Chances are you are sitting in your office as you read this… have you ever thought about the chair you were sitting in? Is it comfortable? How do you feel after spending an entire day sitting in it? Does it cause you to slouch or move often to get situated? Have you ever considered the toll it could be taking on your health?
A unique 5th-generation family business, LIFEFORM, is in the business of business chairs – the most luxurious office chairs, in fact. We talked with Sonja Schneider (Mortensen) of LIFEFORM, about her hard-working family business, ergonomics and why not owning a customizable LIFEFORM chair could be compromising your health.
A little history – LIFEFORM is an evolved version of Sonja’s great-great-grandfather’s (Jacob Mortensen) business, which found its roots in upholstery and saddle making. Passed down through the generations, Sonja’s great-grandfather (Eyvind Mortensen) founded Durup Upholstery in his hometown of Durup, Denmark. In 1957, her grandfather (Kai Mortensen) immigrated to Calgary, Canada where he opened his own upholstery shop called Foothills Upholstery. From there, one generation after another, they worked to re-shape high-end residential furniture adopting several name and professional changes before perfecting office seating. This ultimately led her father (Johnny Mortensen) to brand themselves as LIFEFORM Furniture Manufacturing Inc.
Born from a desire for a better office chair, the family simply “learned as they went,” discovering the secrets behind ergonomics and fusing their furniture roots to craft a distinguishable residential office flare. They gleaned much information from their long-standing partnership with the Relax the Back franchise, an innovative back care specialty store. Today, LIFEFORM creates completely customizable office chairs with unlimited options when it comes to appearance, style and comfort. Unlike most contract furniture made in mass overseas, all of LIFEFORM’s products are hand-crafted and custom-made in Canada ensuring each piece is uniquely crafted for its owner.
More than just the customization of the actual chair components, LIFEFORM Chairs also allows customers to completely customize the look of their chair – choosing the fabric/leather colors and styles, even down to the color of the piping, to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Customers can view virtual mock-ups of their creations through the site’s online program here.
Moore & Giles Director of Residential & Contract Sales, Arnie Thornhill, has cultivated a fifteen year friendship with both Sonja and her father, Johnny, ultimately leading to the debut of Moore & Giles leather on their office chairs. Soon after, our leather became the best-seller for their executive chairs. LIFEFORM cuts no corners when it comes to offering the finest office seating, which is why we are proud to be featured as LIFEFORM’s high-end leather. The chairs have been offered in our Deer Run, Harness, Brighton, Mont Blanc and Echo leathers. The leathers have been paired to create some truly captivating and one-of-a-kind pieces.
Create your own custom LIFEFORM chair here: http://lifeformmanufacturing.microdinc.com/Syg.aspx