Perfect support for our bodies in one single posture is not the secret to comfort. We feel most content when we can move and shift between different positions, as it is unnatural for us to remain in one position for extended periods of time. Likewise, engaging in a variety of tasks is more beneficial than performing the same activity repeatedly for long durations.
Why movement?
The human body is meant to move. We believe that we can live better and more sustainable lives through everyday acts of movement. That small steps can have a big impact on how healthy we feel. So whether it’s for living or for work, or both, we strive to create a more balanced way to sit – one that allows us to go back to our moving instincts.
Made to move
Our muscles are designed for dynamic use and are not well adapted to static strain. If we have to keep still we will very soon feel discomfort. As we are designed to move, engaging our muscles is actually less tiring and more natural for us.
When our muscles are not allowed a certain degree of activity, they send signals to our nerve centers, informing us that we are uncomfortable. This discomfort indicates that some basic needs are not being met, one possible reason being inadequate blood circulation.
Perfect support for our bodies in the same posture is not the key to comfort. We are happy when we can switch between different positions, and it is unnatural for us to stay put in the same position for any length of time.
This general human need for variety also applies when we are sitting. Although some postures feel more natural than others, it is pointless to ask what the best posture for our bodies or best ways of sitting is. Having held any posture for a while, the best posture is always the next one. Even the most “correct” way of sitting becomes uncomfortable after a while.
A passive present
Modern ways of living and working can make it hard for our bodies to move throughout the day. Whether at work, during commutes, or while indulging in television, we find ourselves in a seated position for extended periods of time. We exercise after work and take walks on the weekends, but when we sit, we often just sit still.
One solution, beyond reducing our sitting time, is to incorporate movement and vary our postures while seated. We want to challenge the notion that we have learned to be either in motion or still. Instead, we can live a more balanced life by flowing between the two. Our chairs are designed to inspire a more balanced way of life, one where movement is an essential part of our everyday, even while we sit.
“The next position is always the best”
- Peter Opsvik
Create a home where you can thrive
To us, ergonomics is not a medical approach, it’s placing the human body at the centre of design. It means creating furniture that invites for movement – in a way that feels intuitive and easy to use.
Our chairs are made for the home, designed to enhance your sense of well-being and accommodate your body. Whether you have a dedicated space for your daily pursuits or find yourself spending hours at the dinner table working, you deserve a chair that supports you fully, without the discomfort of an aching lower back or strained neck. A chair that promotes a natural posture that aligns with your body's moving instincts.
Sitting made levitational
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. Our designs are all created with the idea of prompting us to rethink how we sit.
The embedded movements of our chairs
Movement is an essential element in every chair in our collection. From subtle tilting to rocking, our chairs are designed to encourage a variety of positions, ensuring a sitting experience that is never static. We continue to challenge the notion of a perfect sitting posture and look for how design can invite for movement.
Peter Opsvik
Throughout his career, Opsvik has attempted to overcome our stereotypical sitting habits with his unconventional seating solutions. With a playful and human starting point, his work is a display of how norms of sitting nicely and sitting still can be broken.
At Varier, Opsvik's philosophy has been and will always remain at the core of our beliefs—a commitment to reimagining the way we sit.