Earlier in the year we spoke to Jonathan Prestwich about the raison d’être of his new Balance chair, a beautiful symmetry between task chair and meeting chair that has been seven years in the making.
Painstakingly developed to avoid any compromise between dynamic responsiveness and the comfort of a fully upholstered chair, the Balance chair was conceived way ahead of its time. As the world has shifted to a new working environment, where the quiet comforts of home and the inspiring energy of the workplace overlap, the timing for the launch of the Balance chair couldn’t be better.
The workplace is a hub for people who share the same goals - where team spirit is built, brand culture is developed, relationships are strengthened, talent is nurtured and a sense of belonging is created. People want to gather in an environment that is social, inclusive, dynamic, motivating and uplifting. The new workplace must encourage a sense of belonging, promote well-being, be purposeful and allow people to thrive in their work - to do this, it must be more hospitable.
The purpose was to create a chair that was inspiring, mobile and dynamic whilst also being welcoming and comfortable
The Balance chair has been designed for the new workplace, a more modular and dynamic environment, where teams move around, changing in size and function from one day to the next, and the key activity is collaboration. The purpose was to create a chair that was inspiring, mobile and dynamic whilst also being welcoming and comfortable, making people feel at home and able to think as clearly as they would at home.
Works like a task chair but has the cosines of an arm chair
The chair’s simple, wraparound body, combined with its dynamic self-adjusting mechanism, allows it to work in all kinds of different scenarios, offering a cosy feel but also an ergonomic sit for sustained periods of work. The chair adapts to each user automatically, the tension of the backrest adjusting to each individual sitter, offering the same level of comfort and recline whoever uses it.
Ergonomic inclusivity – a chair for everyone
While developing the Balance chair, we went through many iterations before the final design. It was important for us that the chair works like a task chair but has the cosines of an arm chair. Building on an existing typology, it reinterprets the office chair. The design of the seat and back are soft welcoming forms but its reactive, weight-adjusting mechanism creates a synergy between user and chair.
The result is a chair that has been developed with a keen awareness of ergonomics and user diversity. This is a chair for everyone.
The Balance chair has been designed and manufactured to comply with BS EN1335-1:2020. This standard sets out the parameters of office chair dimensions using ergonomics and anthropometrics, ensuring suitability for a diverse range of users. Usually this standard will be awarded to a task chair that looks like a task chair, not so with the Balance chair. At long last a chair has arrived that balances a soft and welcoming aesthetic with the performance demanded by a dynamic and interactive workplace.
The Balance chair has been designed and manufactured to comply with BS EN1335-1:2020. This standard sets out the parameters of office chair dimensions using ergonomics and anthropometrics, ensuring suitability for a diverse range of users. Usually this standard will be awarded to a task chair that looks like a task chair, not so with the Balance chair. At long last a chair has arrived that balances a soft and welcoming aesthetic with the performance demanded by a dynamic and interactive workplace.
Designed for a circular future
What’s more, unlike traditionally upholstered moulded foam chairs, the Balance chair has been designed with the three tenets of circular economics in mind: Design out waste and pollution. Keep materials and products in use. Regenerate natural systems.
Developed with a removable cover that negates the need for glue, the chair has been designed to avoid the creation of waste and pollution. As the outer cover becomes worn, rather than replacing the whole chair, it can be easily and resourcefully refurbished with a new cover, keeping it in use over multiple lifecycles. With a ten-year warranty as standard, the Balance chair is built to last. For every ten chairs we supply we will plant a tree, the right tree, in the right place, supporting tree planting projects that work with local communities to restore lost woodland, provide biodiverse habitats and capture carbon for many years to come.
Not just another chair, the Balance chair is everything a new chair ought to be; purposeful, inclusive and resourceful.
