When a man with the implied authority of a name like “Wolfgang Deisig” talks, one is predisposed to listen, especially, if—as is the case with designer Deisig—he has a voice like a German James Earl Jones. So when he opens manufacturer Hon’s promo on the forthcoming Ceres Task Chair with the measured baritone intonation of “When we started with this chair development, we were purely looking at what’s gonna happen if people sit on a chair eight hours a day…” I’m desirous of hearing more, as well as likely to harbor a subsequent yearning for the material fruition of Deisig’s answer.

Ceres Task Chair. Designed by Wolfgang Deisig for HON.

Synchronized Tilt Function Assures Excellent Ergonomics

One component of said answer is a “reduction of the design elements to the absolutely necessary functions.” That surely sounds like a good beginning for an evolution in task chairs, for an ergonomic repository for our aching, aching backs. So far, scuttlebutt on Ceres—beyond the aesthetic charms of its fire orange fabric and burnished chrome legs/base—is that its function emerges from Deisig’s detailed studies into the movement of the spine while seated at work. Ceres’ form reflects the conclusions, not only in the requisite attention to the inferior regions, but along the entire length of the backbone—“from upper thorax to lower lumbar.”

Ceres keeps our angles right by conforming to the important human articulations. This means that the chair’s synchronized tilt motion embraces us as we park our posteriors, then cradles us softly back into an upright sitting posture without the usual jarring and jostling. And forget about the cumbersome and imprecise adjustments you’ve probably become long used to. Ceres features a simple lever (easily accessible from the seated position), whose three-inch range of motion is all that’s needed to fine tune resistance of the tilt feature.

The forthcoming collection includes both a work chair with rolling casters, as well as a stackable multi-purpose chair with a flexible back (good choice for all those inflexible backs soon to inhabit it). Ceres’ is upholstered with the patented ilira-stretch M4 mesh knit back. Besides that fiery orange, which they call Tangerine, color options include Black, Vanilla, Fog, and Tomato.