Traditionally, our homes have been equipped with specific types of furniture dedicated to certain activities. One kind of furniture for resting and another kind for performing activities. Opsvik questioned this, seeking to find a single design which could accommodate the range of activities we carry out at home. The answer was Gravity™.
Sitting made levitational
When Peter Opsvik designed Gravity™ in the early 1980s, his intention was to create a single chair which could accommodate as many activities as possible. From the active and focused, to the completely relaxed. The result is not only a chair that is multifunctional without compromise - Gravity™ takes something as mundane as sitting and makes it an experience. Read on to learn more about the most eye-catching chair in the Varier collection.
“After resting for a while, we want to be active, and after being active for a while, we want to rest. Why can’t we alternate between active and reclining body postures on one and the same chair?”
- Peter Opsvik on Gravity™
Gravity™ offers four different positions, from kneeling to fully reclined. You alter between these, not by adjusting the chair with the help of levers or other mechanical parts – you simply move intuitively, and the chair will follow. When sitting in Gravity™ you are so close to the balancing point that with the slightest shift of weight, Gravity™ takes you from one position to the next.
Relax into complete weightlessness
The fourth position and the feeling it provides has given the chair its name - the sensation of defying gravity. Reclining all the way back, your legs are elevated above your heart. In this levitation-like position, the chair gently rocks in response to the rhythm of your breathing, allowing you to relax into weightlessness.
The gap between the headrest and the tilting backrest provides space for freedom of movement for arms and shoulders. The headrest can be adjusted up and down depending on your preference. Being able to place our feet in different positions is essential for our well-being. It is also important that these foot supports do not slide away from us.
Gravity™
Sitting is not just placing your bottom on a flat surface, straightening your back and positioning your legs in columnlike positions parallel to one another. Sitting can be so much more. It can be expansive, liberating, levitational even. Discover a new way of sitting with Gravity™.
Peter Opsvik
Peter Opsvik (1939 - 2024) was a Norwegian industrial designer, and stands as one of the most influential figures in ergonomic design. Throughout his career, much of which was spent as a freelance industrial designer, Opsvik shaped the way we think about comfort and functionality. Opsvik's philosophy and design approach are integral to the Varier identity, and we continue to maintain a close collaboration with his team, working with one commitment - to reimagine the way we sit.