Author Archives: Kristi Stevens

One of The Most Popular Office Chairs: Herman Miller’s Aeron Chair

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Office Furniture Outlet buys and sells used office furniture. Our used office furniture inventories include most name brands. One of the perks of having multiple name brands in one space is our customers can compare styles, features and prices in one stop. When you are considering buying a new office chair this can be very important because you can sit in all different kinds of chairs. After all most people sit all day long in their office chair so, you want to make sure that your chair is comfortable.

Our most requested used office chair has to be the Herman Miller Aeron chair. Aeron’s popularity comes from being highly adjustable and allowing for natural positioning for health and productivity (ergonomics). Aeron chairs are designed with ergonomics in mind even the trademark mesh seat is an ergonomic feature. The mesh contours the body for ultimate snug support. The mesh is softer and offers ventilation vastly different than a generic office chair. Another ergonomic feature is Aeron’s contained suspension system that allows for up, down, tilt forward & backwards adjustments to regulate height and angle. Seat tilt has been noted to help decompression of the lower back. The Aeron also has synchro-tilt management where the backrest will recline at a faster rate than the seat to offer maximum positioning for the back and neck. The armrest move forward, back, up and down as well.

The Aeron chair is a high end office chair and isn’t inexpensive however, you can buy one used and save money. When buying a used Aeron chair you can save 60% to 75% off list price. Office Furniture Outlet liquidated Aeron chairs on a regular basis.

If you want to test drive or  ’test sit’ a Herman Miller Aeron chair or other office chairs stop by our 10,000 Sq. Ft. showroom in Norfolk’s Industrial Park –1124-B Kingwood Ave, Norfolk, VA 23502 or give us a call at (757) 855-2800.

More information on Herman Miller’s Aeron Chair below.

The Untold Story Of How The Aeron Chair Was Born

ALMOST EVERYONE KNOWS THE AERON CHAIR AS A HIGH-TECH DESIGN CLASSIC. BUT FEW PEOPLE KNOW THAT ITS TRUE ORIGINS LIE IN A 10-YEAR EFFORT TO CREATE FURNITURE FOR THE ELDERLY.

After the great DotCom bust of 2000, there was one lasting symbol of the crash: Herman Miller’s Aeron chair. The ergonomic, mesh-backed office chair was launched in 1994, at the start of the bubble; at a cost of more than $1,000 at the time, it quickly became a status symbol in Silicon Valley–spotted constantly in magazines, and in cameos on TV and film. Then, as the DotCom’s failed, the chairs went empty. As one information architect told New York magazine years later, he remembered them “piled up in a corner as a kind of corporate graveyard.” He went on: “They’re not in my mind an example of hubris as much as they are an example of companies trying to treat their staff more generously than they could actually afford.”

The Aeron was a throne perfectly tailored to Silicon Valley’s vanities. With a frame of high-tech molded plastic, a skin of woven plastic fibers pulled taut, and mechanics that accommodated slouchy rebels, the chair flattered the people who bought it. It was the best engineering money could buy, and it seemed purpose-built for squeaky-voiced billionaires inventing the future in front of a computer. But the Aeron’s origin story isn’t so simple. The apotheosis of the office chair–and perhaps the only one ever to become a recognizable and coveted brand name among cubicle-dwellers–was actually the unexpected fruit of a 10-year effort to create better furniture for the elderly.

One of the Aeron’s designers was Bill Stumpf, the son of a gerontology nurse and a preternaturally keen observer of human behavior. So he was well primed in the late 1970s, when the American furniture company Herman Miller began casting about for growth prospects and hired Stumpf and Don Chadwick–who had done several pieces for Herman Miller–to investigate the potential of furniture for the elderly. It seemed like a tantalizing market opportunity. The American populace was aging quickly, assisted living facilities were rare, and hospitals lacked ergonomic furniture suited to long-term care. In each environment, Stumpf and Chadwick observed the surest sign of an opportunity: Furniture being used in unintended ways. The homely workhorse common in both medical and residential settings was the La-Z-Boy. In hospitals, the elderly often got dialysis in semi-reclined La-Z-Boys; at home they spent hours in them watching TV. “The chair becomes the center of one’s universe. These sorts of realizations at the time weren’t just overlooked, they weren’t [deemed] important,” says Clark Malcolm, who helped manage the project. Those observation studies and focus groups “made Bill and Don focus on seating, in a way they never had before.”

