People come to Backworld for a new chair because they appreciate that support, fit and suitability are more important than looks.
It’s a sad truth that most people, whether that’s a company ordering a lot of chairs for their staff, or someone buying a chair for themselves, will prioritise the colour and the aesthetic over human factors. I once went to an office launch party where more had been invested in the toilet seat than the office chairs.
“Nice office Claire” I once said to a friend I visited at work. “We’re so pleased” she said, “it’s a lovely place to work and welcome clients”.
“Chairs look awful though” (I couldn’t help myself).
“Oh they are, we’ve all got back ache”.
“So why were they chosen?” I pushed.
“Because they’re green” said Claire. 😞
The sad thing about all of this is that if the purchasers had spoken to a company that specialises in chairs they could have acquired some strong, supportive chairs that adjust for most people and in a colour and style that provide the aesthetic they’re looking for.
So while I generally don’t like to talk about looks before function, there are a couple of products that I can confidently say look fantastic, and at the same time the designers didn’t take their eyes off the ‘human factors’ ball.
Firstly, the Hag Sofi. Available with a fully upholstered or mesh back and while it’s fully adjustable and features Hag’s unique ‘In Balance’ mechanism to keep you moving and supported all day, a lot of thought has also gone into how the chair looks. It has most of the adjustments of any ergonomic chair, but rather than have large unsightly paddles sticking out of the side, all the controls have been discreetly placed, yet you won’t struggle to find them when you need to.
And also from Hag, the classic Capisco. Peter Opsvik is as famous as a designer of chairs can expect to be and his designs are held up as being some of the best there is. And the Capisco, while still looking fresh and contemporary, is actually over 40 years old! Stripped of any material that is not strictly necessary the Capisco encourages the user to adopt different postures throughout the day. It works particularly well with a height adjustable chair and can be specified with different metal and fabrics to really show off the look.
