The office chair and the airplane seat are closer than you'd think

On reading A Taxonomy of Office Chairs, design blogger Michael Valkevich was inspired by how the office chair has changed productivity and decided to explore how the environment we work in has evolved.

In A Taxonomy of Office Chairs, Valkevich finds the evolution of the interface with modern office space analogous to how business travel has developed, with reference to the interaction travellers have with the space on a plane.

"If you draw the comparison from the mid-twentieth century," Valkevich muses, "the similarities and differences in how we work in both airplanes and offices become clearer. For example, many modern offices and some first-class cabins offer a place to shower and change clothes, as we work ever longer hours."

A Taxonomy of Office Chairs is the definitive guide to office chairs and an account of their history from the pivotal 1849 cast iron Centripetal Spring Armchair to modern ergonomically designed recliners. It includes 400 illustrations charting the evolution of each part of the chair from headrests and seat covers to back panels and casters.

Follow the link to FastCompany.com to read Michael Valkevich's full article, The Way We Fly, The Way We Work