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Back Pain and office well-being: how to choose and Adjust the Perfect office chair

Sitting at a desk for long hours is a daily reality for many professionals. However, without proper ergonomic support, extended periods of sitting can lead to discomfort, back pain, neck strain, and poor posture. The solution? An ergonomic office chair, carefully adjusted to meet your needs, can transform your workspace into a comfortable and productive environment that promotes health and efficiency.

Why Ergonomics Matters in the Office

Ergonomics isn’t just a trend; it’s a science that focuses on optimizing the work environment to fit the physical needs of its users. When it comes to office chairs, this means providing proper support for the spine, reducing muscle strain, and encouraging a natural posture. Investing in a quality ergonomic chair is not just about comfort—it’s about preventing long-term issues such as musculoskeletal disorders.

Key Features of an Ergonomic Office Chair

Before buying an ergonomic office chair, it’s essential to look for the following key features:

  1. Adjustable Lumbar Support: Proper lower back support helps maintain the spine’s natural curve. A chair with adjustable lumbar support allows you to tailor the fit to your specific needs.
  2. Seat Height Adjustment: Being able to adjust the seat height is critical for aligning your knees and hips in a way that reduces pressure on the spine. Ideally, your feet should rest flat on the floor or on a footrest for optimal posture.
  3. Seat Depth and Tilt: A seat that’s too deep or poorly angled can lead to muscle tension and fatigue. Make sure your chair allows you to adjust the seat depth and tilt to support your thighs while keeping your knees at a comfortable 90-degree angle.
  4. Adjustable Armrests: Adjustable armrests help reduce strain on your shoulders and neck, ensuring your forearms are always in a natural position relative to the desk.
  5. Reclining Backrest: A reclining backrest, ideally with a tilt function, allows you to shift positions throughout the day, easing pressure on the spine and improving circulation.

How to Properly Adjust Your Office Chair

Even the best ergonomic chair won’t work if it’s not properly adjusted. Follow these steps to get the most out of your chair:

  1. Seat Height: Sit with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. If needed, use a footrest to achieve the correct position.
  2. Lumbar Support Position: Adjust the lumbar support so it fits snugly against your lower back, supporting the natural curve of your spine. This will help maintain proper posture and prevent back pain.
  3. Backrest Angle: Tilt the backrest to allow for slight movement during the day, relieving pressure on your spine. Dynamic movement is essential for reducing muscle tension and improving overall comfort.
  4. Armrests: Adjust the armrests so your forearms rest comfortably while keeping your shoulders relaxed. The correct armrest height helps reduce strain on your neck and shoulders.

Long-Term Benefits of Proper Ergonomics

Using a well-adjusted ergonomic chair isn’t just about immediate comfort—it’s about long-term health benefits. Proper posture reduces the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders, boosts productivity, and enhances overall well-being. Workers in ergonomic environments report fewer symptoms of fatigue and physical stress, which translates into greater efficiency and job satisfaction.

Investing in Your Well-Being

Investing in a quality ergonomic office chair is an investment in your physical well-being and productivity. With a properly adjusted chair tailored to your needs, you can approach your workdays with greater energy, minimizing the risk of pain and discomfort. Remember, a comfortable and healthy work environment starts with your chair.


Conclusion

Choosing and adjusting an ergonomic office chair shouldn’t be overlooked. Considering how much time you spend seated at work, the right chair can make a huge difference in your daily comfort and long-term health. Explore the best ergonomic solutions on the market and see how you can upgrade your workspace for the better.

Biophilia: a science for Interior Design

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced world, the design of office spaces plays a crucial role in influencing the well-being and productivity of employees. One of the most innovative and effective approaches to enhancing these aspects is biophilic design. This design philosophy is rooted in the innate connection humans have with nature, aiming to integrate natural elements into built environments. In this article, we will explore how incorporating biophilic design can transform offices into happy, productive spaces. We will discuss how to reduce stress, improve well-being, and foster collaboration through biophilic design principles, using Italian office furniture such as executive desks, conference tables, and reception counters.

