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Pommel Horse Seating to Encourage Office Chatting, Yea or Nay?

By Rain Noe - January 24, 2019

in Furniture Design

The last time we saw equestrian-inspired seating, it was chiropractor David James France's Workhorse Saddle Chair for posture improvement. Now we're seeing another horse-based seat design, the Sitzbock Pommel Horse, designed for a different reason: Intra-office communication. "Nowadays, a big challenge businesses face," writes German furniture manufacturer Willkahn, "is to find ways of nurturing a team spirit and animating staff to stop and chat, brainstorm and collaborate." They reckon the Sitzbock would take care of that:

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Just like a real horse, people can sit astride or ride "side saddle" or use it to lean on. At just 4.8 kg in weight, they're easy to place in groups for spontaneous meet-ups, stack cross-wise or pick up and put on patios for a while. There's also an optional anthracite, light mottled, graphite or mango-coloured felt "saddle blanket". Grouped in small herds, the Sitzbock pommel horse seats conjure up an atmosphere that's just as playful as it is ergonomic and invites interaction.

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I can't deny that when I worked in an office, there were times when someone said something interesting enough for me to want to linger for a few moments, but not sit; in a corporate environment, committing myself to a chair screams "let's drag this out" and changes the dynamic of informal conversation. If I had one of these to merely lean on, I might've stuck around for more conversations.

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What say you? Am I crazy for thinking this unusual piece of seating might actually serve a very useful function?

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O Studio

5 years ago

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It's odd to see a furniture promo photo without one with it being used/sat on... But perhaps that's the goal? Not comfortable enough that you'd ever see it being used? Either that, or we're missing the part of the photo where we see everybody fleeing the zombie horde that made them jump up and run.

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Scott Watrous

5 years ago

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It looks like one would work stellar in a modernist BDSM dungeon. As long as it can be wiped down and sanitized.

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John Kestner

5 years ago

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It looks fairly uncomfortable, which I suppose is one of your points. I like the idea of having an impromptu-conversation stool, though, and perhaps no back or arm rests so you can't settle in strikes the right balance. A Muista (https://www.muistachair.com) would do the job nicely—though I'm getting one as an active alternative to my usual task chair.

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Steven Cochrane

5 years ago

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It could work nice as a temporary perch. Also who wouldn't love having a couple saw-horses around their office? Not for sawing but to prop up large items.

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