Geneva, meet Amia. Amia, Geneva.

Day Two

Let's talk fabric. My old chairs were leather, or something like it. You know, the kind that sticks to your skin until the last possible second when you are standing up? Yeah, that kind. Not the Amia though. It's a very nice comfy fabric. I wasn't sure at first, because when I first touched it, I thought it was a bit rough. Once I sat down I was reassured by the fact that I felt swathed. Comfortable. Snug. Not one ounce of an itch or annoying cling in this fabric.

Over the course of the day I move around in my chair a lot, even going so far as to sit cross-legged. The Amia copes with it! I can adjust the lumbar support to my back no matter how I am sitting, leaving me always supported, provided I remember to change it. So far, this chair rocks it! And by "it," I mean my comfort. This green, comfortable, mobile chair ... rocks my comfortability.

Geneva, meet Amia. Amia, Geneva.

Contrary to popular belief, Geneva is not twelve. No, her winning personality has had eighteen years - and counting - to develop. Don't let the fact that she has recently graduated from high school fool you, she is a Class A go-getter and is very determined to give her best for what she wants ... which is currently to sit at a desk beside the Creative Director at Smart Furniture from ten to six every weekday. Not many eighteen-year-olds can claim to have an office; this one can.



Day One

The Amia is insta-ergonomic technology that has my back. I can honestly say that I have never been happier about a chair switch in my Smart Furniture career -- now, I have only had three switches so far, but I'm trying to magnify the fact that this is by far my favorite.
I did a little pre-switch research and discovered that the design for the Amia has roots in the old version of the Volkswagen Bug and a nearly-empty glass of cognac. Don't drink and drive is what comes to mind next after hearing that, but fortunately I'm at no risk there. I find those ideas very off-the-wall for a chair, but at the same time, I am happy to sit on an idea like that. It reminds me to think outside the boundary or the expected norm.
Earlier today I was complaining about how my back was bothering me, and believe me, it was. I ride my bicycle to and from work, plus most everywhere else I want to go, every day. That leaves me with aches and pains that are hard to deal with and an uncomfortable chair does nothing except perpetuate them. Sitting down in my new Amia after adjusting it to the nuances of my body is sublime. I feel no pressure on my back besides support. As I said, sublime. And, ironically, my Amia is green. Ha! Get it? Sub-lime, green? Ah, I never get over cheesy jokes.

Steelcase Creates Life

To demonstrate their commitment to going green, during the career exchange the recruiters from Steelcase gave out only one thing: a card made of biodegradable fibers with wildflower seeds embedded in it. So it doesn't just biodegrade, it creates life! And we all know how good plants are for the environment. Well done, Steelcase.

more here.

Personal Workspace Workout from Steelcase

Who says you have to leave the office to go to the Gym? Or leave the gym to go to the office. Well, with the Steelcase Sit-to-Walkstation, maybe you won’t have the entire gym at your disposal, but at least you’ll have a treadmill. That’s because the Steelcase Sit-to-Walkstation is a workstation and a treadmill in one. So the question becomes, what will give you a heart-attack first? Your impending deadline or all that running at your desk?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle while being an office worker isn’t easy, but now you will have an edge. The Sit-to-Walkstation from Steelcase is a 2-in-1 workstation that allows users to walk, stand or sit while on the job. Instead of just sit.

This workstation comes with a built-in electrical height adjuster and display to show how many calories you’ve burned on the job. The price? $4,899.00. Ouch. I feel the burn already. Install this LCD arm for several screens and you’ve got yourself an awesome little gym.


more on article here.

Steelcase Racks Up on Awards at Neocon

Steelcase Receives Five Best NeoCon Awards and Best Overall Showroom for Nurture- Awards Recognize Outstanding Design Innovation in Casegoods, Seating, Tables and Fabrics -

CHICAGO, June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Steelcase Inc. (NYSE: SCS), a global office environments manufacturer, today announced that the Steelcase family of companies won five Best of NeoCon awards, including two Gold awards, and two showroom awards. Nurture(R), a Steelcase company and a leading manufacturer of furniture for healthcare environments, won the Best Large and Best Overall showroom awards. Products recognized with a Best of NeoCon award include casegoods, seating, tables and a rug collection, all of which are on display at this year's NeoCon 2009 World's Trade Fair for Interior Design and Facilities Management in Chicago.

