THE CRAZY HISTORY BEHIND EVOLUTION OF OFFICE CHAIRS
When you reach office, you often worry about your day’s tasks at hand, emails awaiting reverts and plethora of meetings lined up ahead. Have you ever given a thought about your chair that gets you going for the day and how it has evolved to its current design?
The idea of ‘seating arrangement’ goes back as early as the human civilization itself. 200,000 years ago, at the very dawn of human species, also began the humble beginnings of chair. Primarily hunters, the early humans did not sit much, and when they did it was often on a tree stump, logs or rocks.
Leaping ahead to the advent of civilization, came the birth of the ancestors of the “modern-day chair”. Around 3100 B.C., during the glory of Egyptian civilization, royal thrones were mounted by Pharaohs, high priests etc. who ruled over the commoners as a status symbol of power and authority. By 700 B.C., in the flourishing era of the majestic Roman Empire, plush “Divan” lounges came into being, a luxury item afforded only by the richest.
Talking of civilizations, it was the dynamic Greek history around 530 B.C., when the first “chair of the masses” was introduced in the form of bench-style seating arrangement, primarily used in Greek amphitheatres. Eventually, with the rise of organized religion across the globe, bench-style pews sprung up in places of worship, inspired by the Greek. However, until the 17th century, it was still uncommon for the common-man to enjoy a dedicated seating arrangement outside the church.
The pinnacle of what is regarded as the modern-chair prototype came about in 1807 in Italy when Marquis Stafano Rivarola designed the “Chiavari Chair”. This chair was made with light and cheap materials.
But the breakthrough came with the industrial revolution in (1760–1840) which changed the course of history of chairs, just as it did to everything in the world. Thus began the mass production of chairs, faster and cheaper, thereby making its entry into the common household of the western world.
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Having said that, it was only in 1776 when Thomas Jefferson invented the revolutionary swivel-chair, as we know it today. Moreover, somewhere in 1840s, it was none of other than Charles Darwin who accidentally designed the modern day office chairs by adding wheels to the static furniture in order to expedite his experiments. It was, however, Wilfred Dauphin’s decade worth of research on office ergonomics that brought to light the design of chairs most suitable for office use in the 1970s and 80s.
So folks, you can see that while the look and feel of the modern day chair may have undergone a tremendous change since its advent, however, not much has changed in its concept and design since the Egyptian throne-era.
Meanwhile, to know more about world class offerings for today’s trendy furniture, do not forget to visit NineToFive.co.in for contemporary office furnitures.
Image sources: NineToFive.co.in, arcadiameubles.ch, ancient-origins.net, freedesignlife.com, statue.com
