Office chairs, versatility and style for working in comfort
Enveloping like a hug, comfortable to accompany the body during a workday, and easy to move around thanks to its casters, the office chair is an ever-evolving design item. The credit for this can be attributed to the fact that companies today also pay attention to aesthetics and functionality, creating harmonious and visually pleasing workplaces that combine beauty, practicality and comfort. An approach that is repeated for those in the home who have studio or workstation environments to work in. In these cases, the choice of one’s chair becomes crucial because it goes into one’s home space, on which perhaps stylistic choices had already been made, and this one must respect the style by harmonizing with the surrounding furniture.
Actually, the office chair has a history that goes back a long way. Commonly called the ‘ swivel chair,’ swivel chair in English, it was ‘invented’ in America by the famous politician, architect and scientist Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, in the early 1800s. Jefferson, in the years when he was elected a congressman of the Continental Congress, requested his friend, cabinetmaker Francis Trumble, to modify his trusty Windsor chair by adding wheels and a central pivot, so as to make it more suitable for his work and comfortable for long hours spent at his desk. It so happened that U.S. congressmen signed the Declaration of Independence, in 1776, sitting in Trumble’s Windsors swivel version. These chairs, forerunners of today’s office models, furnish Independence Hall in Philadelphia today. From then on, this type of chair has undergone continuous transformation and evolution following technological advances and material innovations. In 1926, the German company Sedus introduced “Federdreh,” the first swivel work chair with a cushioned column, which had an international patent and is now considered the progenitor of modern office chairs. The real revolution of the product, however, occurred in the 1960s, when it switched from a 4-spoke base to a 5-spoke base. A simple expedient that led to greater stability, the development of the first swing systems and then to increasingly complex systems.
Physix by Vitra, a chair with versatile DNA.
The mobility performance of an office chair, with elements that help determine natural comfort in relation to free body movements. The continuous surface, in response to stress and pressure on the armrests, reacts with different back and seat dynamics. These are some of the features of the Physix office chair, created by designer Alberto Meda for Vitra. The structure of Physix stems from the idea of creating a unique shell by sandwiching a single panel of tension fabric between two side elements. Using state-of-the-art materials and manufacturing technologies, Alberto Meda directs the interaction of three elements to create a new dynamic seating experience: a flexible frame structure, a stabilizing mechanism, and an elastic upholstery. The combination of these three features forms an intelligent structure that explores new possibilities for dynamic seating through the interaction of flexible and rigid elements. The texture, then, designed by Hella Joungerius traces ironwork, as if it were a wearable fabric. The weave is differentiated according to the area, for example, the lumbar one is reinforced, and it is obtained from two yarns also to create the mélange effect. A timeless seat, loved by businesses but also perfect in the home, when you spend many hours at your desk in front of the PC and need comfort in your posture.
Papilio Shell by B&B Italia, as comfortable and light as a butterfly’s flight
Office-proof comfort and creativity for the Papilio Shell seat from B&B Italia. Designer Naoto Fukasawa succeeds in recreating the lightness of a butterfly’s flight in this series of chairs. His name, in fact, Papilio, in the Latin language, actually means butterfly. The backrest, with its enveloping structure, is reminiscent of the butterfly’s multicolored wings, ready to unfold to open into flight. Originating from a shell, the design of which emphasizes coziness and comfort, the chair expresses a remarkable versatility that makes it usable in a wide variety of situations, not only of a domestic nature. Papilio Shell has a four-spoke swivel base, with or without wheels, and armrests in polished brushed aluminum, painted white, black or greige. The upper supporting part picks up the color and finish of the shell. Perfect in modern and essential environments, it enriches the office corner with a graceful touch of style.
Juli 09 by Cappellini, office chair as curvy as a flower
It was 1996 when Austrian designer Werner Aisslinger, a multiple ‘Compasso d’Oro’ winner, created Juli for Cappellini, a distinctive and innovative seat, modern in form and materials, reminiscent of a flower’s corolla. Elegant, sinuous and poetic, today Juli, now in version 09, in fact mounts a new die-cast aluminum base, available in 4-spoke with feet and 5-spoke swivel with wheels, in chrome and polished brushed finishes. Traditional integral polyurethane declinations are joined by a new version fully upholstered in a selection of fabrics, extra leathers from the collection. A truly iconic office chair, so much so that it has been the subject of two successful reissues with the Juli Jubilee. First in 2009, and then in 2016, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, limited editions were created that are now unobtainable objects of desire for design enthusiasts, embroidered with the ancient and precious technique of punching, which enables the reproduction of very high-precision designs and striking shades on leather upholstery. An office chair capable of furnishing and embellishing even the easiest home corner intended for agile work.