The Continue reading →

Warmer office could mean better health

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In the article below Matt Richmond wrote about Binghamton University professor Ken McLeod designing a floor lamp that will warm up one’s core temperature.  McLeod researched how a warmer core temperature increases the production of growth hormone, which regulates one’s metabolism,  and resulting in a healthier office environment.  McLeod’s floor lamp invention will take a while to become available, in the mean time focus on having a good ergonomic chair or a plant to freshen the air.

More on the McLeod’s invention below.

by Matt Richmond

Rochester, NY, Dec 18, 2012 — It’s not unusual for people to wonder if their offices are making them less healthy: people complain of a lack of fresh air, sick coworkers, and uncomfortable chairs, to name a few. In Binghamton University’s bioengineering labs, researchers are looking for ways to make workplaces healthier.

Binghamton University professor Ken McLeod says he has proof that a warmer office will make people healthier. In the university’s bioengineering labs, he’s building a personal heating device that uses a low-frequency laser to warm people up.

According to McLeod, fighting obesity by controlling calorie intake and burning the calories you can through exercise isn’t the best way to do it.

McLeod says the main benefit of exercising 30 minutes a day, five days a week, is that it increases a person’s core body temperature. And when your body temperature goes up, you produce more growth hormones.

“But you can see below 37 degrees, we make no growth hormone. You push up even half a degree and you can see this curve coming up fast and by 38 degrees, you’re pushing up a maximum amount of growth hormone, it’s gone up more than 100-fold.”

Growth hormones increase a person’s metabolism which keeps their weight in check. So that’s why you exercise, to warm yourself up.

McLeod wonders, why should we settle for exercising 30 minutes a day to get our body temperature up, when we spend 40 hours a week in the office, letting our bodies do what they have to to keep warm

“If we’re not exercising enough to maintain our core temperature, we’re going to do something else and what that something else is is insulating ourselves from the cold. We lay down white body fat under our skin.”

McLeod’s personal heater works by directing warmth right at a person, instead of heating up the air around them. McLeod estimates that his heater, which looks like a typical floor lamp, would only need about 15 watts of power, compared to more than a thousand watts for a space heater. Continue reading →

Professor Grant Schofield: Standing Up For Office…

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Standing Up For Office Health

by ROB STOCK

Professor Grant Schofield is making a stand for a better, healthier office.

Schofield, from Auckland University of Technology’s Human Potential Centre (HPC) based at the Millennium high performance sports complex in Albany, is on a mission to dramatically cut the amount of time office workers spend seated, which a paper published in the British Medical Journal last month suggests could be very bad for workers’ life expectancy.

He and colleagues at the AUT’s School of Design have created office furniture for the HPC to ensure that people remain on their feet for much of the day.

The desks are standing height, and the seats are designed, quite literally, to be a pain in the arse, the idea being that uncomfortable seats are needed to break our predeliction for sitting.

The British Medical Journal paper indicates that limiting sitting to less than three hours a day and limiting television viewing to less that two hours may increase life expectancy at birth in the US by between 1.4 and two years.

While the study, based on US data, does not mean that someone reducing sitting time to less than three hours will automatically end up living that much longer, it does indicate that a more healthful, and, Schofield argues, alert and productive, workforce could be produced if we reduced sitting time.

The HPC office design is a work in progress, but Schofield reports positive results already. He and colleagues report feeling greater energy levels and alertness, especially during that drowsy spell after lunch and during long phone calls and conferences.

They are currently engaged in building data on productivity they hope will provide proof that those feelings are justified.

Currently, desks of standing height are rare except when prescribed for those with bad backs, but the research suggests they should be at the centre of an office revolution.