What is Biophilia?

Biophilia is the concept that humans possess an inherent tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. Coined by biologist Edward O. Wilson, this term suggests that our affinity for nature is deeply rooted in our evolution. Integrating natural elements into office environments not only makes spaces more pleasant but has also been shown to have positive effects on health and well-being.

Benefits of Biophilic Design in Offices

Reducing Stress

One of the primary benefits of biophilic design is its ability to reduce stress. Incorporating natural elements such as plants, water, and natural materials can significantly lower stress levels among employees. Studies have shown that contact with nature can slow down the heart rate and induce the production of compensatory hormones that help manage stress.

Enhancing Productivity

A well-designed office that embraces biophilic principles can boost productivity. Spaces that integrate natural elements tend to stimulate creativity and innovation, while also enhancing focus and concentration. The presence of plants and views of natural landscapes, for example, can improve employees’ mood and motivation.

Promoting Psychophysical Well-being

Psychophysical well-being is essential for the long-term health of employees. Biophilic spaces contribute to overall well-being by creating environments that support both mental and physical health. Natural light, natural materials, and the sounds of nature can help create a healthy and stimulating work environment.

Elements of Biophilic Design

Plants and Indoor Gardens

Plants are perhaps the most immediate and recognizable element of biophilic design. Integrating plants into office spaces not only enhances aesthetics but also helps purify the air and create a more relaxing environment. Indoor gardens, such as green walls and vertical gardens, are excellent solutions for incorporating nature into limited spaces.

Water and Natural Sounds

Water is another key element of biophilic design. Fountains, aquariums, and small water features can create a tranquil and serene environment. The sounds of water and nature, such as birdsong or the rustling of leaves, can be used to create a relaxing atmosphere and reduce background noise.

Natural Materials and Colors

Using natural materials such as wood, stone, and bamboo can help create a warm and welcoming environment. Colors that evoke natural habitats, such as shades of green, blue, and brown, can be used to create a calming and harmonious atmosphere.

Natural Light

Natural light is crucial for the well-being of employees. Designing offices with large windows and skylights can increase exposure to natural light, improving mood and productivity. Using transparent dividers and curtains can help distribute light evenly throughout the space.

Designing with a Biophilic Approach

Involving Green Designers

To effectively design with a biophilic approach, it is essential to involve green designers. These professionals can help select the most suitable plants, design indoor gardens, and integrate natural elements in a harmonious way. Collaboration with green designers ensures that spaces are not only aesthetic but also functional and sustainable.

Space Planning

Space planning is crucial for the success of biophilic design. It is important to consider how natural elements can be strategically distributed to maximize benefits. For example, plants can be placed near workstations to improve air quality and visual comfort, while common areas can be enhanced with indoor gardens and water features.

Integrating with Existing Design

Biophilic design does not necessarily require a complete renovation. Many elements can be integrated with existing design in a gradual way. For example, adding potted plants, choosing furniture made of natural wood, and using natural fabrics can gradually transform the work environment.

Italian Office Furniture and Biophilic Design

Office Furniture

Office furniture can be designed to incorporate biophilic elements. Italian office furniture, known for its elegance and quality, can play a significant role in creating a biophilic environment. Executive desks made of natural wood, ergonomic chairs with natural fabric coverings, and bamboo shelving units are just some of the available options. These furniture pieces not only enhance aesthetics but also support employee well-being.

Conference Tables

Conference rooms can greatly benefit from biophilic design. Integrating plants, using natural materials, and optimizing natural light can create an inspiring and productive environment. Solid wood conference tables, comfortable chairs, and sound-absorbing panels with natural patterns can improve acoustics and the atmosphere of meetings.

Reception Counters

Reception counters are the first impression of a company. A biophilic design can create a welcoming and professional first impression. Using plants, water, and natural materials can transform the reception area into a space that reflects the company’s commitment to well-being and sustainability.

Implementing Biophilic Design in Companies

Employee Involvement

Involving employees in the design process can increase acceptance and success of biophilic design. Asking for feedback and ideas on improvements can help create spaces that meet the real needs of employees.

