If you’ve been keeping tabs on workplace trends, you’ve probably run across the slew of recent stories sounding the alarm. Why the outcry? The experts are saying that being sedentary for more than six hours a day is just as bad for your body as smoking. Now, before you run out and order a fleet […]

The office chair is the undisputed king of the workspace. And why wouldn’t it be? Most office workers spend at least six hours in their chairs. Knowing this, big box stores have entire sections dedicated to them in the same way a car dealership fills their showroom with their best and brightest. While most professionals […]

Anyone who has spent long hours in an office chair can relate to the back pain that can go along with it. Putting too much stress on your spine can also lead to potential medical problems. For these reasons, the office furniture industry has embraced the use of ergonomic design in today’s modern office chairs, […]

Sitting in one position for hours on end adds harmful stress to the spine. In order to help minimize the risk of developing or complicating potential back problems, the science of ergonomics has been incorporated into office chairs for decades. Ergonomic chairs are designed to support the lower back and improve posture. They are also […]

As Robert De Niro once said, “If it’s the right chair, it doesn’t take too long to get comfortable in it.”  However, many of us are forced into using uncomfortable chairs at work.  Instead of the chair molding itself to our body, we are forced to mold our bodies to our chairs.  As a result, […]

In today’s modern world, careers of every kind are making offices their home base. An office is where you will spend the majority of your working hours, making it an area which should be personal, functional, and efficient. Whether your office is an entire room or a small cubical, having it operate at its full […]

Creating a space where your staff and visitors can feel comfortable, confident and engaged is one of the most important things a business needs to consider. It’s great having plenty of room but if you are not using it effectively and maximizing potential you could be losing out on a number of levels. Are your […]

Whether you are relocating your business or renovating your office, there often comes a time when you have to face the fact that you have more furniture than you need. Used office furniture allows you to sustainably dispose of unwanted office furniture without having to put unwanted cubicles or file cabinets in the trash. If you […]

You care about your employees’ comfort, which is why you make sure they have ergonomic office chairs on which to work. Not to mention, employees who are comfortable throughout the work day also tend to have higher levels of job satisfaction, resulting in increased productivity for your company. Simply buying quality office chairs isn’t enough, however. To […]

A lot of thought goes into the layout of your business. The offices, reception area, lobby and conference room are set up to increase production and satisfaction of your employees. However, office chairs aren’t always high on the layout list. In today’s market, there are hundreds of options when it comes to chairs. Here are three distinctive […]

With an overwhelming percentage of the working force operating in offices, many businesses are looking for the healthiest, most comfortable, and most productive work spaces to offer their employees. This applies to more than quality lighting and regular breaks – office workers will spend the majority of their careers sitting down at their desks, and […]

It’s been a long day. The clock finally ticks down and it’s time for you to drag yourself home. You stand up and stretch, hoping the neck and back pain aren’t as bad as yesterday, or the day before, or the day before. But alas, it is. This discomfort distracted you all day, preventing you […]

This week’s NeoCon 2014 gold winners demonstrate a firm grasp on the concept of shared spaces. It’s all about the lounge and the conference room. Whether employees are gathering for a mandatory meeting or voluntary collaboration, they should be served with the best furniture. Lounge Furniture It’s a bench. No, it’s a worktable. Or is […]

The sit-to-stand trend is only one way for people to get in a workout at work. Office chair exercise accessories allow employees to enjoy movement while they stay seated. Here are three pieces of equipment that can transform a traditional workstation into a miniature fitness center. What’s Under Your Desk? The “Cubii” from Fitness Cubed […]

Do you have one or more employees who use a wheelchair or scooter to get around? Don’t assume that simply modifying a workstation for wheelchair access is all that’s required. You might not realize that a chair that is used for transportation and general mobility around the house and on the go isn’t necessarily a […]

What does your business do with dilapidated, unloved, and unusable old office chairs? Hopefully, you don’t have a graveyard like the one posted over at slog.thestranger.com. Here are just a few examples of what can make employees shy away from sitting on the seats featured in this horror show: A broken or missing arm Busted […]

Remember when using a fitness ball office chair was all the rage? Office furniture manufacturers were probably panicking over the idea that a $12 ball could replace a $1200 chair. As it turns out, using a ball all day long isn’t necessarily a good idea. There are no arms on the ball to help keep […]

If you are furnishing an office, you’ve probably already decided on a layout – whether it is an open design or full of tidy cubicles. But how do you know what office chairs will fit your – and your employees’ – needs? For workers who spend a huge amount of time in their cubicle or […]

