An Aussie company looking to reinvent the mattress might have found a piece of furniture in desperate need of reinvention: the office chair.
It’s 2021 and you very possibly are working from home. That’s just the state of the world right now, particularly Australia, with much of the country’s population in lockdown. You know who to bring the complaints to — thanks, coronavirus.
And yet for all the work from home we have, and for all the studies and such, it’s very possible that your office chair is the least considered item in your setup.
Gamers have gaming chairs, a concept that provides extra support for the neck and spine for those long hours of gaming, and workers at the desk might want their own attention to comfort, as well.
Not strictly a gadget, good office furniture is about more than just giving you a place to work, but a place to do so comfortably. A good desk can make all the difference, but since you’re going to be supporting that body of yours and all the tension you have, a good chair might make all the difference in the world. In fact, as we head from the colder months to the warmth of summer and spring, the consideration that we’ll be working from home a little longer might lead you away from leathers and pleathers and other fabrics, but more to something that can breathe much like you would want to: open and freely.
It’s why manufacturers are toying with more options, looking for ways to improve on comfort at the desk.
Australian brand Koala has recently chimed in on the idea, launching something it calls the “Virtue”, a chair that is built for keeping comfy at the office at home, and uses some of the tricks Koala has thrown into its mattresses.
Designed in Australia, Koala notes its Virtue seat is designed in Australia, though not necessarily made from the exact same materials. Koala’s foam is used, a material that plays a big part in its mattresses, with the design upholstered and padded, with armrests parts of the design and side-hugging support, as well.
“The Virtue’s armrests give you extra support and help you find the perfect seating position, every sit,” said Adam Harrington, Design Manager at Koala.
“The high cushy backrest screams comfort for long days behind the keyboard. Not to mention, the Virtue’s wraparound side support looks and feels like the midday snuggle we’ve all been aching for,” he said.
There’s also a smaller take in the Upright Office Chair (above), which loses the tall back and the arms on the side, focused less on folks who need the hugging design and armrests, and more on something that sits in a home office that blends with the rest of a home environment, such as in a bedroom.
Koala is also using a type of fabric that’s a little more eco-friendly than your standard cotton or plastic, with its yarn 33 percent made from recycled plastics, using around 17 plastic bottles per chair in the Virtue and closer to 12 bottles per chair made in the Upright model.
Like gaming chairs, the office chairs might just end up being a little more exy than your standard office supply store office chair, though you might be getting a little more lumbar support, at that.
Locally, that means the Koala Virtue Office Chair can be found for $325, while the more compact Upright Office Chair carries a $250 price tag. You’ll find both at the Koala online store in Australia now, alongside a specific desk from Koala with cable management and a headphone hanger for $600.