Pilot Projects

Implementing biophilic design through pilot projects can be an effective way to test and demonstrate the benefits. For example, starting with a conference room or a relaxation area, evaluating the impact before extending the design to the entire office.

Training and Awareness

Educating employees on the benefits of biophilic design and how to best utilize it can increase their involvement and appreciation. Training sessions and workshops can help explain the principles of biophilic design and show how they can contribute to a healthier and more productive work environment.

Case Studies

Corporate Office

A large corporate office decided to implement biophilic design to improve employee well-being and productivity. The company introduced potted plants, vertical gardens, water features, and natural materials throughout the office. The results were remarkable: employees reported significant reductions in stress, increased motivation, and overall improvement in work quality.

Luxury Hotel

A luxury hotel integrated biophilic design in common areas and guest rooms to offer a unique experience to guests. The use of indoor gardens, natural materials, and natural light transformed the environment, creating a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. Guests appreciated the attention to detail and the focus on well-being, leading to positive reviews and increased bookings.

Restaurant

A restaurant adopted biophilic design to improve the customer experience and create a unique environment. Integrating plants, water, and natural materials made the space more attractive and comfortable. Customers noticed an improvement in the atmosphere and sound quality, making the restaurant a popular gathering place.

Conclusion

Biophilic design is a science and art that can transform office and contract spaces into environments that promote well-being, productivity, and happiness. By integrating natural elements such as plants, water, materials, and colors that evoke nature, companies can create happy and functional offices. La Mercanti is here to help you achieve this goal by offering Italian office furniture solutions that reflect biophilic design principles.

Investing in biophilic design is not just a trend but a strategic choice for the future. Reducing stress, improving psychophysical health, and stimulating collaboration are just some of the benefits that come from a design approach that centers on the connection with nature. Contact La Mercanti to discover how we can help you transform your work environment into a healthier, more productive, and inspiring place.

Comfort and sustainability in the modern enterprise

In recent years, companies have changed the way the physical office is used, giving rise to new trends.

In 2022, safety, functionality and sustainability are emerging in the Italian office design. Environments are being designed to be more flexible so as to adapt to new work standards.
According to the NBER Institute, the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research, about 70 percent of companies will permanently maintain a hybrid work environment spread during the pandemic, supporting staff working both inside and outside the office environment.

Many workers have become accustomed to working from home therefore the need has arisen to bring some of the comfort, tranquility and freedom of home to the office as well. This is when larger spaces dedicated to meeting areas, breaks and staff recreation are created in companies; the physical office remains an important reference and meeting center for employees and clients. The “lounge area” becomes the hub of the modern office: a space separated from the working area and equipped with amenities and services where employees and outside visitors can relax, but also conduct business meetings freely. In the past, this area was dedicated to waiting; now it is a welcome area with comfortable and original furniture such as lounge chairs, armchairs, and sofas.

In addition to creating alternative spaces, the modern company embarks on a path to minimize environmental impact in every respect. Consumers, too, are more vigilant in looking for companies that pay attention to their environmental and social commitment.

Sustainable design is not a futuristic concept but a reality already present in many workplaces. Reducing printer, air conditioner, and electricity use through the use of light sensors, installing automatic doors, and using automatic toilets are good remedies for reducing costs and saving energy, plus they can be important points of momentum for making changes and creating more sustainable companies. According to a study by M. Moser, careful office design can save between 20 percent and 40 percent, taking into account only heating and air conditioning aspects.
Make room therefore for furniture that uses natural materials that ensure the healthiness and mental and physical well-being of people.

Solutions for intelligent, interactive and connected office furniture

Great opportunities in terms of technological innovation enter the modern office furniture and community sector, thanks to the new io.T applications developed by Tecno in the workplace that becomes a communication tool reflecting the customer’s image.

