There’s a quiet battle brewing in Springfield, Missouri, where designer and filmmaker Doug Wilson shares an office with Brandon Goodwin, also a filmmaker and Doug’s co-conspirator on “Linotype: The Film – In Search of the Eighth Wonder of the World.” When we asked Doug to report in from the scene, he not only sent over an explanation, but also gave us a first-hand look with the above short film about what our choice in task chairs say about us...
Doug states: “I worked previously in an ad agency with Aeron chairs and learned that a good chair is worth the investment. When we moved into our office, Brandon and I went to our local Herman Miller dealer to test out chairs. I thought I would simply purchase an Aeron, but I found the Mirra chair to be more comfortable for me and I ended up choosing my own colors and features. Brandon purchased an Aeron.”
Since the purchases, their workspace has been enthralled in an unending contest. “Any time we have friends visit the office, we have a competition to see which chair they prefer,” Doug says. “It is a friendly rivalry, but obviously I think I made the better decision. Currently, Brandon’s Aeron is winning, but the Mirra is staging a comeback.”
Picking out a task chair can be as involved as choosing a new couch or car, so take your time. Be as boring or daring as you want...just make sure it's comfortable!
Republished in partnership with Herman Miller Lifework. Originally posted by Amy Feezor.
(Video/screencap courtesy Doug Wilson and Brandon Goodwin)
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Confession: I hated the Aeron. They gave me one at work during the last office shuffle and in three days I was begging the facilities guys for my old Steelcase chair back. I was pregnant at the time and having some back and hip issues. I heard from others with back issues that the Aeron didn't work for them either.
My husband ended up with a second-hand aeron chair at his office, thinking it would be the greatest thing ever. Within a week he was back to using his $80 office depot special.
OT but I can't really think of an Aeron chair without hearing in my head the phrase "the Herman Miller Aeron chair, now in true black" which I hear on my local NPR station seemingly every morning.
@ratgrrrl: Haha, same here!
You gotta wonder how much the hype has to do with the impression of quality and comfort. (I think most office chairs, including the Aeron, are ugly. So they had BETTER be comfortable! But how can one chair actually fit both 5' tall me and my 6'3" tall partner, for instance? Unlikely!
I see these rolling around the offices of the upper echelons at work. Some have cast them off and we IT guys (lower echelons haha) get them. They seem to be a love or hate kind of thing.
The Aeron looks less like a piece of medical equipment than the Mirra. A colleague has a Mirra and I don't like the appearance. But that's okay. Some people do.
I have neither. Instead I have someones cast off cast off plain old padded chair on wheels. And it's fine just fine with me. I can milk the perceived lack of ergonomics for and excuse to walk away from my desk. Besides, I think the walk has more benefit to my health than any chair.
That's a good question with an answer: some chairs like the Aeron are available in different sizes, which can make a huge difference in comfort. But if you have to share one chair, one of you is likely going to be less comfortable than the other.
I dunno. I like most Herman Miller products, but their task chairs just don't do it for me. I have an antique oak lawyer chair that I picked up on Craigslist for sixty bucks. I use it all day, and it's fantastic. I threw a sheepskin on the seat for a bit of padding, and it's at least as comfortable as the Aeron I used at my last office gig.
I love the glare on both of their monitors, both in the picture and in the short. I love Apple to death as well as the iMac, but I decided to go with a Macbook Pro and 27" Samsung LED monitor with anti-glare screen. I have an identical monitor setup in another room but usually dock my Macbook Air there. Either way, I end up with no glare at all. I will be so happy when Apple figures out a way to kill glare on all of their screens. If anyone can do it, they can.
Oil your gun be ready! and, the liquor bottles, not a very good impression. Not funny.