Chairs are getting a bad rap these days.
Ergonomic desk chairs are making waves due to an increase in remote work. Some people have even ditched their chairs completely in favor of exercise balls and walking pads.
We're in the age of standing desks, and while that's all fine and dandy, I can't help but think about how our chairs feel: alone, abandoned and without purpose.
Right now, chairs are undergoing a transformation. Along with that transformation comes a change in understanding of what constitutes comfort. The chair offers a glimpse into our collective ideas about status, comfort, beauty and relaxation.
As our ideas change, so do our chairs.
Below is a list of five chairs that I think deserve some appreciation; a seemingly useless list, but humans will always need a place to rest their feet. Especially after a long day of work at their standing desk.
WINDSOR CHAIR
When one conjures an image of a chair in their mind, it's most likely the Windsor chair that appears. These are the most common style of chairs featuring a solid wooden seat, a rounded back and, on some occasions, armrests for resting your weary hands.
These chairs were easy to manufacture in the 1800s due to the use of cheap wood and a quick assembly process. In fact, they're known as the world's first mass-produced chairs and appear in our dining rooms more often than not. Thanks for giving me a place to enjoy a hot meal and for paving the way for all of the chairs to come, Windsor chair.
CONOID CHAIR
This chair, designed by Spokane native and woodworker George Nakashima, is a story of form, function and daring design.
Sitting on just two legs, the chair was a feat in midcentury modern design in the 1970s and played off the Windsor's shape with a few unique attributes. The Conoid chair was designed to glide easily over carpet, a home feature that was rapidly increasing in popularity. The chair's sleek frame and the obvious craftsmanship displayed in Nakashima's work make it a highly sought-after collector's piece, displayed in museums worldwide even today.
TULIP CHAIR
As this list goes on, the amount of legs on the chairs gets less and less.
The Tulip chair, designed by Eero Saarinen in 1955 for Knoll, is the first single-material, single-form chair. It completely destroyed the notion that a chair had to sit on four legs — Saarinen famously disliked the "slum of legs" most chairs possessed at the time — and while it's not the world's most comfortable chair, it is undeniably magnificent looking and became iconic almost immediately because of its futuristic style.
WOBBLE CHAIR
The Wobble Chair. Because sitting should be fun!
Initially designed by Kore for busy-bodied children, these chairs are said to lead to better focus and posture due to the continuous movement of the chair. They resemble a dumbbell turned on its side, engaging your core muscles with every small adjustment.
Kore now makes Office Wobble chairs for adults who can't seem to sit still or are worried about a sedentary lifestyle.
Instead of getting rid of your office chair completely, just get a Wobble Chair. Be that person in your office!
SPACE CAPSULE CHAIR
Did you know that there was a chair aboard the first manned space capsule? Allegedly it was put on board to make astronauts feel more at home.
Once the astronauts realized that a chair was useless in zero gravity, the chair was omitted from future missions.
Hopefully, after a few more centuries of innovation and changing ideals, mankind won't come to that same conclusion. ♦
