Knoll Generation
It was supposed to be the perfect chair. I have waited for it for seven and a half weeks after deliberating about it for almost three weeks. However, it is not the ten plus weeks that this chair represents it is years of searching, trying, justifying and waiting.
Herman Miller Aeron
I remember seeing a photo of the Herman Miller Aeron chair in the Levinger catalogue around 1996. It was unlike any other office chair I had seen. A few months later the Room & Board in Denver had one in their showroom. I used to go visit "my" chair. However, as the Director / Curator of a small contemporary arts organization I was earning less than $1000 a month - so the Aeron was not in my budget.
I have been hunting for the perfect office / task chair for years. Ever since injuring my back when I was twenty I have found sitting for any length of time uncomfortable and often incredibly painful. As a result chairs are very important to me. I think it was my Dad, who sold restaurant chairs, who told me that the average household has 5 - 6 chairs per person. That would mean that between my husband and I we should have 12 chairs. HA! Doing a quick count - I would say we are well over 24 and that is counting our sofa as 1. The problem is that I am always trying out chairs - hoping that this one or style will be the one.
Which is why this current chair is so important!
I have 2.5 days left until I submit my PhD comprehensive exam. I have been doing a lot of sitting over the past four months and my back has been getting progressively more painful. So, one month into the process, my husband decided that it was time for us to finally get me a really good chair. I started the process debating between the Aeron chair that I have had an almost 14 year crush on, and the Herman Miller Mirra chair which I had flirted with briefly when I tried it out a few years ago.
Herman Miller Mirra
We embarked on the mission of testing chairs. I quickly ruled out the Mirra, tested a few Humanscale models and then discovered the Knoll Generation. It felt perfect. But after a decade and a half of being in love with Aeron, I was not sure if I was able to just move on. So, I spent the next couple of weeks going back and forth, trying to make up my mind. I knew the Knoll Generation was the one, but I had been thinking about the Aeron for so long. A visit to the Knoll showroom changed my mind. I loved the chair, the woman that assisted us was wonderful, helpful and truly passionate about her Generation chair. I was sold.
I had only one choice left. Who do I actually buy it from. Molly at the Toronto Design within Reach studio had been really helpful and was wonderful to work with. However, their prices were obviously higher then an online retailer. I am a student, on a TA salary, so price is an issue. Molly came through, and although the Design within Reach price was still a bit higher, I do value personal service. So, I ordered my perfect black Knoll Generation chair from Molly.
My chair arrived this morning! I was so excited. I was looking forward to spending the last few days of writing, in comfort, on my new chair. I opened the box and instead of seeing my perfect black chair, I found a perfect Generation chair - except the back support frame was light grey. Now someone else might find this perfectly acceptable. It is a nice looking chair. And looking at the photos on the Knoll website, there are numerous shots of individuals who look perfectly happy in their black and grey chairs. However, I really wanted my black chair! I love black! You can never have too much black! Everything looks better in black!
My Knoll Generation Chair
So, my chair sits alone in the corner, waiting to learn its fate. Molly is on the case! I can't believe that I have spent the last few hours obsessed about the colour of my chair. There are so many more pressing problems in the world and I have a comp exam to finish.
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