Barber & Osgerby Have Designed an Office Chair for People Who Hate Office Chairs
Back in the ’90s, Herman Miller’s Aeron — a mega-ergonomic desk chair with a menacingly mechanistic silhouette — was as revered as a corner office. But now, with tech startups and freelancer-focused coworking spaces ushering in a new era of hotel lobby-esque work environments, even stiff corporate businesses are in the mood for something cozier. Hence the rise of shared hot desks, social lounge spaces, and now, soft, armchair-like desk seating. The chief executive of this new wave of workplace seating is Vitra’s Pacific chair, the brainchild of Ace Hotel Shoreditch designers Barber & Osgerby. With its clean, uncluttered profile, it’s meant for an era of pencil-thin laptops — not chunky CPU towers. No wonder Apple’s already ordered 12,000 of them for its Cupertino headquarters.
“We wanted something calm, that sits quietly but still offers full function. It’s not a scary plastic creature.” – Designer Jay Osgerby
PACIFIC CHAIR BY VITRA. $1,550, vitra.com
Re: Office Overhaul
Ditch your drab desk setup in favour of these cool coworkers
Anglepoise Type 75
Paul Smith’s colour combos energize this task lamp’s classic style.
anglepoise.com
Vitra organizer
Modelled after a toolbox, it makes even Post-its and staplers look rugged.
vitra.com
Poliform Concorde desk
A dapper writing surface that’s the perfect width for multi-tasking.
poliform.it
USM Haller system
Mixing open and closed shelves, the modular system can be custom-fit to any space.
usm.com
Hay Ballograf pen
The solution to all of our struggles with misplaced writing utensils.
hay.dk
