Variable Balans, Original Kneeling Chair, Designed By Peter Opsvik, Black/Black

Product Information

While it would be overselling it to say that the Varier Gravity Balans chair is downright ugly, it would be a hard sell to convince anyone that it was an attractive design. In this case, it’s clear that the designers put the vast bulk of their emphasis on functionality and paid relatively little attention to form. When this chair was first developed, it was the gold standard. The model that every other company making kneeling chairs sought to emulate. To date, the only chair to beat it was also developed by Peter Opsvik, for Varier. That would be the Varier Balans Wing Chair.

Our friendly and knowledgeable staff can talk you through all the options and help customise the chair to fit you and your needs. Also Bought Hans Christian Mengshoel was the first designer to come up with the concept of active sitting, he shared his vision with 3 more designers (among which Peter Opsvik) and the “Balans” chair was born. The name of the chair suits it well, since that was their primary mission, to feel balanced while sitting. The only real catch here is that kneeling chairs tend to be self-selecting. The vast majority of the market is composed of people looking for a conventional office chair. For them, it doesn’t matter how awesome this model is from an ergonomic standpoint; odds are that they just won’t be interested. It’s simply not what they’re looking for. In our view, this is a definite negative of the brand.When you buy a piece of furniture from Herman Miller or SteelCase, for example, you get a ten-year warranty that’s baked into the price, and in some cases, a lifetime warranty. If you’re in the former camp, this might be your new favorite company.If you’re in the latter group, Varier is almost certainly not the company you’ll want to buy from. Varier Chairs Review Conclusion

How do kneeling chairs work?

Yes, but it is a very simple process, and it should take you around 15 minutes from start to finish. You’ll have 6 parts to work with, and all the screws and tools needed are inside the box. A great deal of the value of Varier’s product offerings is derived from the aesthetics of the chairs they sell. If you love the look of them, then Varier chairs offer tremendous value for the money.If aesthetics isn’t as important to you as comfort and adjustability, you’re almost certain to be underwhelmed. On the other hand, one issue everyone warns you about. Get some soft tape and place it on the bottom of the runners if you wish to protect your wooden floor. FAQ’s About The Chair The padding is sufficient to remain comfortable even after extended periods sitting in it but isn’t excessive. Divina Melange 3: is a vibrant piece-dyed woollen upholstery textile reminiscent of felt. Cheerfully simple, it comes in a fresh, versatile palette. Compact, comfortable and extremely smooth!

If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you’re going to love our in-depth look at the Varier brand. To complete our Varier Balans review, we can say that it is the second-best kneeling chair on the market today. It’s high-quality and although a little on the pricey side, it’s still well within the realm of possibility for a broad swath of the market. Dinamica - The most popular choice in our stores. Hard wearing, hypo-allergenic, smooth, eco friendly, easy to clean and luxurious. Ideal for everyday & summer use; read more about this amazing fabric HERE It’s safe to say that all details were considered when building this chair, including the Allen wrench stowed under the seat for tightening needs down the road.

Are there alternative kneeling chairs worth considering?

This is an incredible range, given that most office chairs only have a 4” range of height adjustment motion, and it makes the Move stool useful for just about everyone, provided that you don’t exceed the maximum recommended weight limit, of course. Functional Design Aesthetics, of course, are a matter of taste and everyone’s tastes and preferences are different. What we’ve discovered in researching this brand is that people tend to have strong opinions about the chairs Varier sells.They either love them, or they’re put off by them. Noir (Semi Aniline):Noiris a versatile leather boasting a smooth surface texture and a matt look with a subtle shine. As a Semi-aniline, full-grain leather, the natural markings are visible, adding authenticity and originality. Unfortunately, the rubberized accessory the company sells is incompatible with this model, so there’s no good way to add one unless you make it yourself. On the Heavy Side Where upholstery is concerned, the company offers a variety of different options, including your choice of the company’s proprietary “Revive” or “Fame” fabric. Revive is a slightly less expensive upholstery made from 100% recycled polyester, while Fame is more durable and a bit more expensive, being made primarily of New Zealand Wool.

The exception here is the Ekstrem.Owing to its highly unusual design, putting this model together is a bit like assembling a life-sized 3D puzzle, and as such, it can be a bit of a head-scratching process.The good news is that it’s something you’ll only have to do once, and you’ll be able to enjoy it after that with only occasional re-tightening needed. Scandinavian Designed and Built When one designs from form first, you often end up with pieces that have visual interest but do not serve a practical purpose, and are often outright uncomfortable," Opsvik explains to Pure Contemporary. "My chairs are functional and meant for situations where we sit over long periods of time." The Varier Company started producing active chairs 40 years ago, when one of their manufacturers named Stokke decided to separate their active seating line from the rest of the production. In our minds, this model is tied with the Wing Balans as our second favorite design.We readily admit that this strange looking design won’t be for everyone, but it’s easily the most versatile piece of furniture Varier makes. Versatile and MultifunctionalThis model has the advantage of being significantly less expensive than the Wing Balans Chair, and as such, is more accessible and appealing to a broader swath of the market. The Move stool handily beats that. During testing, people who used the Move stool burned an average of 18% more calories than those who sat in a conventional office chair. Color Options This is the original kneeling chair, designed in 1979 by the legendary Peter Opsvik, of Norway. To date, the only chair to surpass it is the Wing chair, also designed by Opsvik for Varier. As such, any time you see a kneeling chair offered by some other company, this is the one they’re trying to emulate. This is the standard they’re attempting to match or beat. Over the last 35 years we've tried a huge range of kneeling chairs, from the cheapest to the most expensive, from the sleek and beautiful to the frankly weird; and we have whittled them down to just a few of the very best and reviewed them all below. What are kneeling chairs all about?

It will almost certainly take you longer to get it out of the box than it will be to put the stool together to get it ready for first use. Final Thoughts In our view, this was a good decision, because the chair offers a raft of therapeutic benefits that extend well beyond what a “standard” ergonomic chair brings to the table. Final ThoughtsIn any case, the important thing to stress here is that these are highly innovative, artistic designs. If you’re in the market for conventional office furniture, give this company a pass. If, on the other hand, you’re interested in ‘decorating outside the lines,’ then consider Varier to be a toolbox filled with all sorts of goodies designed to make a statement. Re-Wool: Crafted using 45% recycled wool, Re-wool is a rich upholstery textile with a sustainable profile. The textile is partly made by reusing scraps from Kvadrat’s yarn spinners in the UK.