Schofield said there is something ridiculous about the drive by the ergonomics industry to create more and more comfortable chairs, which just encourages sitting. A change of tack is needed, he argues.

“The emperor has no clothes,” Schofield says.

“It seems to me that the office is broken and nobody has noticed.”

Schofield would not banish sitting from the office. For certain, solo, focused, high-concentration work tasks, sitting works, but resetting the default from sitting to standing yields benefits.

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In an office with standing room only, workers won’t end the day exhausted, Schofield says. Standing burns more energy, but not as much as people may think.

If food intake and exercise remain otherwise unchanged, a worker switching to standing as the default setting in the office would end up around two kilograms lighter after a year.

The evidence is mounting for the benefits of standing at work, Schofield said, but he acknowledges that evidence does not necessarily bring about social change, as the obesity epidemic shows. Some good commercialisation will play a big part.

“Proof is good, but proof in itself does nothing because academic papers just sit there, but developing and selling this stuff would be a better way.”

Commercialisation of the intellectual property AUT is creating is at an early stage, but Schofield already has a brand name in mind: “Goya” which stands for Get Off Your Arse.

via Professor Grant Schofield: Standing Up For Office… | Stuff.co.nz.

Recycled Bike Furniture

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After you trash your bike in a downhill mountain biking accident; turn it into a piece of furniture for your loft.  Founder, Andy Gregg creates tables, chairs and bar stools out of old parts from bikes. And the upholstery options include leather, rubber, cork, clear and colored acrylic, and vinyl. Check out the site for more cool pieces. (GUSH Magazine)

Implications – The environmental trend is highly popular. Consumers want to minimize their impact on the environment, therefore recycled furniture is highly appealing. By purchasing products that are recycled, they are able to satisfy their desire of minimal environmental damage. Additionally, the consumers feel better about the purchase and overall perception of the company changes or stays positive.

via Recycled Bike Furniture.

Eco Friendly Office Design Tips That Promote Productivity

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The Ecopreneurist.com article below offers design tips for an eco friendly office design. One of the tips is to, “Purchase some ergonomic chairs and keyboards. The entire focus of ergonomics is that they are things that are designed in a way that makes it easier on the body. This happens by making chairs and desks and keyboards that are more comfortable for our body’s natural design.”

Office Furniture Outlet has several styles of ergonomic chairs for sale. You can visit Office Furniture Outlet’s showroom and take test-sits in several different styles of ergonomic used office chairs.

Office ergonomics is important to productivity and general health. One of our trained staff members can help you find the right chair for you. Let us help you find the perfect chair give us a call Today at (757) 855-2800.

Nightingale CXO Used Task Chair For Sale

Eco Friendly Office Design Tips That Promote Productivity
by Leon Harris

Anyone who runs an office tends to have one thing, in particular, on the top of their priority list: Finding ways to make their office setting more productive. After all, when people want to work harder, more gets done, right? But what if you’re also someone who wants to achieve that goal in an eco-friendly way?

Are there things that you can do that will be energy-efficient while promoting the “go green movement” in the process? There most definitely are and we’ve provided you with five of them:

Open up the office. There used to be a time when cubicles were all the rage because it was a great way for people to have privacy without having to pay for everyone to have their own office. However, there are studies to support the fact that working in open spaces is actually a better idea. People tend to feed off of one another’s creative energy more and it also gives them access to more natural light. This brings us to the second point.

Use natural lighting. If you want to keep your utility bills down, provide your staff with some good ole Vitamin D and also do something that’s better for everyone’s eyes, go without the overhead lights and opt for more natural lighting by opening up the blinds or curtains in the office. You can even make the view more aesthetic by hanging some crystals in the window, or even better, some plants they help to reduce the toxins in the air.

Have healthy snacks available. Is this a design tip? Well, it all depends on how you present organic juices, water, fruits and vegetables and granola. One nice presentation would be to purchase everyone in the office a cloth shopping bag to hang on the back of their office chairs. You can fill them up with some of these foods and drinks around lunch time; they can also use the bag bring their own lunches in with recycling at its best. The added bonus is that the extra “fuel” will help get them through those hours after lunch when they may be dragging just a bit.

