September 25, 2012

Office Chair Timeline

Office Chairs are one of the most used furniture in most companies. In the past for non-wealthy people there wasn’t many chairs to choose from and it was down to the man of the household usually made it with his own materials. The rich had grand handmade with carvings all over to show how important they were. To this present day we have many different types, styles, materials and colours to choose from.

The most common office chair is a Desk or Task Chair, we are lead to believe one the earliest known innovators to have created the modern office chair was Charles Darwin, who put wheels on the chair in his study so he could get to his specimens faster. Task chairs didn’t change very much until the dawn of the computer heralded the office revolution. The 50’s and 60’s were the last time you could expect to find an office chair that looked very similar. The early 90’s, office chairs have looked elegant and practical, we have much more choice in style, features and colours.

The office chair was purposefully designed to increase the productivity of an employee by making it likely for them to remain sitting at their desks for long periods of time. A swivelling chair with casters allowed employee’s to stay sitting and yet reach a number of locations within their work area, eliminating wasted time. The saddle seat was designed to fit and support the body and the slatted back and armrest provided additional support to increase the employee’s comfort.

A designer Niels introduced the concept of ergonomics- work furniture that would account for human needs. He co-published his design sourcebook, Humanscale in 1974, which also included X-rays of people sitting in rigid office chairs from the 50’s. From then onwards the design and support for chairs progressed.

Whiteleys supplies and provides all styles and types you may need from:

· Task · Executive · Ergonomic · Orthopaedic · Bad backs · Heavy duty · Operator · Conference and Training

Whiteleys have a wide choice of stunning designs to suit you and your office needs, for comfort, dual ability and quality.

Need Office Inspiration?

Download Our Office Furniture Product Guide for 2022 catalogue

Featured Posts

Phone

020 8313 3344