Locus, a new line of upright furniture, enables a person to work with a posture halfway between standing and sitting. Martin Keen, industrial designer and founder of Keen Footwear, applied his utilitarian aesthetic to the modern workplace with the introduction of this seating and desk offering from his company, Focal Upright Furniture.
Keen developed the line of upright furniture after using standing desks in his own studio. Standing was tiring, and he soon found himself leaning against a modified seat. Using an old stool with the seat tilted forward, Keen began leaning while working. He realized he was no longer aware of posture, and he energized and able to focus on his work. “There is a place between standing and sitting where our body wants to be,” says Keen. “It’s a natural, neutral posture and it just feels right.”
Research into the phenomenon of “sitting disease” confirmed that this was an improvement on the office cubicle. The first offering from Focal is designed to move with a person and encourage active engagement. Locus supports the user’s natural balancing point, encouraging healthy movement, blood circulation, and oxygen flow.
The Locus seat is constructed of aluminum, steel, bent plywood and polymer (EVA, Delrin®, polypropylene, and glass-reinforced nylon). Standard seating colors are: citrus, chili pepper, deep blue, black, and the cushion can be covered for an additional charge. The seat pan comes in white oak or American walnut and can be upgraded to hand-laid carbon fiber.
The seat can comfortably accommodate a person ranging in height from 5″ to 6.5″ and weighing up to 400 pounds. The range of seat motion laterally is 9° degrees and fore-aft from vertical to 12°.
The Locus desk is constructed of aluminum, steel, hardwood laminate, and polymer (Delrin®). It is available in white oak or American walnut. The top surface measures 30″x48″ and can be angled from flat position to 18°. An optional LED desk light is an upgrade and replaces one of the two cup/pencil holders. The company in currently developing a mount for larger desktop computers.
Both the seat and desk are sourced globally and assembled domestically.
That looks like a comfortable solution to the standing problem. Based on recent studies sitting is not so good for the body but standing all day long would probably bring about a lot of complaints. This might be the place between the two. You could actually keep your back straight on a chair like that.