AD – This post is in collaboration with Summit At Home
As I’m sure is the case for many of us, as much as I fully embraced the benefits of flexible working pre covid, working from home full time was never part of the long term plan. Suddenly here we are 18 months later and I have yet to step foot back in my office.
When we first went into lockdown back in March 2020, like many people across the UK I started working from home and our offices were closed to all employees. With a small 3-bed semi and no separate room or garage to use as an office, we simply had to make the most of what we had available to us at home. This left me working at the dining room table, trying my best to successfully work (and homeschool!) whilst maintaining a normal work and home life balance.
With my employer now adopting a hybrid / blended model of working going forwards and the fact I also run my own business from home, we decided it was about time to invest in our own home office space. A space not surrounded by LEGO, without the constant background noise of two small humans and with the benefit of a very short eco-friendly commute down my garden. I can finally free up my dining room table to, you know, EAT at, and enjoy sitting by day in an environment far more conducive to working!
If you’ve been following my Instagram stories as of late, you’ll know that our new garden office is approaching its final stages and I am so excited to have been able to work in there for the first time this week.
Why is an ergonomic office space important?
As someone who works in HR by day, I know just how important it is to look after your physical and mental wellbeing when working in an office – whether that’s a traditional office space or when working from home.
Factors such as taking regular breaks, making sure your screen is at the right height and sitting at an ergonomic workstation where you can adjust how you sit really is key.
For the last 18 months I have sat on a dining room chair to work. Whilst great for eating and lounging, a chair such as this is not designed to be sat at for 8 hours a day, meaning I often found myself crossing my legs, folding up one leg or sitting cross legged to raise up my height. None of these things are great on my physical wellbeing, neck or back. I would often feel tense and uncomfortable at the end of the working day.
Who are Summit At Home?
I have recently worked with Summit At Home on a review of their home office chairs. With over 45 years experience, they really are the experts when it comes to finding the right chair for you.
Summit chairs are designed with safety and comfort in mind. Their chairs offer Dynamic Sitting, meaning each of the chairs can be adjusted whilst you are seated, enabling you can constantly move positions whilst you work and keep your spine healthy and happy.
Summit At Home home office chairs are made to order here in the UK with a free 10 day delivery turnaround time. They even come with a 5 year guarantee!
Our Experience of the Ovair Office Chair from Summit At Home
I found the Summit At Home website really easy to use. I will be honest that when it came to choosing a home office chair I didn’t really know where to start. I wanted something that would tick all the boxes in terms of health and safety, but also wanted something that was aesthetically pleasing and was going to be comfortable whist fitting in with the colour scheme in my new office.
I took the handy quiz on the Summit At Home website, which asked a range of questions about my working environment, how long I would be sitting for. whether I had any existing back problems and budget, and this helped recommend the most suitable chair from the range.
I opted for the Ovair Office Chair for a variety of reasons. Firstly the Ovair comes with built lumbar support to help maintain a healthy S shaped spinal curve. It also has dynamic sitting which responds to your movement and helps you maintain a suitable seating position throughout the day.
From an aesthetic point of view, I also absolutely loved the soft mesh back of the Ovair chair. Not only did it look less formal in a modern home office environment, but helps to keep you cool and comfortable temperature all day long.
In terms of features, The Ovair Chair from Summit At Home has a gas lift for chair height adjustment (which can be done whilst sitting), Height adjustable lumbar support and caster wheels to base. It also comes with optional extras including memory foam seat pads and height adjustable armrests.
The Ovair Office Chair is also available in 15 different colours (with colour swatches available if you want to try them out first). These range from traditional office colours such as shades of black, grey and blue, as well as more striking colours such as lime green, calendar pink, and coral.
Our Experience of Summit At Home
I am super impressed with the ordering and delivery experience from Summit At Home. The chair arrived quickly and in line with their suggested turn around times and was really well packaged, coming in a large box already assembled! This was a real bonus for someone like me who gets ‘the fear’ whenever anything comes flat packed or requires any kind of piecing together. .
I was really pleased with the look and feel of the chair on unpacking. The Forecast Grey colour is absolutely perfect for the colour scheme of our new office, and unlike other chairs I have had previously with a solid back, the mesh back looks really fresh and modern and a little less formal.
The chair is really easy to adjust (one handed), being able to quickly and easily raise and lower the height of the chair as required. You can lower using the gas lift lever whilst sitting, which is really handy if you are working on multiple screens and need to occasionally adjust your seating position. The lumber support is also easily adjusted using the small lever under the chair.
The chair is fairly lightweight 11.3kg in total and with a tiled floor, the casters move freely and easily. With a larger size desk, this means I can easily move around and twist and turn as required and have feet both flat on the floor without the temptation to fold my legs!
Overall, I am really pleased with my choice of office chair. Whilst they are a significant investment into your home office, you can’t put a price on working in comfort and looking after your long term physical health. Whilst I think about it, it’s probably time I arranged an eye test too!
Would you like the chance to WIN a Summit At Home Office Chair of your choice?
Thanks to the team at Summit At Home, we are giving one lucky reader the chance to upgrade their home office chair and wave goodbye to back pain or discomfort when working from home!
Entry is using the rafflecopter link below.
The winner will be contacted by SummitAtHome and can pick any chair from the entire Summit At Home collection (excluding the Brinkworth Air) in their choice of 15 fabric colours. (You can check out the full range here). The chair will be made in 10 working days and delivered fully assembled. No cash alternative. Delivery within the UK only. Our full terms and conditions are here. Giveaway runs from the 7th November 2021 to the 21st November 2021. Winner will need to provide their email address for Summit At Home to contact them and must select their chair within 5 working days of being contacted. GOOD LUCK!
That’s not all!
Don’t want to wait? If you’re not feeling lucky or would prefer to get your hands on a SummitAtHome chair sooner, you can currently get 20% off their entire range with their Black Friday offer! Use the code BF20A at checkout to get 20% off everything until the 29th November 2021.
