Walking into a modern office building can be a visually refreshing experience. Increasingly, companies are focusing on making their offices not just functional but aesthetically pleasing, with a range of innovative designs and unusual pieces of furniture.
A problem with ultra-modern, designer or plain gimmicky chairs is that many of them look far better than they are. Especially if employees need to be seated at desks for long periods, they may not provide the support that’s needed.
Here’s a rundown of some of the more stylised office seating options, along with the reasons they may be better avoided.
Trey chair
Supposedly designed for “residence life”, the humble-looking Trey chair is easily converted to a floor seat with a laptop rest. However, sitting on it in this form forces the user to slouch forward to interact easily with the laptop, putting a lot of strain on the lower back. In its normal chair form, it’s a decent chair, but its defining feature is more of a health risk than a selling point.
Kneeling chair
Claiming to take inspiration from the kneeling position for Zen meditation, a kneeling chair forces you to sit in a kneeling position. It has a drop on the thigh rest of about 70 degrees, and an angle of the same degree in the opposite direction for the knees. It’s supposed to reduce lower back strain by removing the burden from the back entirely and sharing it between the knees and the upper leg area. However, a study showed that, in fact, spinal strain and shrinkage occurred in eight out of 10 people using these chairs. Although the chair may have some benefits if you have naturally good posture, there’s nothing stopping you from slouching forward and nothing to support you if you lean back.
ErgoErgo chair
The ErgoErgo chair has a lot in common with the stability ball chair, purporting to engage lower back and abdominal muscles to keep you ergonomically in check. One benefit it does have over its Pilates partner is that it’s height adjustable, making it suitable for a wider variety of ages and body types. It’s horizontal top also makes you less likely to slip off it altogether, but it still lacks any support for your arms or back. It might be a fun seat for short durations, but not something you’d want to sit in from nine to five, Monday through Friday.
Stability ball
The theory behind using a Pilates type exercise ball as a replacement for your traditional office chair is that it forces you to engage your abdominal and back muscles to support yourself, helping you to maintain proper posture. There may be some truth to this, but no scientific study has proved it. Also, a ball simply doesn’t provide any support for you back. A final consideration is that if you’re sitting on one of these things five days a week, you’re bound to slip off at some stage!
Surf chair
As well as costing an arm and a leg, the futuristic Surf chair may cost you sore arms and shoulders, and an aching back. The complete lack of arm support makes this seat unsuitable for office work. Also, although the curved design might look pretty, it forces your back into an unhealthy “C” shape. Instead a chair should support the back’s natural “S” shape, with an outward curve at the bottom and an inward one in the lower lumbar region.
Practicality uber alles
When it comes down to it, the best bang for your buck in terms of office seating comes in the form of tried and tested office chairs. Going the route of practicality doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of visual appeal either; K-Mark allows you to customize every facet of a chair, from the wheels to the seat to the upholstery, all while ensuring that it offers total ergonomic support.
