In my mind relaxing means being on a white sanded beach or at home plunked down in front of the TV. But if you’re always on the go and happen to have a few minions to help you drag your crap around, plus can’t find a better way to unwind than drowning your sorrows at the hotel bar, then you might want to take a look at the Pure Lady portable massage chair.
It’s finished in synthetic leather and folds up into a neat little cube for easy storage or travel. And don’t let this thing’s diminutive size fool you. The Pure Lady can massage the whole body including the calves, feet, back and waist – well, almost the whole body.
No word on price, but there’s a product page, so it’s gotta exist some where.
While the iBum Chair will most certainly hold its place as a testament for societies’ need to photocopy their body parts, there is an allure that seems to be missing. I mean, after all the whole point of photocopying your ass, hand or squished face is that the machine was never built for that purpose. But put it in a chair and make its sole purpose that of one that creates carbon copies of people’s rear ends and you suddenly have an uncomfortable chair that not only invades your privacy but is so obvious in its purpose that it deters anyone from dropping trow. Then again I’m sure some solid art work could be garnered out of this machine, and by art I mean…well, you should know what I mean.
It ain’t no Embody, but at less than half the price ($650), whose complaining? Designed as multipurpose chair – I guess that means it can be used in conference rooms, at a desk or perhaps racing one and other down the halls of some uber trendy startup – the Setu is finished in mesh providing the same airy feel as the Aeron, but isn’t built to support one’s body for extended use. Herman Miller will officially unveil the Setu at NeoCon in Chicago, which starts June 15th.
Some days I just wanna fly away on a jet plane, or how ever the song goes. Now my fantasy, well, ah, can be a more vivid fantasy. From design Gianni Pedone comes the Orfojet armchair. Unfortunately, its bark is bigger than its bite, as the jet engine design appears to be aesthetics only. But the Orfojet armchair isn’t completely void of entertainment. Integrated into the arms are speakers as well as a CD/MP3 player. The chair will be on display as part of the Morfonauta collection at this year’s Milan Design Week.
Tight on space and short on seating? Well do I have the answer for you: the Magic Chair. I didn’t say it would be comfortable, but it sure is efficient from a space perspective. Much like a Russian Doll, 3 smaller chairs – each one subsequently smaller – reside inside one ‘mother’ chair. They’re made of solid wood and crafted using bentwood, a technique that employs steam and heat to manipulate the wood into a desired shape.
No word on a price, but the Magic Chair will go on sale this Spring in Montreal.
Live in NYC? Then you probably live in a shoebox and store all your pots and pans in the oven, amongst other things that you do or don’t know about. Save a little more space, or perhaps a little more seating with the HC Andersen lounge chair that folds down and converts into a table. It’s lines are a bit harsh, but so is living in a 10 by 10 apartment.
Hurry, they only made 49 pieces (10 tell a story, literally) and who knows at what cost.
I’m not sure how I missed this at CES, but I did, so now I’m kicking myself in the ass. The Emperor Workstation is the ultimate and most indulgent piece of computer furniture you can get your hands on. For $40,000 you’ll get three synchronized 19-inch monitors for a total resolution of 3840×1024, a complete control center for operating the built-in full spectrum lighting system and chair adjustments, a THX certified 5.1 channel surround sound system from Bose, a leather Recaro chair, a HEPA air filter system, your choice of PC or Mac, a 3 hour backup UPS battery, iPod dock, webcam, microphone, media card reader, USB and other inputs, and last but most certainly not least a hydraulic tail that open and closes to allow entry (hit the video below to see it in action).
It’s pretty funny to see people’s reactions when they come face to face with the LumiSource Boomchair Shark gaming chair. Non-gamers immediately exclaim, “Wow, is that some sort of fancy schmancy massage chair!?”; gamers mutter in envious disdain, “You geek, I can’t believe you actually spent money on THAT! Can I try it?”; while marine biologists retort, “You fool, that’s not a shark!” Yup, interesting responses but after they’ve actually tried it, all agree that the Boomchair Shark is a comfortable, sweet looking chair with pretty cool multimedia features. We shall explore this further.
Key features at a glance:
Contoured shape ensures correct posture
Adjustable headrest
Built in 3″ dual speakers, 4″ subwoofer
Audio input/output
Headphone jack
Vibrating “rumble” feature
Color LED that flashes in sync with the sound
Sleek, hammerhead shark-shaped design
Daisy chainable
The chair at first glance is striking in design, featuring an aggressive-looking hammerhead shape, outlined in black, red, and metallic-grey accents. It’s made of a durable, synthetic fabric that’s all but waterproof–you might get away with spilling a drink but please don’t take the shark for a swim. The twin 3″ side speakers and 4″ subwoofer, with adjustable volume and vibration controls, are embedded in the base of the chair and slanted toward the user. A sound-responsive color LED light and a built-in interactive vibrating motor round out the multimedia features.
So how does it perform? In terms of comfort, it really can’t be beat. During my usual gaming sessions, I’m so entranced by the game that I don’t remember whether I’m slouching, leaning back, or standing on my head to be honest. Whatever the case may be, my back is pretty much turned to mush by the time the angry she-monster aka wife pries the controller out of my weary hands. Playing with the Boomchair is an entirely different story, however. If it’s possible, I’m even more engrossed in the game thanks to the explosions pumping through the directional built-in speakers and the sensory feedback rumbling from the vibrating motor. And the best part? Even after several hours the ol’ back feels like I just got out of a $45/hour Thai massage. Exaggeration? Perhaps, but my back never felt better after a gaming session.
Well, that’s what I like about the chair. It’s time to rant. First off, with a name like the “BOOMchair SHARK!” one would expect a crankin’ beast of a sound system, right? Well, not exactly. It’s more of a “squeakchair sardine” when it comes to volume. Even at full blast the speakers are not that loud. That’s not to say the speakers are poor in quality, as the sound never distorts, but they could use a little more ‘oomph’. To be fair, I don’t believe the audio features were designed to be a standalone solution but rather a complement to a bigger surround sound system; so in that role it fulfills its purpose quite nicely.
At the end of the day, would I use this chair for my daily gaming activities? That would be an affirmative so says my grateful, pain-free back. With its distinctive design, numerous multimedia features, and comfortable seating the Boomchair Shark becomes a welcome, perhaps even necessary, addition to the gamer’s repertoire. Definitely recommended.
Comfort never looked to precarious. You’re laying your eyes on a Special edition GRAVITY balans recliner. Available in a limited run of 250, the special chair was built and designed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the recliner and is signed by its designer Peter Opsvik. The GRAVITY balans recliner is available in 5 fabrics, 4 woods and over 250 colors and will surely sell for more than the standard edition GRAVITY balans recliner, which costs just a mere $1,200.
November 25th, 2008 11:42 PM | by Christen da Costa
Merging James Bond elegance and the similar stylings of the Herman Miller Embody chair, the Daybed from Mauelsaez is designed to provide an ultra comfortable working environment with a touch of opulence. It looks like Humanscale commissioned the design so you might be able to track it down in a retail store. I checked HumanScale’s web shop and no luck.
