malvasia bianca

One thing writing about Pamplemousse made me wonder about: I feel better sitting there than at work, but the chair isn’t the sort of chair that I would normally actively think of as a comfortable chair. (Don’t get me wrong, it’s a perfectly nice chair, it’s just nice in a quiet, unassuming, and not super-padded way.)

Maybe it’s just that I’m only sitting in it for 15 minutes: you won’t notice a chair in that context the same way that you would notice a chair that you’re sitting in for hours. But I don’t think that’s all of it: I think I feel more grounded in a chair at Pamplemousse than I do in the chair at my desk.

Here’s a basic question: is it good to have a desk chair that swivels and has wheels, or is it better to have a desk chair with four fixed legs? If I had the sort of job that had me pulling files from various places, then mobility would be useful; but I spend my day typing at a computer. And, given that, it’s not at all clear that I benefit from being able to turn or roll my chair.

So I’m wondering: would I feel better working in a chair with four fixed legs? Almost all the other chairs that I sit on are fixed; why are desk chairs different? If fixed legs made me feel restricted, that would be one thing; but my guess is that they would let me feel more grounded, more supported, with the ground sending its strength up through the legs and seat of the chair to me. And sending a message that I belong there, too.

I could be wrong, though. And it’s quite possible that no chair works well if you’re sitting at it for too many hours in a day…