At the Chair Institute, we recognize the importance of the chair in modern society, so we wanted to create a website devoted to this unsung hero of the modern age. After all, the odds are good that you spend a lot more time sitting in a chair of some kind or another than you think.

How much time?

Well, if you have an office job, then you’ve got eight hours sitting down. Probably closer to ten if you count the time you spend commuting back and forth to work (sitting), and the time spent eating lunch (yep, more sitting).

It doesn’t stop there, though. Believe it or not, people have done studies about that, and we tend to sit even when we’re not working. For instance:

  • 36% of people sit on the sofa and watch 1-2 hours of television each night
  • 29% use their home computer for an hour or two (every night)
  • 25% lounge, relax or read for 1-2 hours a night
  • And 10% play computer games (or X-Box, or Playstation, etc.) for 1-2 hours

Overall, you’re looking at about 12-13 hours a day spent sitting. That’s’ literally half your life, if not slightly more!

Given how much time we spend with our backsides ensconced in a chair of one kind or another, an institute celebrating this venerable object seemed only fitting.

You might think that chairs have been around for most of history, but in this, you’ll be surprised. For most of human history, we sat on the ground or objects of convenience like boulders, logs, or tree stumps.

When and where formal seating was used at all, the masses had benches or stools. Chairs were the exclusive domain of Kings, Priests, and other dignitaries. In fact, it wasn’t until the Renaissance that chairs began to go mainstream.

Once they did, though, there was no going back, and the chair has been an integral part of our lives ever since.

In modern times, the simple chair is anything but. It has exploded into a thousand different varieties, ranging from simple, utilitarian devices, ergonomically optimized contraptions that look like they come from another planet, swiveling office chairs of varying degrees of comfort, and more.

There are plush lounging chairs, rockers, sliders, rustic Adirondack designs, gaming chairs, and a staggering array of therapeutic models like massage chairs.

The Chair Institute was designed to pay homage to them all. Here, you’ll find all manner of articles and reviews, eventually covering every kind of chair under the sun. Enjoy exploring the site!