The modern office is no longer the oppressive, cubicle-lined, industrially-carpeted warehouse of human apathy it once was. The higher-ups have realized that atmosphere matters – that an energized employee is a productive employee, and that the objective of smart office design should be creating spaces that make workers feel nimble and alert. To that end, they should incorporate bountiful natural light, harmonious and stimulating color schemes, and of course, functional furniture that looks clean and sharp.

Sculptural Chair. Designed by Martin Ballendat. Manufactured by Rossin.

Enter German designer Martin Ballendat, for whom the synthesis between the functional and the interesting is paramount. A bona fide expert in the art of sitting, Ballendat, who wrote his Interior Design diploma thesis some 25 years back on seat patterns in children’s furniture, believes choices in seating are limited due to ingrained expectations. His aim is to work against such pre-conceived notions to create pieces that accommodate the body and the mind. His collaboration with manufacturer Rossin is a fortuitous match, since the German company aims for “the completion and perfection of each single piece, manufactured through experienced hands.” Good Germans that they are, Rossin's pieces often feature severe lines and a rigorous look, though they welcome international influence, especially the light and lively look of Italy.

The Sculptural Chair comes in a number of variations.

The sculptural chair certainly looks half Italian and half German. It's sharp yet whimsical, moderately severe yet fluid and fun. The chair features a revolving base of stainless steel with a satin chrome finish, and the seat itself is high-density polyurethane foam molded around a metal frame. But the best part is the organic upholstered backrest that swirls around to the sitter’s left and table-tops out at lap-top height – a perfect resting place for a latte and a scone, or, even better, a laptop. And it's super-sleek for such a functional piece, measuring 34.6 inches high, and a mere 38.2 inches across. Beyond a simple office chair, Ballendat’s piece is more of a customized individual sitting experience. Equally at home in the company lounges of San Francisco high-rises or the glass-fronted caf©s of Berlin-and highly reminiscent of the space-pod lounge of Kubrick's 2001-the uses of the Sculptural chair are limited only by your imagination.