Purchase some ergonomic chairs and keyboards. The entire focus of ergonomics is that they are things that are designed in a way that makes it easier on the body. This happens by making chairs and desks and keyboards that are more comfortable for our body’s natural design. You can find ergonomic chairs and keyboards at many places including Staples and Amazon. You can find used ones on Craigslist or eBay.

Use all of the space that you have. Whether you have an office space in NYC, LA or North Carolina, it’s important that you make sure to use all of the space that you have. That is not only an efficient way to work, but it also keeps you from wasting the money that you’re spending to rent or lease the place. So, if you have spaces that aren’t currently being used, get together with your staff to discuss what can be done with it. Perhaps you can put up a partition and create a place where people can take coffee breaks. Or, you can use some old wooden crates around the office, put them together and make a cool looking storage space. There are limitless options here. Just make sure to be creative, wise with your resources and open to all of the possibilities.

via Eco Friendly Office Design Tips That Promote Productivity.

Five Best Office Chairs

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Need to know what to look for in a good office chair?  The article below gives great insight on 5 top office chairs.  We find that you don’t really know a chair until you sit in it. So get out to a retailer and  try them out.  You can visit Office Furniture Outlet’s showroom where you will find multiple styles of used office chairs in stock. One of our trained staff members can help you find the right chair for you.

Office Furniture Outlet used office furniture selection is one of the largest in Hampton Roads.  If you can’t find what you are looking for in our used inventories we sell new office furniture as well.  We have been outfitting the Hampton Roads business community for over 18 years!  Come by our 10,000 square foot showroom and find all your office chair. For more information visit our web site at www.ofova.com or give us a call at (757) 855-2800.

From LifeHacker.com
by Alan Henry

You spend hours at a time at your desk, so hopefully you’re sitting in a comfortable chair. If not, it might be time for an upgrade. This week, we wanted to know which office chairs you thought were the best of breed, either because they offer great value, great comfort, or great ergonomics. Here are the top five, based on your nominations.

Earlier in the week, we asked you which office chairs you thought were the best of breed—the ones you’d suggest to anyone with a home office or who just spends a lot of time at their desk. We tallied up those nominations and picked out the top five in the category:

The poll is closed and the votes are counted! To see which of the top five you decided was the absolute best, head over to our weekly hive five followup post to see and discuss the winner!

Herman Miller Aeron

Probably one of the most famous office chairs in the world, the Aeron chair set a new standard for ergonomics and comfort when it was released. It also set a new bar for price: new models retail for over $1200, although they can usually be found in the $6-800 range, cheaper if you buy used from individuals or office supply stores. The Aeron’s design is so popular that companies around the world order them by the hundreds, and the Aeron has a permanent installment at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Even though it looks sharp and is extremely comfortable, it was initially designed in 1994, and recent studies that point out the dangers of sitting for eight hours at a time also note that the Aeron may not be as ergonomic as we’d hoped over long sitting sessions. Still, it has a huge fan base, is comfortable, adapts to virtually anyone who sits in it, gives up foam and padding for woven mesh, and is highly customizable.

Herman Miller Embody

The Embody, Herman Miller’s next generation office chair, was designed by one of the original designers of the Aeron. It takes a more modern approach, and hones in on ergonomics and full-back support. Any complaints about the Aeron’s ergonomics were largely addressed in the Embody, as it’s back can be independently adjusted and moved separately from the base and arms of the chair. It’s still a pricey model, running retail between $1000 and $1500 depending on the finish, color, and fabric you choose, but it’s easily one of the most comfortable chairs you’ll ever sit in. The back conforms to your shape using what Herman Miller calls “Pixelated Mesh,” with multiple points of flexibility all along the length of the chair back. Some people complain the Embody has subpar lumbar support due to its spine-like back, and its controls and settings are a bit more complicated than the Aeron, but—full disclosure—as someone who owns one, it’s the best chair I’ve ever owned.

