19 pics of dads who said they didn't want a dogAfter waking up with terrible back pain yet again, thanks to a day spent working from the couch, I was more than inspired to research ergonomic task chairs. With a variety of price points, I discovered task chairs available for nearly any budget. It's often said it's fine to pinch when it comes to everything but your task chair if you plan to work from a desk more than a few minutes daily, not only for productivity, but also your longterm health... Just remember, choosing a task chair is not a one-size fits all process. Be sure to try-on any chair in person at a showroom or store. Make sure it's the right height, and be sure to consider the three rules of ergonomics before you commit to a possible long term relationship between your backside and a chair: fit for the user, fit for the task, and flexibility of movement while seated. MORE TASK CHAIRS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:(Images: all image credit as linked)Entrusting Your Furniture to a Professional
When asked why furniture selection and bidding should be included in the architect/interior designers contract, I often find myself speechless. Most often, I hold back my natural response, “Why wouldn’t you?” and try not to overwhelm the person with reason after reason for why it’s the only way I would do it. You might say, “Well you’re an interior designer, of course you want us to include furniture in your contract.” Consider this, in new construction, the construction of the building is going to be your largest expense. Your second largest expense is going to be furnishing the building. Why would you want to take on this massive project and expense rather than allowing a professional handle it for you? Often times, when furniture is bid, any costs you incur in hiring a professional will be offset by the savings found through the competitive bid, and you will achieve a better result. The benefit you have in hiring someone who is intimately familiar with the project is that they know all the details for why decisions were made and the goals that were set forth early on in the project.
Furniture selection and finishes are key to a holistic design for a building. After all, it is the part of the room we experience not only through sight, but also through touch. It becomes one of the most important tools for using a space. When a building is designed, each space is planned with a certain function in mind. Those functions generally have a specific requirement to fulfill its intended purpose. Doesn’t it then make sense that someone with an intimate knowledge of the design would be most capable of selecting furniture that fits the space? Not only will the furniture function better, but it will also coincide with the design of the room much more seamlessly. Furniture should not fight the building design; Think of it as the icing on the cake. Furniture contributes to how people experience a building as much as, if not more than any other element in the design. Think about it this way; when you go to a fancy restaurant, would you feel comfortable sitting through a 5 course meal in a hard metal folding chair?
You would also likely not be willing to pay the same amount of money for that meal because you didn’t experience the level of luxury you were expecting. Although this may be an extreme example, furniture really does affect how a person will experience a space and will influence whether or not his or her impression of the space is positive or negative. I always recommend that the client be integrally involved in the selection of the furniture and make an effort to understand the specific reasons why one option may be better for them than another. The best way to really understand the options is to take a trip to a dealer with your designer. Most times, a variety of furniture styles and quality levels can be discussed at the same place. The durability of furniture should always be considered. When thinking about the durability, the breaking point should never be the only metric by which you assign success or failure. It is important to select products that will withstand their use and have good warranties in case they do break.
However, often times, furniture will “ugly out” before it “wears out.” This affects how people perceive a building and will reflect directly on the client. If you walked into a hospital waiting room and the chairs looked dirty, you would perceive that the hospital is not clean. It may just be that they scrub the chairs so well that the finish has come off of the vinyl. It could, in fact, be very clean and you just have the perception that it’s dirty because it’s worn. This is a perfect example of why durable finishes are important. On the contrary, you may perceive that a space is very clean because the fabrics look new and the wood makes you feel like you’re at home. If the correct fabrics were not chosen, they could be harboring bacteria, dust and a whole host of other pathogens. The selections you make are extremely important in any environment and should be considered specifically for how the space is being used. Warranty scopes and lengths should be carefully considered when selecting furniture.
With as much money as you will likely be spending to furnish your building, you want to be sure that if things break, they will be fixed by the manufacturer. There are a few things to remember: When purchasing furniture for US offices, buy American! American furniture manufacturers have a reputation for making high quality furniture. Typically they must go through much more intensive testing than overseas manufacturers. They are much more likely to offer better warrantees, great service and will be knowledgeable about code requirements in your area. Beware of manufacturers that only assemble their products in the US rather than manufacturing them here. They will often import parts that are low cost but also low quality and then mask them by covering them with fabric or mixing them with other higher quality parts. You want to be sure that all the ‘stuff’ you can’t see is manufactured well. Your designer should be able to help you with sorting out all the details of the furniture you are considering.