Tecno was the first company in its sector to tackle the Internet of things, creating a system of furnishings interconnected with the environment which, thanks to a series of incorporated sensors, activate functions designed for the user and send information in real-time to allow resource optimisation.
Therefore, Tecno continues its technological path in the office world by combining concrete and “analog” excellence with the virtual and “digital” experience.

Tommaso Mosconi, General Manager io.T Solutions, explains Tecno’s path and its developments:
“We started from the most difficult thing, from the idea that a person can build his ideal environment through his workstation, a desk with incorporated sensors to know all his preferences. At the end of the project we understood that a sensor needs to be part of a system otherwise it doesn’t allow the collected data to be integrated and processed. After this experience, the research continued until the development of a software integrated with a smart building that makes the environment adaptable to the user’s needs (room reservations, meetings, lighting, air conditioning, etc.) and able to communicate with communication protocols for energy and access control, but above all a software that has the ability to integrate in an open way with all the other systems of the building.”

The new io.T project is linked to a new business model and space optimization that goes beyond software and hardware. It is a product that is the first to make a concrete transition from analog to digital.
The interactive features of io.T furniture can be updated thanks to the digital equipment that connects the activities of objects and people and thus allows you to establish performance and needs by bringing together different structural and personal factors. The advantages of an interactive furniture also allow to define the user’s tastes based on the use of the furniture: the movements of the desks, the height you select for the desktops, how they are used, etc. Furthermore, thanks to the data collection, it is possible to improve the product according to the user’s personal needs and even warn him if something is about to damage even before it breaks definitively; this naturally increases customer satisfaction and retention.

Io.T creates new opportunities and new responsibilities as well. The connected world, therefore, facilitates internal and external communication, activates remote control and allows the reduction of costs.

A new trend: the “Green” office

There are many new trends affecting the office. Certainly one of the most important is to ensure greater safety in the workplace through the use of intelligent, healthy and easy to maintain materials.

In all the environments like executive offices, operative offices and waiting areas, it is essential to ensure good air quality through purifiers, air conditioning systems and also through the use of antimicrobial materials, such as copper. For better air circulation, air conditioning and ventilation systems need to be constantly cleaned and improved so as to promote a healthy environment for those who work there. Of course, you can also improve the air you breathe through small natural measures.

One trend that is spreading is that of the “Green” office. Designers, in fact, are bringing nature into workplaces to make them sustainable and to prioritize the well-being of workers who spend most of their day at their desk in the office.

The use of plants within work environments, for example, definitely helps improve air quality, but also the mood and health of employees. Nature does not only mean using the green plants, but also emphasizing natural light, outdoor views and landscape views visible from the windows; all of which helps people working in the office to have a positive approach.
So there are plenty of expedients that can be implemented to make workstations more comfortable and welcoming. There are architects such as Selgas Cano, who have designed and built offices completely surrounded by the woods, where nature becomes part of the daily work routine.

The concrete advantages of “green” workstations are certainly: increased productivity, increased concentration and lower stress levels. Not least the physical well-being, being able to turn away the gaze from the computer screen and direct it outwards, allows the eyes to adjust the focus, thus lowering the level of fatigue and eyestrain.
Where it is not possible to have a natural view through the window, then ideal would be the use of specific plants, placed in strategic places and naturally matched to the style of your office. They must be decorative plants that adapt well to environments with little light, that do not require frequent watering, such as succulents, and that make the air more healthy.

Bamboo, for example, needs space in height and light, is a plant that furnishes, is ideal for creating natural room dividers, induces a state of relaxation and, last but not least, helps to neutralize formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene present in the air. Other plants, on the other hand, have a strong ability to adapt to small, dimly lit spaces and require little water.
Therefore, depending on the needs and style of your office, where wood or glass furniture can be used, it is necessary to arrange the right plants to create harmony, elegance and well-being in the working space you have.

The ideal office space

The buildings are designed to work, meet, experience… Indeed, they are places where we spend most of our everyday life. It is exactly within the offices that contact between people takes place, but in a moment like this where the word “contact” has a negative sense, it becomes necessary to provide adequate, bright and spacious working spaces in which to place ergonomic office, functional and design furnishings.