Steelcase Leap

The Steelcase Leap earned praise from many of you for being more affordable than some other options, its sturdy, long-lasting construction, and its incredible customization options. The Leap is a bit more of a task chair than some others, but it’s exceptionally comfortable, and the design makes sure your whole back is supported, even in the non-high-back models. It was designed with ergonomics in mind, and a special breathable foam padding that airs itself out through special slots on the back and bottom of the chair so it doesn’t get too hot during long work sessions. Rather than conform to you, Steelcase designers gave you individual control over everything from the arm height to the seat depth, so the Leap at your desk really is just for you. They retail for close to $1100, but they can easily be found in the $7-900 range new, even cheaper used. I was lucky enough to sit in a Leap every day at my last job, and it’s just as sturdy and customizable as the marketing promos say, and comfortable over long periods, too.

Raynor Ergohuman

The Raynor Ergohuman series was designed primarily for people who sit in their chairs for long periods of time working long hours. The design may not win any artsy awards, but its customizable components, add-ons, and independent control over the seat height, arm height, headrest, and rocker tension are impressive. Many of you praised the breathable mesh and leather upholstery, high back, and comfortable headrest. The Ergohuman also features a slightly wider seat pan than most other chairs, perfect for…wider butts, as it were. The series isn’t just for the wider among us though—it’s ideal for taller folks who want decent back support as well. Raynor just unveiled the Ergohuman v2, which offers a number of improvements in design, ergonomics, and weight capacity. The v1 will run you between $6-700, and the v2 between $7-800 retail.

IKEA Markus

The $199 IKEA Markus is a high-backed chair that comes in a variety of colors and your choice of leather or padded fabric, with a mesh back for breathability. Compared to some of the others here, the Markus is lacking in features and customizability, but if you sit in one for a while, you’ll find it remarkably comfortable (I was thinking about getting one myself before I got my Embody.) It is height adjustable and can tilt and lock, but don’t expect to independently adjust the armrest width or height, or change the seat depth. The curved design and the mesh back to support your back, however, and the seat pan isn’t really deep enough for you to slouch or sit improperly, so it does enforce good posture. If you’re on a budget but want a quality desk chair, it’s a great bang-for-your-buck office chair.

via Five Best Office Chairs.

Restoration Junkyard’s Blog | The Treasures of the World Await Us…

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Attention Ferrari Sports Car Enthusiasts

Ferrari Office Chair

An office chair for all you Ferrari Sports Car enthusiast.  If you can afford a Ferrari, my guess is that you could afford this luxury office chair with a price tag of a mere $8,ooo!  The chair, made by OMP, is a real Ferrari 360 Challenge car seat.

Every one of the seats started its life inside an actual Ferrari, and now each slightly-used throne is placed atop a carbon-fiber office chair frame, giving you adjustable armrests, along with the usual seat-height and tilt adjustments.

For those of you, like my self, who are unable to afford and a bit more realistic to go our and spend 8g’s on a chair, I suggest we go to the junkyard and pull a seat out of an old beater and make do.

via Restoration Junkyard’s Blog | The Treasures of the World Await Us….

4 Wise Words to Keep You Motivated at Work

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Maintaining motivation can be difficult. Careerealism.com has some helpful attitudes to adopt that may help you keep motivated at work.

I am not sure if you can classify these as powerful words that can keep you motivated at work. Perhaps they are more akin to attitude, but I feel if you remember the words, it may actually help you keep motivated at work.

1. Discuss, Don’t Complain

How often do you catch yourself complaining about others at work? Or finding fault about others?

You may think you have a legitimate reason, but all the complaining will not do you any good. In fact, all it does is keep you demotivated. When you do this, you keep reminding yourself of how bad your work environment is.

Here are the powerful words to remember “discuss, don’t complain.” What’s the difference? When you discuss, you try to understand the root cause, and you try to find a solution. When you complain you only focus on the problem and find ‘pleasure’ in dwelling on the fault of others.

2. Listen to Comprehend

Another powerful word to remember in order to keep motivated at work is “listen to comprehend.” How often do you find yourself listening to your colleague only to rebut what they say? When you have actions like that, how can you find a good work environment to keep motivated?

