Rethinking Sitting: The Ergonomic, Kneeling Chairs by Balans of Norway. Designed by Peter Opsvik late 1970's.

We have two different kneeling chairs from Norway in stock now. Both were probably designed by Peter Opsvik for Balans of Norway. Both are beautiful examples of modern "form follows function" design. The one with the light colored upholstery is an early example and may be a prototype. I say this because it is made of plywood, has scribe marks on the rockers, has an older surface and patina and is not marked Balans. For more detailed photos of both chairs scroll down past the page break.

Available for purchase here

Available for purchase here

Peter Opsvik is a Norwegian industrial designer best known for his innovative and ergonomic chairs, and the father of Jazz bass player Eivind Opsvik. Opsvik’s furniture can be found under the brand names: Rybo (Garden), Nomi High Chair, Håg (Capisco, H04, H05, Conventio Wing), Varier (different Balans® chairs), Stokke (Tripp Trapp) Naturellement (Reflex), Cylindra (Furniture objects) and Moment (Globe). His book Rethinking Sitting came out in 2009 giving insight into his thinking about sitting and explaining the philosophy behind his chairs. Peter Opsvik is also a jazz musician. He has been a member of Christiania Jazz band from 1972 and the band Christiania 12 from 1993.

Hans Chr. Mengshoel initiated the concept of kneeling chair posture in Norway, and Peter Opsvik was one of three designers who developed chairs based on this principle that all had Balans in their names. The others were Oddvin Rykken, and prof. Svein Gusrud. Peter Opsvik’s kneeling chairs were originally manufactured by Stokke (now Varier), Håg and Rybo. With its iconic shape this chair has been voted one of 50 designs that changed the world.

Peter Opsvik has worked from both ends of the spectrum of Scandinavian Design. At one end, rational and ergonomic aspects are in focus – taking care of the human body’s requirements, while at the other end of the spectrum the most important criterion is expression. With the rational, ergonomic products, Opsvik’s goal is to move the human body. With the other group of products, which he call "objects", his aim is to move the emotions.

Peter Opsvik has been awarded a number of prizes for his work, most recently the Red Dot Award 2013 "Best of Best" for Nomi High chair, Red Dot award 2011 (for Capisco Puls), the IF Product Design gold award 2011 (for Capisco Puls) and the Norwegian Design of Excellence award 2011. Opsvik was awarded The classic award for design excellence in Norway for the chairs Tripp Trapp in 1996 and Håg Capisco. In 2008 he was awarded Anders Jahre’s cultural award and the Nordic Design Award (Nordiska Designpriset). Opsvik has also received Torsten & Wanjas Söderbergs design award in Sweden for his pioneering, movable and variable furniture. In 2013 Norsk Form (The Foundation for Design and Architecture in Norway) awarded Opsvik Jacob-prisen for 2012.

Exhibitions

Peter Opsvik's furniture-objects have been exhibited around the world. Movement Peter Opsvik, a travelling exhibition initiated by the Norwegian Foreign Affairs, was exhibited at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (Gent) in 1999, Deutsches Museum (Munich), The Lighthouse (Glasgow) as well as among others Design Museum (London), Museum of Decorative Art and Design (Gothenburg). (courtesy Wiki)
Some of his other exhibitions have been shown at:

• The West Norway Museum of Applied Art, Bergen 1996
• Kunstlerhaus (Artisthouse) mit Galerie, Göttingen 1990
• Gallerie V.I.A, Paris 1990
• Applied Art Museum, Oslo 1986
• New York, Houston, Chicago and Tokyo in 1982
• Wien, Düsseldorf, Den Haag and London in 1981
• Copenhagen and London 1979   

(more photos below)