NeoCon 2013 saw a repeat performance from Steelcase, as the office furniture manufacturer took home another five awards (the same number as last year). However, the company has stepped up its game, winning gold in no less than four categories – plus an innovation award. Steelcase designers have apparently been doing nothing but sitting around […]

Last week, we looked at a roundup of automatically-adjusting task chairs. They were pretty neat and definitely make the process of molding yourself to your chair easier. But there’s one kind of chair that really does need to be totally self-adjusting and flexible – without the need for any complex moving parts. That’s a stackable […]

In the world of office chairs, more isn’t necessarily better. A good ergonomic chair will have a high degree of adjustability. However, the seating option with the most knobs and levers isn’t necessarily the best one. In fact, some of the most awesome chairs are those that automatically adjust – so you can just sit […]

The Office Furniture Blog offers a peek at what you might be sitting on this year in their roundup of trendy office chairs for the modern workplace. None of these designs in seating are new, but they may become more popular since they are quite eye catching. For example, the use of chrome for the […]

How do you design a task chair when workers no longer really need either a desktop computer or a desk? Steelcase is answering that question with a Gesture – the “new sitting experience”. This ergonomic chair is designed to support the smartphone and tablet user who sits in a completely different way than yesterday’s office […]

We all know that the big office buzzword for the last few years has been collaboration. But most organizations are still trying to figure out how to support the serendipitous encounters that are supposed to deliver so much value for modern businesses. Knoll is attempting to fill this support role with the Toboggan sled desk/chair […]

In the United States, we always like to think we are ahead of the curve. But the fact is that we aren’t always first adopters of new ways of doing things. Nor do we always take new concepts further than anyone else. In some ways, that’s a good thing. For example, the standing desk trend […]

Over the past 15 years, more and more companies have been looking for ways to boost the 3 “Cs” at work: Creativity, Collaboration and Comfort. They’ve tried almost everything you can imagine to achieve these goals. Design open plan offices that do away with cubicle panels and let everyone see and hear everyone else all […]

It’s been a while since we had any amusing office furniture news to report. Thankfully, our friends down in Australia are giving us a juicy bit of gossip to share this week. In the Land Down Under, people in high places are making changes that are raising a ruckus. Apparently, the furnishings for the Prime […]

We’ve blogged before about luxury vehicles like a Mercedes Benz being turned into office furniture. But there’s apparently a market for auto themed office chairs and worktables that fit the average income bracket as well.  A company called PitStop Furniture is manufacturing a line of chairs that look like the seats from racing cars and […]

We can just hear the Most Interesting Man in the World saying, “I don’t usually sit down at a desk to work. But, when I do, I prefer the LimbIC chair.” What is it about this ergonomic task chair from Zurich-based company InnoMotion that makes it so interesting? Does it justify the $8500 price tag? […]

That’s a question you should be able to answer if you’ve spent the appropriate amount of time learning to adjust it. All those knobs and levers aren’t just for show. They are designed to offer you a chance to explore and find out just how comfortable you can really be. If you’ve bought an ergonomic […]

If you aren’t a die-hard fan of the standing only desk, this doesn’t mean you are doomed to suffering from poor ergonomics every day when you sit down to work. SitBetter offers a helpful tool you can use to evaluate whether a particular office chair is really a good fit for you. As you might […]

As you lean back in your synchro-tilt, height adjustable, lumbar supported, cushioned, breathable, rolling office chair, do you ever stop to think how you came to occupy such a comfy perch? Business Life offers a look at the history of what you’re sitting on right now. From the 1800s all the way to the 21st […]

Great things can happen when industries collide. The recent collaboration between Allsteel and BMW Group DesignworksUSA has resulted in the creation of a light task chair that can only be described as a really smooth ride. The office furniture manufacturer and the design firm responsible for the concept of the Mini Cooper present the “Clarity” […]

Before we move on to other NeoCon topics, here’s the final post in our series on the Best of NeoCon 2012 office chairs. This is certainly a year we won’t forget when it comes to the variety of seating options on display. Competitors really did manage to “think big” in terms of better ergonomics, futuristic […]

Earlier this month, we explored several entries in NeoCon’s “Best Of” contest in the seating category. Now, here is the next batch of contenders: AirPad3C72 This task chair from Riviera boasts a feature you’ve probably never heard of: microclimate management. That’s a fancy way of saying the mesh covering is breathable so the skin on […]

Pull up a seat for our roundup of entries in the “Best of NeoCon 2012” seating category. You’ll see some designs you recognize and a few that are brand new. This will be a three part series since there’s so much to ponder. Diffrient Smart Office chairs just got smarter – and simpler at the […]

