A Closer Look at Executive Chairs

Throughout human history, since the early days when tribes arose to conquer their neighbors and claim more land and power, there has been a clear hierarchy, a well defined power structure. In the beginning those that were the bravest and strongest warriors took charge, but as the ages passed, those that were older and wiser were chosen as the leaders of men. As their power grew so did their status, they became esteemed, venerated by their tribesmen, feared and respected by other leaders. The time came when they were expected to handle themselves in a more formal manner than the simple peasants, they were the ones making the big decisions and when speaking to other leaders they represented their whole tribes, cities and eventually nations. There was a need to show others the wealth and power of the leading figures, which was in itself a gradient showing the wealth and power of the group they represented. When a monarch received reports from his generals, the gentlemen of the court or foreign diplomats he was seated at a throne, a magnificent, highly decorated and tall chair – a clear symbol of his might.

Modern day leaders of men

These days the executives of a company share the same responsibilities as the historical rulers – the earls, dukes and princes – because they too are expected to lead a great many men into victory. However, corporate battles do not require bloodshed, and the modern workplace is far too practical and constricted by the need for effective use of space to allow huge, gold plated thrones with lion heads on the arm rests. There still needs to be a way to denote class, wealth and power, but it needs to be done according to the standards and fashion sensibilities of the present. The modern high end business style is more subdued, the expensive materials and items of supreme craftsmanship blend into the corporate surroundings – there is a clear distinction between a working environment and a vacation house.

It is out of the spirit of this new “high class working men” style that the elegant executive chair was born. The executive chair will share various commonalities with it’s lower class brethren, the plastic and cloth office chairs, witch make it a tool of enhanced efficiency, but the attention to detail is far greater and can be seen in even the simplest elements, and the choice of materials is supreme which lend it an artful touch as well. It is this strange, paradoxical combination of practicality and luxury that give these chairs a certain je ne sais quoi, up to the point where even the mere site of such office furniture will garner respect for it’s owner.

Now on to the more mundane subject, we will briefly discuss the anatomy of office chairs in general, because it is much the same on all levels if we exclude the factors of durability and elegance. These three factors do come into play, and they will be addressed – the differences in material and how it affects overall quality will be pointed out as we list key features.

A brief anatomy of the office chair

The key words with office chairs are comfortable and adjustable. People talk a lot about ergonomics and proper sitting positions, but you don’t have to be a medical professional to know what position is the most comfortable for you, you just need a good chair that can be adjusted to best suit your own needs. Executive chairs come in either medium or high back versions, so that your spine is well supported. The elements that can be adjusted are:

• Arm height – some chairs come with fixed arm rests
• Height
• Tilt pressure
• Back rest incline –  with some chairs you can adjust this to a degree, while on other chairs you can only tilt it back a bit

Executive office chairs consist of several main components; the materials used are more durable, stronger and more expensive than in regular office chairs:

• Base – instead of cheap plastic highly polished or satin finished steel is used, sometimes painted black. Wood can be fitted on a steel core to give the chair that classic wood and leather look, alternatively polished aluminium is used because it is both strong and lightweight.
• Pneumatic lift – these use the same materials as the base, the ones on high quality executive chairs will support a great amount of weight and will last a very long time.
• Seat – a base of wood or plastic supporting a foam core and covered in either leather or various fabrics.
• Back – as mentioned previously executive chairs will have either medium or high backs, the high back being the better option because it provides full spine support and you can rock back resting your shoulders and neck as well. As with seats the upholstery is usually leather, watch out for faux leather or low quality leather, look for a hide finish to ensure top quality.
• Arms – same material as the base, so mostly steel, some models have other materials fitted on the steel to make it softer and not as cold to the touch.

For thousands of years successful men have been sitting on the most comfortable and durable chairs, a lot of them surviving in museums to this very day, and distinguished themselves from the masses. Picking a good executive chair is essential for making your status known as well as taking charge of important tasks from a comfortable position, brimming with confidence.

Author Bio:

Ivan Dimitrijevic is an expert when Social Media Marketing and Blogging are concerned. His main occupation is SEO consulting. He is a Senior Consultant at Dejan SEO Australia. Among other things he had articles published that consider a wide range of topics that include Photography, Web Design, Office Furniture Design, Copywriting, etc.

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