IIDA/Contract Magazine Showroom and Design Competition at NeoCon 2009

Sponsored by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and Contract magazine, the 14th annual IIDA/Contract magazine Showroom and Booth Design Competition honors originality of design, visual impact, effective use of materials and the outstanding use of space, color, texture, lighting and graphics in showrooms and booths at NeoCon 2009.

Nurture won Best Large and Best Overall Showroom, picking up two of the five available awards in the showroom design competition. Over 3,000 square feet in size, the Nurture showroom is a testament to the company's bold vision to shape and improve the future of healthcare delivery by making healthcare environments more comfortable, efficient and conducive to the healing process. Nurture's showroom was commended for authentically recreating a healthcare environment within The Mart and successfully showcasing the integrity of the product and what it does.

Best of NeoCon 2009

Sponsored by Contract magazine and celebrating its 20th year, the Best of NeoCon awards recognize the top new products introduced at the show. Steelcase Inc. received a total of five Best of NeoCon Awards, taking home two Gold awards, one Silver award, the Innovation Award and Editors' Choice Award.

The first of two Gold awards went to Denzien by Coalesse, Steelcase's premium life/work furnishings division, in the Case Goods: Desks & Credenzas category. Denzien is a new collection of casegoods that fit as easily at home as they do in the modern private office. This collection offers a more socially inviting space and bridges the gap of work and life by infusing insightful work process solutions. The elements of the multi-modal Denizen collection -- storage units, tables and desking -- offer unmatched functionality for seamless transitions and offer smart features that include self-closing doors and drawers and integrated, clutter-free technology access points.

More on article

What We Think About THINK

Last Day with Mark


When I look at the Think, what I see is a minimalist, inside-outside design that I appreciate aesthetically. The LiveBack system is visible but doesn’t look like it’s functional as much as it looks like a design element, and the two frame bars that hold up the back look unyielding in their curve.

What I’ve found after sitting in the chair for a week (yes, it’s been a week – I only wrote on 4 days, but have been in the chair that long) is that the frame bars, since they’re independent and not connected at the top, flex quite a bit. The result is that when I turn in the chair and move around, the back is not stiff from side to side, but twists with me quite comfortably.

I’ve also found that the LiveBack isn’t just pretty trappings for a modern chair. The metal cords have a huge degree of give and have worked together to shape the back far beyond what I would have expected. I tend to sit sort of angled, which I know is not the most healthy or ergonomically correct position, but that’s just how it works best with the desk I’ve got. What the LiveBack has done – along with the frame’s give at the top – is it has helped the chair support me where I am, rather than try to conform my posture to its shape by putting undue stress on one part of my back.

The seat is comfortably soft, but not soft enough to let me slump down into it; it is not comfort on the level of an Eames Softpad Lounge Chair, but it beats most every other office chair I’ve sat on. Part of the reason I like the design so much is that it allows for a pad in the seat, rather than ruling it out by having such a slim profile my Grandma wouldn’t be able to see it.

Finally, the armrests: after a week of use, I’ve come up with a few preferred configurations. Right now I’m in the typing configuration (remember, I sit crooked). The left armrest is front-in, back-out. The right armrest is front-out, back-in. The SketchUp (Google’s 3D software program) configuration calls for both armrests to have the front in and the back out because I put my right arm wider to use the mouse for that program.

Now that you know more than you need to about my sitting habits, the simplest thing is to understand that these armrests offer great flexibility with ease. To move them from one configuration to the next, all I do is drag them with my elbow (!!!). They are my favorite feature on the Think because of the ease and flexibility. At Smart Furniture, none of us is a single-function employee, so it’s super useful to have equipment that assists us with whatever it is we’re doing. I’m sure you can relate.

We really need a grading system for these chairs we’re reviewing, but maybe we’ll do that when we’re done with all the reviews. In any case, I’m comfortable in the Think and that sounds like a pretty good grade to me.

What We Think About THINK

Day Six with Cyndi

I really look forward to sitting in the Think Chair again today. It makes me sad to realize that today is my last day to “test drive” the Think Chair. After today I must go back to sitting in my very un-cushioned, uncomfortable chair, the one at home and the one at work. You know, I think I need to convince my husband that we need a new desk and chair at home because I do work several hours from home each week. ;) I have really enjoyed the “test drive”. I highly recommend the Think Chair by Steelcase.