Hurley

The best task chair? Is the one you don’t even have to think about—especially during crunch time.

April 28, 2017

 

For innovators at the global surf and lifestyle brand headquartered beachside in sunny Costa Mesa, California, it was normal to switch between chairs throughout the day.   Over the years, the Hurley office had accumulated a hodge-podge of various task chairs, including a few Eames-inspired knock-offs that were easy on the eyes–but quickly pushed aside during deadline season for poor, long-term support and comfort

When Global Concept Director Mark Bartling wanted to streamline his department’s look, he knew, first and foremost, that he wanted a comfortable chair that could withstand the brutal all-nighters and back-to-backs the design team endured every season. But of course, being a creative type also meant that he wanted something more than your garden variety office chair—specifically a slimmer, non-bulky (read: non-boring) seat. 

Bartling discovered the Wit task chair on a whim—not because it was a chair that was memorable but precisely because it was a chair that was not. That is, it was so comfortable that he completely forgot about what he was sitting on and was finally able to focus on his work instead. Convinced that he had finally found ‘his chair’, Bartling started recommending the Wit to other teams around the office. The chair quickly garnered rave reviews for its no-fuss comfort and ‘one-and-done’ adjustable lumbar support—a particularly intuitive feature since it could easily and quickly be personalized for anyone. And because the Hurley office utilizes workstations and tables of different heights, the teams also loved the adjustable-height arms—raising and lowering them on the fly was a cinch (previous chairs featured fixed metal arms which would either bump up against the table or come pre-adjusted to work around the fixed arms, which often meant they were set up for poor posture and an awkward sit). And as for the ‘non-boring’ requirement? In addition to the Wit’s lean profile, its designer-friendly, top-to-bottom customizability—with subtle details like being able to choose a silver finish over black—made sitting in an office chair feel, well, less ‘office chair-y’. Garden variety? Far from it.

Who knew finding a comfortable chair could positively impact performance to this degree? Bartling didn’t—and emphatically credits the Wit for unlocking a new way to work for his entire team. If a full office re-design is on the horizon, it’s pretty clear that the Wit task would be the brand’s go-to.