Why is the 5 star base pretty much the only type of base you see on a modern task chair? Sure, it’s a stable design that supports the user from tipping over no matter which way the lean; but is it really the only possible base design? Can you put casters on a chair with […]

Is the proliferation of office chair sports a testament to the spirit of teamwork in the American workplace today? Or is it just a symptom of boredom and how easy it is to record a video and upload it to YouTube these days? Either way, we’re glad that people are finding a creative outlet! Here […]

Just for fun this Friday, here’s an imaginative little video from OFM about what office chairs do once the doors are locked. It’s amazing that these workhorses of the daily 9-5 grind have so much energy left after supporting white collar employees for 8+ hours a day. But this short clip is proof positive that […]

Here’s another follow up on my guest post at Ergotron about designing the sit-to-stand office. It has to do with the sitting part as much as the standing part. Workers still do need well made, ergonomic office chairs for those times during the day when they need to rest their weary legs and feet. All […]

Duncan MacIntyre has a passion for discussing the finer points of the office chair industry’s most ergonomic designs. But he also knows that not everyone can rush out and purchase a $1000 office chair at the drop of a hat. Some of us have to struggle along with a cheap chair for a little while […]

Sometimes, upcycling is more about making art than about creating anything functional. That’s OK! Contributing to the expression of creativity is certainly much more valuable than contributing to a landfill. Home Designing has put together quite a photo library of chairs made out of used materials. Most would make a pretty prickly seat. Others might […]

Teknion isn’t the only office furniture company that received recognition at the 2011 Good Design competition. This series will explore a few other notable brands/products that received awards: Moteo This ergonomic chair design from Germany has some very interesting features. In addition to the procomfort-synchromechanism (the seat and back moving together for maximum support), the […]

Last month, Steelcase recalled its Amia office chair as recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The design of the control mechanism under the chair apparently leaves open the possibility that the pivot pins could fall out. If that happens, users could find themselves unceremoniously dumped on the ground. There are no reports of anyone […]

The Fit@Work chair is the latest tool for encouraging desk workers to get a workout. Obviously, it’s not a substitute for a treadmill desk which can provide cardio training, but it does offer the sitter the opportunity to work their core and upper body. The base expands to provide more stability so you can lean […]

Haworth has developed a very useful online library with research and recommendations for all types of office furniture. The Ergonomic Seating Guide is a particularly interesting document. It looks at the ergonomics of office seating in a lot of detail – including less common features like asymmetrical lumbar support and pelvic support. Of particular interest […]

According to Herman Miller’s research, an office chair can have an effect on how hard your heart has to work throughout an average workday. A decreased heart rate is linked to two benefits: Lower risk of cardiovascular disease over a person’s lifetime Better concentration (possibly due to more efficient circulation and oxygenation) These days, many […]

Here’s one aspect of office furniture ergonomics that doesn’t get a lot of attention – the lowly caster. If you think about it, even the finest office task chair would be lost without its wheels! Of course, we all know how frustrating it is when a caster comes off, or wears out, gets something stuck […]

Haworth has announced the newest member of the Very Chair family. The Very Task continues the design legacy of the various side chairs, conference chairs, and stacking chairs already in the collection. Of course, there’s more to it since a task chair needs plenty of bells and whistles. It’s the definition of fully customizable with […]

We desk workers are always being encouraged to exercise more. We’re told to do seated moves like shoulder shrugs, get up and walk around, do a few stretches, and practice good posture throughout the day. Office furniture pieces such as the adjustable height workstation that promotes more movement and changes in position are becoming increasingly […]

Steelcase made quite a splash with its introduction of mushroom and cotton seed hull packaging; but it’s far from the only office furniture company that is going green with organic products. Albany Office Furniture in the UK is making use of locally occurring natural resources for a different purpose. The company is using nettle stems […]

In another informative white paper from Allsteel, you can learn about the importance of work targeting. That’s one of those phrases invented to describe something that everyone does without realizing it. When you sit in your chair and look at your desk, your eyes go directly to your monitor. That’s why you want your monitor […]

Last week, we talked about the highly competitive sport of chair hockey. But if you want some real brutality, you should check out this video advertisement from Mad Man Mund’s in Florida. There are no holds barred when it comes to extreme chair racing. In fact, this event will remind you of the “Chairiot” race […]

Canada is known for three things – maple syrup, Niagara Falls, and hockey. This love for hockey extends beyond the ice rink and into the office arena. IIDEX/NeoCon Canada and the Interior Designers of Canada actually hosted an ergonomic office chair hockey tournament in September. More than half a dozen teams competed, sponsored by manufacturers […]

