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The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

theguardian.com

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Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#41

Post by grugagag »

adamnemecek wrote: post #2

The worst chair in the world is the American high school/college desk+chair combo like this one https://www.schooloutlet.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/Screen... The people making and buying these place are committing crimes against humanity.

It's not comfortable but I don't think that's the worst chair especially if you pay attention how you sit in it. The worst chair is the cheap office chair that is often misaligned, wobbly and encouraging you to rest your back in a wrong way. And the free rotating swivel makes sure you are you really have a bad posture and not being able to sit properly. I relearned to sit down and now prefer a rigid surface and most often don't rest my back on anything. If your back is tired and you need to use the backrest it's time to get up and walk around a bit.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#42

Post by cpwright »

armagon wrote: post #35

Gee, I was just thinking I needed to make some new chairs for the kitchen table (which seems to be a somewhat challenging woodworking project, as curves as usually called for and the way to craft them isn't obvious). I wish the article offered more advice about what makes a good chair, or chair alternative.

If you are going to invest the effort in a set of dining chairs, I would recommend watching the Wood Whisperer guild dining chair videos. I have made a Hank chair and high chairs, but have never made a dining char. I did buy the class and found how Marc Spagnuolo broke it down interesting and informative.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#43

Post by _alex_ »

sgt101 wrote: post #33

I got a gaming chair at the beginning of lockdown, and I propped up my desk to get everything to the right height. The things I looked for : adjustable arm rests, adjustable height, adjustable tilt and headrest & lumbar support. Also buy a 28" 4k monitor, proper keyboard and mouse device of choice (I got an apple magic pad). All for ~ £500. It's worth the investment.

Do you like the gaming chair? I ordered an aeron and didn’t like it, sent it back. Need a new chair. Decade old office chair is falling apart.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#44

Post by kjeetgill »

jamespetercook wrote: post #20

I don’t think I’ve ever found a chair that I felt completely comfortable in. I like to sit upright and feel alert and most chairs seem to be made for relaxing. I’ve always wondered if it’s just me or not, and have often thought about designing a chair but realistically I don’t have the skills :(

Same. For me it's old band habits. Used to sitting on front edge of the chair not using the back rest.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#45

Post by grugagag »

mattlondon wrote: post #19
grugagag wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you type standing for long periods of time? Do you rest your arms on the table?

I tend to rest my wrists/outer corner of hand on the desk, just like I do when sitting. Can't say I've ever noticed a difference between sitting and standing when it comes to typing

The best position for me that I find for typing and this might be my own body and preferences, is to have elbows tucked close to the rib cage and keyboard on my lap or as close to the body as possible and relax arms, not rest on them at all but having them hang from the shoulders. Having a standing desk is very tempting, the only thing is that I'm not sure how I'd replicate the typing position I just mentioned. I'm now very curious and I think I'll run some experiments.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#46

Post by TACIXAT »

jamespetercook wrote: post #20

I don’t think I’ve ever found a chair that I felt completely comfortable in. I like to sit upright and feel alert and most chairs seem to be made for relaxing. I’ve always wondered if it’s just me or not, and have often thought about designing a chair but realistically I don’t have the skills :(

I have this same issue. I've never seen a chair that supports shoulders back and down good posture. They all seem to hunch or arch forward. None offer the mid back support needed to put your chest forward.

Same situation for sitting cross legged. My solution for posture has been a standing desk. I never really made any progress on my posture until I started standing.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#48

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 »

mattlondon wrote: post #16

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that seems to be happy to just sit on a dining chair when at my desk? When the WFH wave hit, people seemed to be going mad buying webcams and office chairs. Loads of people I work with spent a lot of energy researching and discussing chairs etc. I have a sit-stand desk and I stand for perhaps 2 to 3 hours any working day. But the rest of the time I just sit on a normal old woo…

>I do run 2 to 4 times a week so I do wonder if that helps avoid problems?

I think there are a lot of stressed and unconditioned office workers who want some magical device to solve everything. Vertical mice, split vertical keyboards, expensive chairs. None of it replaces exercise.

Might be a controversial opinion.

Re: The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design

#50

Post by tonymet »

mattlondon wrote: post #16

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that seems to be happy to just sit on a dining chair when at my desk? When the WFH wave hit, people seemed to be going mad buying webcams and office chairs. Loads of people I work with spent a lot of energy researching and discussing chairs etc. I have a sit-stand desk and I stand for perhaps 2 to 3 hours any working day. But the rest of the time I just sit on a normal old woo…

I prefer a bench. It helps you load weight on your pelvis and keeps your spine straight . All the soft stuff is protected
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