Seating solutions by Varier

Varier, a Norwegian company which has its original roots in the Stokke company, designs and manufactures chairs that move with your body. Varier seating solutions can be found in homes, offices, clinics and educational institutions in over 40 countries worldwide.

Challenging our sedentary life

Today, we spend about 55% of our waking hours sitting at our work desks or dining tables, in cars or on public transport, or in front of our many screens. This fact threatens to seriously compromise our health. The negative effects begin during early childhood: backaches, neck and shoulder tension, muscle degeneration, weight issues and an inability to concentrate. Our sedentary lifestyle has become a very real problem for all of us, regardless of how fit or healthy we are. Put quite simply, we must change the way in which we sit. We need to move.

“Our bodies are made to move”

It was precisely this basic concept that prompted the Norwegian industrial designer Peter Opsvik to begin questioning, as early as 1979, the notion that there is only one correct sitting posture. In Opsvik’s view, our bodies intuitively seek the ideal sitting position, with the consequence that the best sitting position is always the next one – and it is this freedom of movement that defines all of his designs.

Changes in position are the result of natural and intuitive movements that improve our feeling of wellbeing.

In 1979, Opsvik designed Variable™ balans®, the first chair to successfully challenge conventional sitting habits. Today it is an icon, and one of the most famous ergonomic chairs.

The Variable chair gently tilts the pelvis forward and encourages a natural, dynamic and upright position for the spine. The muscles in the abdomen and back engage to keep the spine upright and the body balanced. This strengthens them and contributes to preventing back and shoulder tension.

The angle between the upper and lower body increases, improving circulation. When the body moves from an active to a relaxed posture, the flexible runners respond with a gentle pendular motion. The optional backrest offers additional support, if necessary.

Varier is proud to belong to a culture that invests in ethical practices that help to transform profits into value for future generations.

• Fabrics and covers are manufactured by EU Ecolabel-certified Danish and Norwegian suppliers, and are made from New Zealand wool – the only wool that does not require chemical treatment during the production process.
•  The microfibre is manufactured in Italy from recycled bottles and is Oeko-Tex certified.
•  The leather is aniline or semi-aniline, chrome-tanned and produced without the use of PDPs or CFCs.
•  The wood components are sourced from European forests, laminated for flexibility and coated with water-based, non-toxic lacquers.
•  The foam is sourced from the Norwegian supplier, Sandella. This foam is Eco-Lighthouse certified and is produced without the use of CFCs, flame retardants, or heavy metals.
•  The metal parts are manufactured using a low-waste, energy-efficient trivalent chromium plating process.
•  The chairs are tested and certified for durability, safety and sturdiness at Møbellaboratoriet (Furniture Laboratory) in Norway.