The interwebs are all agog with the results of Staples.com’s recent survey about the top items employees wish their employers would change in the office. Not surprisingly, one top item workers want is the opportunity to stay out of the office altogether. Telecommuting is one of the most popular perks and that’s not likely to […]

Knoll’s Generation office chairs have garnered quite a bit of notice this year in the business and technology sector. The seating was featured in both Wired Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. Unlike many office chairs that hold a user in a fairly fixed position, Generation is designed to support workers effortlessly as they bend, […]

Kimball Office joins the ranks of office furniture manufacturers who have debuted new office chair designs in the last 12 months. The Itsa is chock full of opportunities to let businesses pick just the right features for their workforce. For example, the chair height can be specified for small-to-average or average-to-tall users. This is about […]

Teknion’s ergonomic accessories in the Complements collection include quite a range of keyboard trays. There are models with plastic or aluminum surfaces as well as sit-to-stand arm versions for enhanced flexibility. But it’s the mouse trays that add that little something extra. The 3D mousing surface attachment has almost as many adjustable features as a […]

What type of office chair occupies that space between the lowly worker and the exalted executive? The folks at Maxon have decided that middle management deserves its own line of office seating. Hey, managers take a lot of flack – even if they’re actually good at their jobs. If you’ve been the undeserving butt of […]

Last week, we took a look at a Wired magazine article featuring an impassioned and detailed review of several ergonomic office chairs. But there’s an even better place to turn if you need to find out absolutely everything about pretty much any chair on the market. This shout out goes to Duncan MacIntyre at officechairadvice.com. […]

You would think ergonomic office chairs are like five star restaurants the way some people rave about them. White collar workers covet them and geeks hack them. Are all these high end seating options basically the same or is there a real difference? According to Bruce Sterling at Wired, three of the most often praised […]

Last week, we took a look at some of the up and coming workstation designs entered for the Best of NeoCon award. Now, let’s peruse recently developed task chairs that might be paired with these state-of-the-art casegoods. Scope Out the Scope Chair There’s quite a global flavor to the entries this year. For example, “viasit” […]

Because of its global reach, Haworth makes it possible to buy office furniture that is “Made in the USA” but that was conceived in collaboration with some very talented designers in Europe. That’s the case with this classic K700 stool by Studio Centro Castelli. It looks eerily like a partially unbent paperclip (especially when you […]

In 2009, Steelcase set out to discover if their Leap chair could cause a “leap” in productivity for workers. The company collaborated with the University of Texas in a yearlong study involving a total of 450 employees at two different workplaces. They compared the productivity and well-being of a control group with that of employees […]

Like most high-end cubicle and office chair manufacturers, HON offers several categories of fabric choices for customers. There’s a “core” set of textiles including 180 options for seating and 90 fabrics for systems furniture. Beyond this, there are 200 additional options provided with standard lead times (and HON’s limited lifetime warranty) in the “Select” line. […]

There are a number of fantastically comfortable and very ergonomic office chairs in the high end range of $700-1100. But it’s a little harder to find fully adjustable seating that’s budget friendly for smaller businesses. HON is making a difference at the value-priced end of the market with a task chair called the Volt. Buyers […]

Your can make call center cubicles more comfortable if you know what features employees value most. Start with these two areas.

Looking for quality office furniture? San Diego and surrounding counties boast a few manufacturers including a top innovator in the field of ergonomic seating.

Do you have one or more employees who are quite tall? They may need specialized office furniture solutions like those discussed here.

Is it really a good idea to buy black office furniture? San Diego businesses can learn several reasons go with basic black here.

Do you like keeping up with the latest in green office furniture? Check out the latest honor bestowed on the Cobi Chair from Steelcase.

Comfy chairs are an important component in medical office furniture. San Diego healthcare professionals and patients need ergonomic seating.

Do you love the cool look of white office furniture? San Diego execs can really kick back and chill in this creamy leather chair from Knoll.

Have you ever noticed that some people only feel important if they have the nicest chair in the room? An oversized executive desk chair upholstered in rich leather says “I’m the only person here who deserves luxurious office furniture.” Del Mar chairs from DMI don’t encourage this kind of mind game. Instead, the 7302 collection […]

The difficulty of creating truly ergonomic office chairs is a challenge that has kept manufacturers busy for many decades. Some designers have scrapped the idea of a traditional “chair” altogether in their quest for the perfect seating option. Here are just a few of the concepts that have been created as alternatives to the usual […]

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), workplace stress is a leading factor in poor worker health and loss of productivity. Maintaining a good work/life balance is one way to combat stress. Making the workplace more pleasant is another. What group of employees would say “no” to being supplied with 4 […]