Working conditions and sustainable work are one of the main planning activities of the program for the period 2021-2024.
Internationally renowned designers are now experiencing a work culture based on wellness by creating large and well-divided spaces where they can create working relationships in respect for the others.
Great Place to Work®, the international consulting and research institute on workplace culture, has conducted a research recently on building a high-trust and healthy culture. This institute collects data from many European organizations to discover the main issues on well-being at work and the essentials to create an ideal work environment, which allows all employees to feel good. There is an evident connection between the quality of the working environment and the business growth of companies.

Working in an environment where there is respect and trust between people activate good processes that lead to a natural increase in motivation, participation and pride in being part of the company.
The results reveal that 47 percent consider stress a central problem within the company, while 65 percent of the managers say that health and well-being have emerged as a strategic priority.
An authentic culture based on well-being and respect needs to be created and preserved over time in order to make it a real philosophy of work. It is a way of acting that allows the company to grow from all points of view.

We hope we will be able to get back to our offices as soon as possible, but certainly with a different organization, with renewed methods and processes. In this particular circumstance, the attention to the wellness of people, employees and collaborators is a fundamental note.
Technology will also change: increasingly intelligent spaces will be needed in both executive and operational offices, where devices and software will allow new forms of interaction and space management. The office will become a more shared, “timed” and hybrid place between reality and virtuality.

The cheapest automatically lifting desk on the market : $399

Stand Desk

Stand Desk

Introduced as the cheapest automatically lifting office desk on the market, the Stand Desk has already obtained $ 84,608 on Kickstarter from 209 people. It will be for sale at a price of $ 399, that is to say, at least twice cheaper than its competitors, and quite inexpensive.

We have already seen that sitting down for long hours each day, reduces productivity, harms your health and even reduces life expectancy.

What‘s got to offer this office table compared to others? Being built with recycled materials, using a third of the components of other desks, this table is much cheaper. Moreover, it can be raised or lowered automatically by touching a button. The absence of stabilizer bars in the center gives more legroom or even room for drawers.

Modern office chairs: comfortable, ergonomic design – how to choose

Embody, modern office chair by Herman Miller

Embody, modern office chair by Herman Miller

Did you know that modern office chairs, are much more than chairs?

Before you make a choice, take the time to ask the right questions. What is the use ? What material and model is best suited ? What quality / price ratio to choose?

GOOD MODERN OFFICE CHAIRS : A PLEASURE AND A RIGHT

 The quality / price ratio implies also the quality and this depends on each concept : comfort, freedom of movement, strength, pleasure of spending long hours without fatigue, quality of work, productivity…

 Who says you cannot mix business and pleasure? Some solutions :

  •  What we need to think about before choosing modern office chairs?
  • What are your office chairs for ?
  • Condiderate that if your staff is sitting comfortably, they will provide a better job and be more productive.
  • Depending on the time spent sitting and the position you want to take to relax or work, there should be different choices.

Of course, there are plenty of modern office chairs for, but there are chairs with different settings that are suitable for different needs :

  1. Easy to manipulate joystick ;
  2. The possibilities of adjusting the height and backrest of the seat;
  3. A modern office chair that does not create discomfort after some time (heat, squeaks, tightness ) ;
  4. To combat back pain, it’s better with a slight inclination of the seat to the ground ;
  5. Prefer a material that doesn’t slip too easily ;
  6. Choose a modern office chair with five feet for safety, unless you opt for the traditional 4 feet;
  7. Wheels that do not scratch your beautiful floor unless you want it without wheels ;
  8. Aesthetics and design must adapt to your environment.
  9. It ‘s harder working being uncomfortable, then opt for the comfort of the seat.

Especially when we sit for a long time and regularly. A modern office chair represents the most important piece of furniture because you can safeguard your wellness capital. The choice from the start can spare you a lot of future damage, back pain, lack of motivation, less productivity…

The choice will also depend on your body type, if the chair is strong enough, it‘ll be able to take care of your back for many years.

The video of a modern office chair Embody by Herman Miller: