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We’re all feeling it. Long before the pandemic upended our daily routines, life at the office wasn’t easy on the back – or the eyes. While adjustable and ostensibly ergonomic chairs are now the norm, the dynamic nature of today’s workplaces entails frequent movement and shuffling of seats, sometimes making highly configurable, task-focused chairs a hindrance. What’s more, the technology-driven aesthetic of office seating creates the visual clutter of levers and backrests.

For PearsonLloyd designers Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd, the aesthetics and ergonomics of workplace seating were ripe for reinvention. Designed for Teknion, the new Essa Task Chair imbues a gracefully pared down form with exceptional softness and comfort.

It’s an elegantly simple design, one rooted in a rigorous, iterative design process – and informed by thoughtful exploration of how task chairs can best serve today’s evolving work culture. According to PearsonLloyd, it all stems from an understanding of how office seating is used. “We spend so much of our time sitting in task chairs,” say the designers, “but they’re often not adjusted correctly – so it doesn’t end up being comfortable or ergonomic.” What’s more, the flexible and collaborative nature of work means that seating is often shared and reconfigured, with long stationary hours giving way to a more mobile office experience. In short, it’s a recipe for a different kind of task chair.

Essa’s sleek, gently curved body conveys a pleasantly soft, organic presence. In lieu of a complex adjustment mechanism, the chair’s contours are carefully considered to provide support, making for a cleaner and more user-friendly design.

Available with or without arms, including a height-adjustable armrest option, Essa’s sinuous design fosters an active, energetic office experience.

“It promotes natural shifts in position, and it invites you to rotate out of it in a seamless and natural way,” say PearsonLloyd, highlighting Essa’s unencumbered form and the fluid, kinetic gesture of its moulded arms. “It’s a contrast to typical task chairs – which tend to sort of hold you in place with rigid arms that complicate getting up – but it’s also comfortable and inviting.”

“Essa combines elegance with ergonomics,” says Dannion Smith, Director, Product Management, Seating & Ergonomic Products at Teknion. “Comfortable, with intuitive integrated features, Essa’s simplicity is universally welcoming. Curves and contours, rather than multiple adjustment mechanisms, provide just the right amount of support.”

A lighter, less technical task chair, Essa’s casual yet sophisticated presence is bolstered by a choice of three frame finishes, as well as a rich variety of fabrics from Teknion’s own Luum Textiles. Alongside a wide selection of tones and textures, the chair’s sweeping back can also be specified with a tactile fabric finish, making for an even warmer, softer presence. From a sleek black finish to a subtly playful colour pattern, the chair’s elegantly simple form is a canvas for expression.

In a year that’s brought office life into our homes, Essa’s softer edge is a welcome – and highly versatile – addition to Teknion’s acclaimed workplace portfolio. From the boardroom to the bedroom office and back, it feels right at home.

This content was published by Azure on behalf of Teknion.

Teknion and PearsonLloyd’s Essa Reimagines the Task Chair

Ergonomic contours and elegant lines combine for versatile office seating that’s tailor-made for today’s active workplace.

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