Guides / The grey office chair: minimal in looks, complete in function
Guide
The grey office chair: minimal in looks, complete in function
A grey, minimalist office chair should look like less, not do less. What actually matters: the adjustments, the standard it meets, and whether it still looks calm after five years.
Minimal in looks, complete in function
Most chairs sold as minimalist are simply chairs with fewer parts. That is fine for a dining room. At a desk where someone sits for seven hours, fewer adjustments mean the person adapts to the chair, which is the wrong way round.
A good minimalist task chair hides its complexity instead of leaving it out. Seat height, seat depth, back tension and armrests should all adjust, and the controls should be where your hands expect them.
Check the standard, not the photo
In Europe the reference is EN 1335 for office work chairs. In the Netherlands many employers and occupational health services also look at NPR 1813. A chair that meets both has been tested for the adjustments that matter, not only for how it looks on a white background.
The Boring Comfort Chair meets EN 1335 type A and NPR 1813. The Netweave Chair uses the same frame and adjustments with a mesh back, for people who run warm or sit long.
Why grey, and why one grey
What makes a chair look calm is rarely its shape. It is the number of colours and materials it brings into the room. A black base, a chrome lever, a coloured fabric and a logo add up quickly when there are twenty of them.
Every Boring chair is one grey, RAL 7044, including the plastic parts. The office around it gets to be the colourful part. We call this leaving room for colour.
Materials that last longer than the trend
The Comfort Chair is upholstered in Regain, a fabric woven from recycled PET bottles. The Netweave Chair is 67 percent recycled material and 98 percent recyclable. Both are made by 706 Seating Group and assembled in Zwaag, the Netherlands.
Because the grey has not changed since 2016, worn chairs can come back for new fabric or a new gas lift and go out again as Boring Refurbished.
Questions
Which grey is the Boring office chair?
RAL 7044, silk grey, including the plastic parts. The grey has not changed since 2016, so chairs bought now match chairs bought then.
Is a minimalist office chair ergonomic?
It can be, if it has the full set of adjustments and meets EN 1335. Minimal should describe how it looks, not how much it can be adjusted.
Mesh or upholstered?
Mesh breathes and suits people who sit long or run warm. Upholstery is softer and quieter in the room. The Boring Comfort and Netweave chairs share the same frame, so the choice is only about the back and seat.
Can I try one?
Yes, at a dealer or by appointment in Amsterdam. Mail info@boringcollection.com.
