Insight into our bestselling office chairs

“We’ve taken a look at the stories behind the design and development of some of our bestselling office chairs, from the world’s leading manufacturers:
Herman Miller Aeron
The Herman Miller Aeron is an office chair icon. Its familiar design has been seen in offices around the world for over 20 years. The original iteration of the chair was designed in the eighties – known as ‘Sarah’ it was intended for use by the elderly. Herman Miller weren’t convinced they could sell such a high tech chair to the target market, so the chair was reworked and came back six years later as the Aeron design we know today. The Aeron replaced the generic foam of office chairs of the time with a fabric mesh, making the chair both economic and ergonomic. Many of today’s office chairs still take design cues from the Aeron, but this was the chair that started it all.
Humanscale Freedom
This multi-award winning chair was designed by the legendary Niels Diffrient. The design process started with the synchronous armrests and the rest of the chair followed. Made of just 90 parts, the Freedom chair boasts a self-adjusting recline, synchronous armrests and is easily adjustable to adapt to fit more than 95% of people. The innovative counter-balance recline negates the necessity for manual tension and recline controls by automatically balancing the force required to recline the chair against your weight to keep the user fully supported in any position.
Orangebox Do
The Orangebox Do is a truly modern office chair. By taking design elements from their previous successes, Orangebox have created their best chair yet. During the design process, ergonomic and environmental issues were the driving forces – the chair needed to be easy to use but comfortable, as well as being constructed with fewer moving parts and less, recyclable, materials. 45% of the materials used to create the Do are obtained from within 10 miles of their south Wales factory, further proof that Orangebox are serious about creating a carefully constructed chair.
Herman Miller Sayl
The Herman Miller Sayl was designed by the prolific Yves Béhar to be an affordable alternative to the Aeron. Taking inspiration from suspension bridges, the frameless back of the chair is supported by the iconic ‘Y’ tower to deliver the perfect combination of freedom and ergonomic support, as well as keeping the user cool. The Sayl was also designed with its environmental impact in mind and is constructed with 93% recyclable materials.
Dauphin Xcode
Dauphin’s innovative design took inspiration from an unlikely source – trainers. By using the same breathable material as the athletics world, Dauphin have created a backrest that gives optimum support whilst at the same time stopping the user from feeling stifled. The pairing of the plastic shell and flexible membrane gives ergonomic support across the entire back area without the need for adjustment. The back is manufactured as one piece, reducing wastage – it’s estimated this method saves around 30% of material compared to generic chair construction methods.”