The evolution of the desk and why it is about the chair too: Skye Chair, the Aeron and the LC4

An article in the NYtimes discusses the advantages of a workspace that can go up and down. You can work standing or sitting. Your choice. The author argues
that he can be more creative standing, and be more passive, sitting.


I know that being totally horizontal is my worst creative position. But my favorite chair is the LC4. It feels natural to work on it, but does not work with the typical desk.


I also know that, on my desktop, I can produce more with the Aeron but I hate it for laptop use, reading and desktop Web browsing and movie watching because it lacks a head rest. For that I use a Skye with a headrest. The Skye would totally replace the Aeron if it was smaller (it is unisize, which is a mistake, IMO, because they have to cater to the "avg" user) and had a more flexible head rest that could move more backwards. Hence I switch chairs depending on my goals of the day.


Why hasn't Aeron released the Aeron Chaise? I'll buy it immediately:

"Design study and prototype based on the famous Herman Miller® Aeron Chair, inspired by modern consumerism. The design is targeted at the young digital generation, which has a reputation for living a rather sedentary and TV-filled existence. It takes the ergonomic office chair to the next level by making it a recliner-like lounger suitable for supine computing.".

In my opinion the chair and the desk go with each other. Think in terms of the draftsman, who used a stool and a drafting table. Why? Because in a stool you can move with more flexibility, sit higher. And the drafting table is tilted so you can reach every area of it more easily. Yes, it has drawbacks, but the benefits outweigh them: nobody was expected to sift through receipts on a drafting table, the way nobody drafts on a round table.

So what is my desk of the future? No desk, but a frame around me that holds the equipment, and perhaps a working surface that I can put away and retrieve. Remember those trays for keyboards that you could put away under the desk table? Well, that was the past. Today requires, for the computer geek, a workstation where the table can be put away.

--dmg