Next time a colleague talks, truly listen to comprehend what they are saying. Those are the powerful words to help you keep motivated at work.

3. Speak with Understanding

Have you analyzed your speech at work? Perhaps you should. How often do you hurt people with the words you say? When you use unkind words and often repeat gossips, you inevitably create an unhealthy environment for yourself and your colleagues. The other words to keep in mind in order to keep motivated at work is to speak with understanding.

Acknowledge people’s good qualities and praise them. When we focus on others’ good qualities, it also makes us feel happier.

Do an experiment, speak well of others for a few weeks. A month if you can, everyday, find someone to say something nice to sincerely. Even someone you do not like. Then see how your life changes and how you feel more motivated at work.

4. Help, Don’t Hide

Three more powerful words to help you keep motivated at work is to “help, don’t hide.” Whenever there is an opportunity to make yourself available for service to others, do it. The more time you spend helping others and not hiding away from them when help is needed, the happier you will be at work. What you are doing is building your relationship and enlarging your network. These support systems will later come to your aid too when you are in need of help.

There are of course, more powerful words that can help you keep motivated at work. But start with these. They may seem like a few small phrases, but they are not easy to do. It takes months and months of practice. But if you are able to do it for a stretch in time, you will see the difference in your motivation at work.

via 4 Wise Words to Keep You Motivated at Work | CAREEREALISM.

Used Office Furniture Creating a Contemporary Look

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Security Company uses all pre-owned furniture in office design.

Security Company Utilizes Used Office Furniture to Create Contemporary Look

Companies are beginning to realize the economic, ergonomic and aesthetic value of used office furniture in creating a contemporary workspace.

“Everything here is pre-owned but it’s very difficult to tell and we are very happy with the way everything turned out.”

King of Prussia, PA PRWEB November 16, 2012

Offices of the future are beginning to evolve. They are becoming more mobile, more ergonomic and colorful. Gone are the neutral colors, one stationary monitor and fixed surroundings. Workstations of the future are equipped with monitor arms, adjustable height and mobile work surfaces, plug-and-play abilities, keyboard trays, and more. Employers are beginning to focus more on employee efficiency and health in regards to their business’ office furniture.

NextGEN Security, a supplier of security products, access controls, and video surveillance equipment, understands the importance of efficient and ergonomic office furniture. They also realize the value in purchasing used office furniture in the current economic environment, which is why they turned to EthoSource, a used office furniture supplier, to help outfit their offices in King of Prussia, PA and San Antonio, TX.

EthoSource, a nationwide office furniture liquidator, handles high-end office furniture from all across the US. Many times,the furniture is in like-new condition or has very minimal wear and tear. This provides a great opportunity for businesses to purchase quality office furniture at a fraction of the price compared to new.

With employee productivity and cost savings at the forefront, EthoSource was able to deliver exactly what NextGEN was looking for. NextGEN’s new offices were outfitted with pre-owned Vitra office desks, which are the epitome of office efficiency. “The quality of the desks and all of the accessories are fantastic. We really like the desks because they are an all in one encompassing product where we have lighting, computer stations, monitor arms, everything in one. In addition to that we really like that everything is mobile, so we can change and move things without a lot of difficulty.” Frank Brewer, CEO of NextGEN, explained.

Brewer also enjoyed that all of the office furniture they purchased is pre-owned. “In the economic environment we were looking to buy pre-owned furniture because we thought that would be a good way to go. We’ve been very happy with the quality of what we see. Everything here is pre-owned but it’s very difficult to tell and we are very happy with the way everything turned out.”Along with purchasing pre-owned Vitra desks, NextGEN received pre-owned Haworth Zody task chairs, Vitra conference tables, and Knoll Brno chairs.

Brewer, with a new, efficient and aesthetically pleasing office is pleased with the outcome of the office furniture project and the job EthoSource has done. “I would recommend EthoSource to others especially with the state of the economy. There is an abundance of pre-owned furniture in the market and I think EthoSource knows how to find quality product and deliver it to their customers.”

via Security Company Utilizes Used Office Furniture to Create Contemporary Look.