Comfortable Seating

Stained Glass Windows
July 15, 2014
“Quotes”
September 10, 2014
Stained Glass Windows
July 15, 2014
“Quotes”
September 10, 2014
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Comfortable Seating

Comfortable Seating:                                                                                                                                     Working with a natural material like wood can be very challenging. Equally as challenging is designing seating that will be comfortable for everyone that sits on it. People today come in all shapes and sizes, with heights and weights that vary widely, making it very difficult to build a pew or chair that everybody will find equally comfortable.”                                  

Because of this fact, how can you begin to determine what “comfort” really means? For starters, because comfort is such a personal thing, just defining the concept can be a difficult task. Some people prefer softer foam, others prefer firmer. Some like a deep seat, others a shallower seat. Some may prefer a higher back, while others may prefer a lower back. As you can imagine, a congregation of several hundred people might have several opinions on what they feel is comfortable.                                                            

A good place to start in this process is to understand how proper comfort can be achieved. For instance, one accepted definition of comfort is the elimination of discomfort.In this sense, comfort is achieved by spreading the body’s weight over a larger area. It’s for this reason that we can sit longer than we can stand (because our weight isn’t only on our feet), and we can lay down for longer periods of time  than we can sit ( for instance, our weight is spread across our entire body when we sleep). The study of seating ergonomics has proven that proper seating comfort is achieved by contouring the seat to fit the human body.  For this reason, make sure  you understand how each company contours its seat.  The three most common ways that a contoured seat is achieved is:  – contouring the foam, – placing a piece of wood under the foam at the front of the seat,  – or contouring the structure of the seat itself.  To understand which method is best, first realize that every  company’s foam will break down and wear over time. When the foam breaks down, consider what kind of a surface you’ll be sitting on..

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