Bursting Balls!

You’re shopping for a chair online and you want something different.  Something cool, like you’ve seen on design blogs and in trade show reviews.  Something innovative, comfortable and good for your posture.

It looms…

Then you run across a product called the Ball Chair.  Its various permutations are similar, but the one question running through your mind as you look at the attractive folks perched perfectly on their chairs is,

“Is this thing going to explode when I sit on it?”

That’s the first thing I thought, at least.  But never fear!  The Evolution chair is made with high quality anti-burst material, and direct from Evolution’s site:

Our anti-burst balance ball is eco-friendly and latex-free. It is also 6P-free, meaning it does not contain the 6 most harmful phthalates contained in some other balance balls or plastic products.

Good for the environment, good for the back.  What’s not to love?  Two of my co-workers sit on them, and we all occasionally do a little quick yoga in the office.  Only when the bosses are not here, catch my drift?

Back from the grave!

We’ve been busy little workers (and elves for the better part of December) over at Seating Zone and we can surface for air to wish you a very belated Happy New Year!

I’d like to take a moment and wax amorous about my Hon Ignition chair I’m currently sitting in.  I have the basic model without the syncro-tilt option but it’s absolutely fabulous.  I avoid task chairs and stick to my beloved Varier kneeling chair, but this small seat makes me feel cozy and secure without restricting my movement.  The mesh back is super supportive and breathable.  I can easily adjust my tilt tension with one knob, and the arms are totally adjustable to whatever position I need, up or down.

I recommend this chair for those of you smaller folks, around 5’1″ to 5’8″, who want a task chair that’s proportionate, functional and really comfortable.  It comes in loads of fabrics and even fully upholstered.  Take a look at our selection in the Ignition line.  You won’t be disappointed.

SitCorrect: Pregnancy Seating

I’ve linked to a new study posted by Varier earlier this week regarding the benefits of kneeling chairs for women during the latter stages of their pregnancies.  Check it out!

Eurotech’s New Model

The folks over at Eurotech know their chairs.  The Ergohuman alone is our most popular model, coming in around several thousand sales per year.  Their new model introduces two wonderful features that promote simplicity and elegance of design.

Ergo-chic

Say goodbye to tons of buttons and levers - for 2012, Eurotech’s upped the ante in ergonomic seating with a brand new single lever mechanism that controls your seat height, seat slide position and back angle.

Do your elbows slide off your armrests?  Eurotech’s come up with a solution. You can now adjust your armrest position and angle as well as the height.

Total adjustment equals total comfort

Eurotech’s taken a clean, beautiful design and made it even more accomodating to their customer base.  And, at half the price of a Herman Miller, Eurotech’s providing their consumers with exceptional value.  Contact us to order yours today!

This one is for the fidgeters.

Varier’s come out with a press release on a recent study done using their Move Stool for ADD/ADHD children in which they found that providing an outlet for fidgeting  increases aptitude and learning.

I remember being a kid and having trouble sitting still, be it at home or at school.  Even now it’s hard to sit at my desk and work uninterrupted.  As a writer with more than my fair share of imagination, I process ideas the best when I’m in motion, be it pacing or gesticulating while talking to myself.  As a new teacher I need to come up with all sorts of learning strategies to engage my kids, and the more freedom I give them to move, the more ownership they have over their learning and their work in the classroom.

Humans are active.  We sprawl, lean, tap, drum and generally wiggle our way through the day. It’s unnatural to sit still for hours, and a static body promotes a static mind.  By allowing kids the freedom to move while they read and interact in a classroom, we encourage the development of their kinetic intelligence and actually, believe it or not, promote healthier brain function.

The same goes for adults in the workplace, and companies like Varier focus on ergonomic options for the active adult as well as their smaller Move Stool for kids.  The Move Stool and their line of kneeling chairs give us the freedom to fidget in the office while providing great ergonomic support for our bodies.  What’s not to love?

Review: SmartMotion’s Swing Chair

I’ve been learning a lot about pneumatic seating, ergonomics and memory foam over the past few days.  As I made my way around the showroom yesterday, I stumbled upon this beauty:

One of our very own!

The Swing Chair is the mac daddy of ergonomic office furniture.  This thing has got to be from space, that’s how sophisticated, simple and comfortable it is.  Captain Kirk would be proud.

As soon as you sit down the seat and back automatically adjust to cradle your body.  Our model has the headrest, which gives you added neck support.  If you lean backward or forward, the seat slides with you for optimal comfort.  The knobs on the side adjust your armrest positions and pump up the back pad to provide your spine with one-of-a-kind customizable support.

Needless to say, I was impressed.  I’m an edge-of-the-seat sloucher, which is a perfect recipe for terrible posture, and this chair felt amazing.  I was able to sit up straight in comfort and feel fully supported, which took all the pressure off my lower back.  Heaven.  I’ll be sitting in this baby as often as I can get away with.

Check out our Executive Swing Chair and our Executive Swing Chair with Headrest on SeatingZone.com.

orange you glad for neocon 2011?

A hilarious article in the Chicago Sun-Times documented a notable trend at NeoCon 2011 (office furniture’s biggest conference mecca, for those not in the know): the prevalence of a very particular shade of orange. One company referred to it by its Pantone Matching System number, PMS-716. A little research reveals that there are several variations on this hue:

My curiosity got the better of me, so I went looking for office chairs (many of which we sell) in this shade. Is it arancio, persimmon, oriole, Koenig orange, sunrise orange, cayenne, mango, papaya, pumpkin, coral, brick, or just plain orange? See for yourself and be the judge.

swingchair!

There are a lot of neat chairs in the world, especially of the ergonomic variety. Some of the “bendiest” chairs aren’t available in the US, like the Lay Flat Chair, which allows you to stretch out for a nap at your desk — but is only for sale in Japan. That’s why I’m so pleased that we are now carrying SmartMotion Technology’s SwingChair at SeatingZone.

Available in two different styles (the second pictured comes with a headrest, a thicker cushion, and a chrome base), the SwingChair is thusly named because it moves with you — if you lean forward, the chair supports you in doing so; if you relax back, so does the chair. While the SwingChair isn’t sentient (as far as I know), it does make a pretty good show of being sentient by responding instantly and automatically to your position without the need for knob-fiddling. Once we get one of these babies here at the ranch, I’ll hit up the blog with a bona fide review of its coolness. I’m sure it’s gonna have oodles.

it’s coupon time!

Graduation gift? Father’s Day? Wedding? Memorial Day barbeque? Whatever your occasion, there’s probably a chair for it — and with our 5% spring coupon, now’s as good a time as any to splurge on that special seat. Enter BLGX05 at checkout to receive 5% off any order through June 30th! Overwhelmed by the choices? Then I’d suggest one of the many new HON chairs we’re featuring, including the ever-popular Ignition. Your grad-dad-bride-hot dog griller will be glad for somewhere to rest. Somewhere there’s a seat with their name on it!

varier gravity chair

This isn’t a new item, but it’s been awhile since I’ve mentioned our friends at Varier. Whenever people call up asking for a kneeling chair, it’s inevitably their classic Variable Balans (or Wing Chair) that I suggest. But they also have a very special model that’s more than just a kneeling chair: the Gravity Balans.

We have one of these in our showroom right now (it looks exactly like the model in the video!), and at a very good price. This beautiful chair draws comments from everyone — impressive to behold, it also tilts forward and backwards into four distinct positions, even a kneeling chair! And don’t be afraid to take your feet off the ground, because the floating sensation is very relaxing.