I am not sure...
The information given by whitespike is right but I do not think it applies to the shown chair. There is no doubt about the fact that Peter Opsvik did ground breaking work in applying ergonomics but he is also very careful in detailing his designs well. This looks more like a copy. There was an early "stable" balans chair without the two positions but the seat was nicely curved with the frame, and if I remember well the knee-cushions were separated in order to stand up in an "elegant" way. This one piece cushion and the low quality of the upholstering seem to indicate that it is one of the many...too many copies
Hi builder
First of all you could of course ask Peter Opsvik by e-mailing opsvik@opsvik.no
I agree that the frame looks too good to be a copy...but remember it was not just Peter Opsvik who designed furniture based on the Hans Christian Mengshoel concept, but also Oddvin Rykken, Svein Gusdrun and a few other later on...
Peter Opsvik designed the so called G-chair, which was not a two position "balans" chair but the parts on the floor were not as straight as yours. I would ask Peter. As many designers he is as familiar with the copies as with his own originals....by the way if it is a Peter Opsvik, chances are that the manufactureris not Hag but Stokke.
a bit dated
I know this post is quite old, but we find it is helpful to correct misconceptions on the internet regarding the iconic Opsvik balans kneeling chairs.
I regret to say that this is not an authentic Variable balans, nor was it designed by Mr. Opsvik. In the 80's as the popularity of this concept flourished, there were a number of no name "knock-offs" which flooded the market.
Many, if not most, failed to understand the ergonomic properties of the original design, not to mention its beauty, simplicity and attention to detail, but rather sought to hastily and inexpelnsivly capitialize on their look.
The flattened runners of this chair are a giveaway. The manufacturer perhaps thought it was trying to correct the wobble in the curved runners of the original design, failing to realize that is the point of the chair!
I am happy to say the all the original balans chairs are still being produced, they are still beautiful, and are still built to last forever of highly sustainable materials like fast growth beech, wool fabrics and water based lacquers.
You may view the entire collection here www.varierusa.com
Here you will see that the latest evolution in thinking about the kneeling chair has brought about the edition of a backrest!
(The backrest is not needed in the tasking position, but merely provides for additional MOVEMENT or change of position, movement being a hallmark characteristic of the chair...its not really about your knees, despite the name that has been attached to them)
As well, if you are interested in reading more on the subject of kneeling chairs form the man who created the concept, Mr. Opbvik has just released a new book, Rethinking Sitting, which is getting rave reviews from the design community.
You may find it here. http://bodycorrectliving.com/rethinking-sitting--book.html
I hope this is helpful to anyone coming along that is interested in these extrodinary chairs.
Good luck!
http://www.varierusa.com
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