During the day dedicated to #cfstyle bloggers organized by CasaFacile, we had the opportunity to try some chairs by Varier. Back home, I brushed my attitude as a researcher up and I did e a in-depth analysis, as when I was in college: now I tell you what I found.

About Varier

Part of the Norwegian company Stokke (the one of the legendary Tripp Trapp chair, a must for all my friends moms), Varier was founded in 2006 with the aim to deal exclusively with the Movement by Stokke division, producing chairs that follow the natural movements of the body, according to the philosophy of active sitting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTjkpmIQGoI

The Varier icon chair is certainly the Variable balans, the original kneeling chair designed by Peter Opsvik in 1979: it’s impossible that you have not ever seen and maybe even proven it.

Varier chairs are the result of a philosophy that places man at the center of every creation. The human body is the starting element in the study and design research. We know which positions are good in promoting relaxation. We know where to act in order to support it. We also know that it has been programmed to move, and that it should never remain motionless too long. The shapes of our chairs, as bold and unconventional, have been designed on the basis of these principles. Since there is no creativity without functionality.

About Peter Opsvik

Peter Opsvik is a Norwegian product designer who worked on the design of many chairs, based on a philosophy of the movement conceived by him and which is the basis of all  Varier products.

Assuming that there is not a single correct posture and thinking that our body intuitively looks for the correct seating position, Opsvik designed its chairs trying to integrate into them as many moviment possibility as possibile.

Why the furniture culture covers us with comfort in some areas, but it forces us to sit uncomfortably around a table?

You can visit Peter Opsvik’s website to discover more about his work and you should check the beautiful catalog Rethinking Sitting, ed. Gaidaros, Oslo 2008 too, where you can learn so much about the creative process that led the designer to rethink the form and function of the chair.

About Actulum

My favourite chair? No doubt it’s ACTULUM.

In few minutes it won my heart: the seat is comfortable and seems quite suitable for those who work many hours at the computer, as I do. The added value is contained in the possibility to relax leaning back and let the rocking chair do the rest. The rocking movement is a feature that makes it ideal for use in leisure time too: it reminds me my grandmother’s chair, but in a very contemporary version, as the design is really minimal, serious but not cold, suitable to the office, but also perfect in the living room.

This chair let you to maintain, during work, the spine in the correct posture and the body balanced: there is a continuous yet almost imperceptible movement that helps to tone up the muscles and to prevent tensions in the cervical area. When you relax and lean back, your back is perfectly supported by flexible backrest and armrests.

Actulum, designed by Opsvik in 1995, celebrates now its twentieth anniversary and Varier has just launched a new version (January 2015): the chair is now more streamlined and the backrest is optimized, because it has now the ability to move along the back, supporting it exactly where needed.

The structure is laminate beech wood, sturdy and durable, with a surface layer of ash, which makes the surface more pleasant, available in a natural or lacquered black finish (like the one we tried, so beautiful!).

There is still one reason why I dream about this Varier chair: all suppliers meet rather high quality and ecological standards (you can find out more here).

{Look for the hashtag #ilovevarier to discover all other #cfstyle bloggers posts!}

>> Varier also has a blog where you can find periodically news about the company, but also various contents about physical inactivity: for example, I discovered t ithe work of the illustrator John Holcroft (but that’s another story, I will tell you about him next time). Thank you Varier!