it all over the internet: the old standard of "100 sq ft per person" gets thrown around as if it's gospel. I have opinions on this.

You could absolutely put someone in a box room of 100 sq ft, and technically, it would work. But that's not really the question worth asking. The real question is what that space needs to do for the business, and how it helps that business progress and grow.

A formula can't tell you that. Only understanding your team, your working style, and your ambitions can.

The Flexibility Factor: Why Serviced Offices Change the Equation

This is honestly one of the biggest advantages of a serviced office that people don't fully appreciate until they're in one.

Being in a serviced office means you're not locked into a decision the way you would be with a traditional long-term lease. If your business grows quickly, you can move to a larger room within the building, subject to availability. If you need to downsize, you can do that too. It's a lot more flexible than people tend to assume.

My honest advice to clients is always the same: come and see the space. Visualise how your team would actually work in it. That tells you far more than any spreadsheet calculation ever will.

How the "How Much Space" Question Has Changed Since the Pandemic

This question looks different than it did a few years ago, and I've seen that shift firsthand.

There's now clear demand for smaller 2 to 3 person office spaces, as more businesses split their time between the office and remote working. Some teams are in a certain number of days a week and remote the rest.

Pop-up or shared spaces work for some businesses, but they don't offer the same privacy as having your own dedicated space within an office environment, and for a lot of businesses, that privacy matters more than they initially expect.

Ultimately, how much space you need comes back to how you see your business developing. What do you need your office to do for you, right now and as you grow?

The One Thing I'd Want Every Business Owner to Know

If you take away one piece of advice from this post, let it be this: don't just look at price.

Look at what's actually included. Look at what the provider is offering based on your specific needs, and how they can genuinely help you develop and grow your business. For us, it was never about filling a space purely to collect revenue. We love seeing tenants take space with us, grow within it, and eventually outgrow it. That's success, not a loss.

At Leigh House, we've deliberately kept things unique rather than generic. We only have 14 rooms in total, ranging from 1 person up to 8 person offices, which means every space is considered rather than mass-produced.

About Leigh House

Leigh House is an outstanding listed building in the heart of Stanningley, Pudsey, Leeds, sitting directly between Leeds and Bradford. That makes it a genuinely convenient location for transport, with plenty of on-site free car parking too.

What sets us apart from many serviced offices in the area is our setting: over an acre of gardens and grounds to walk around in, and south-facing offices with large openable windows. You need to be comfortable and happy in the space you're working from, and we've built Leigh House around that belief.

If you're currently weighing up how much office space you actually need, come and see Leigh House for yourself. Get in touch to arrange a viewing, and we'll help you work out exactly what fits your team and your growth plans.