For Film Makers, Musicians & Creatives
In an unhappy coincidence I was reviewing my music workstation environment when at the same time I suffered a bout of mid 40’s back pain. It struck me that my combination of desk and seating had seen it’s best days and was starting to impact on my comfort and physical health.
A bunch of sessions with an Osteopath later, I had already made the decision to update my workstation desk to the brilliant Zaor Miza M and my attention turned to the seating. I always figured that seating was like buying a bed mattress in that you can never really tell in a shop how it work for you without using it over time. Looking at reviews and seeking advice was key in my choice.
As recording musician you need a fair amount of freedom of movement when composing, playing instruments and sitting back to listen to the mix. In that regard I required a seat that can move with your altering positions whilst providing support at all times. When mixing, I like to lean back a little to let the music wash over me and in this case I was also looking for a supportive headrest.
Both the folks at Zaor and my Osteopath had recommended Humanscale chairs for their build quality, support and comfort. Having looked at Humanscale’s website they also appear to be pretty stylish.
I’d sat in a couple of different Humanscale chairs in a local John Lewis store in the UK and was immediately impressed. Instead of you sinking into ultimate comfort, it’s almost like their chairs are part of you and in that way, don’t really become noticeable. Decision made, the Humanscale Freedom was ordered.
Finished in black with a polished aluminium frame, from the rear it looks like an exoskeleton from an alien movie. It’s incredibly well designed and quite attractive to look at. Sitting down, you immediately feel supported and comfortable. Its initially an odd feeling as you shift your position and the seat moves with you. It’s super impressive. I’m relieved that this is one of those chairs that doesn’t have 25 leavers and handles to adjust your seating position, instead you merely adjust the height and that’s about it.
As a recording musician you tend to lean forward and lean back a lot. The arms of the chair are effortlessly lowered when you need some additional working space when playing the guitar. Leaning back as you playback some of your compositions the seat, back, headrest and arms adjust as you go, it’s witchcraft. This is going to take a little bit of time to get used to but, I can tell this is an amazing chair and will work really well with my workflow.
A few weeks into using the chair it’s seen some long writing sessions and I can confirm it’s bloody fantastic. Why on earth didn’t I buy one of these earlier?
OK, they don’t come cheap but at around £1,000 (UK) depending on the specification, it get’s you a top spec, beautifully designed product that will last you years. A 15 year warranty appears to back up this claim. If like the millions of us who spend a great deal of time sat down for work, don’t scrimp the cost, it’s worth it for your physical health, wellbeing and productivity. I couldn’t recommend this chair highly enough.
Cheers
Rob