Brand New Models Just In...

The past couple of months has seen us saying goodbye to some of our long standing chairs. It always feels like the end of an era when we finally remove them from our website but times change and everyone has to move on.

Of course there is always a good side and for every chair that we lose we always gain another in its place. We have seen lots of new recruits to our books and there are also more coming very soon!

Lets take a look at some of our new models...

The Storm

The Storm

This chair is our latest number and has a deep cushioned seat and back which are upholstered with bonded leather making them easy to keep clean and are very hard wearing. The mechanism on thischair is  triple lever and  makes for easy adjustment of the seat height,, back angle and chair tilt functions. The arms are also height adjustable as is the ratchet back which can be raised and lowered to suit the user.The base is manufactured out of chrome and for a small charge the chair can be ready built for you!

The Torsion

The Torsion

The Torsion chair arrived at the same time as the Storm, it features a high contoured fabric backrest with a built in headrest. The arms are height adjustable and finished off with soft PU pads which give the user extra comfort as well as looking good too. The multi function mechanism has an independent seat / backrest adjustment and the high density seat is filled with moulded foam giving extra comfort to the user. A stylish chrome base completes the chair. As with many of our chairs, you can receive it ready built for a small charge.

The Velocity

The Velocity

The Velocity has been a hit already with one of our major customers, they were particularly praiseworthy of the seat slide adjustment which, when coupled with the synchronised mechanism produce one of the most versatile chairs we sell. The arms are height adjustable with multi directional arm pads and can also be folded away if not required. Add the adjustable lumbar support in to the mix and you have one of the best value chairs on the web! This chair is finished off with a chrome frame and is available ready built.

The Tesla

The Tesla

This chair is a particular favourite of mine, I have always liked mesh back models and this one is just that! The mesh back of this chair has an integral lumbar support which is very important if you're to be seated for long periods , there is also a seat slide and seat tilt control included. This chair features soft pull twist and slide arm pads  and the chrome base in accented with chrome castors.

Next time we will look at four more of our newbies and give our verdicts! 

Workplace Etiquette

Found this interesting article online about workplace etiquette, most of the points mentioned  should be familiar to you but there may be some that be new or may be others that you may have forgotten and need refreshing on….

The basic rules of workplace etiquette

MAKE POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS

How you present yourself to others in the business world speaks volumes. People often form first impressions about others within seconds of first meeting them therefore it is crucial to ensure you are properly prepared to present yourself as a professional. Here are some important tips towards making a good impression.

• Stand straight, make eye contact, turn towards people when they are speaking, and genuinely smile at people.
• Follow your office dress code, perhaps dressing a step above the norm for your office.
• Your briefcase or bag and the things you carry in them say something about you. Messy items may detract from the image you would like to present.
• When meeting someone for the first time, be sure to shake hands palm to palm with a gentle firmness.
• Be alert. Sleepiness looks bad in the workplace.
• Kindness and courtesy count!
• Arrive early to work each day.

PEOPLE

How you treat people says a lot about you.

• Learn names and learn them quickly. A good tip for remembering names is to use a person's name three times within your first conversation with them. Also, write names down and keep business cards. People know when you don't know their names and may interpret this as a sign that you don't value them.
• Don't make value judgements on people's importance in the workplace. Talk to the maintenance staff members and to the people who perform many of the administrative support functions. These people deserve your respect!
• Self-assess: Think about how you treat your supervisor(s), peers, and subordinates. Would the differences in the relationships, if seen by others, cast you in an unfavourable light? If so, find where the imbalance exists, and start the process of reworking the relationship dynamic.
• What you share with others about your personal life is your choice, but be careful. Things can come back to haunt you. Don't ask others to share their personal lives with you. This makes many people uncomfortable in the work space.
• Respect people's personal space. This may be very different than your own.

COMMUNICATING

It's sometimes not what you say, but how you say it that counts!

• Return phone calls and emails within 24 hours - even if only to say that you will provide requested information at a later date.
• Ask before putting someone on speakerphone.
• Personalise your voice mail - there's nothing worse than just hearing a phone number on someones voice mail and not knowing if you are leaving a message with the correct person. People may not even leave messages.
• Emails at work should be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors. They should not be treated like personal email.
• When emailing, use the subject box, and make sure it directly relates to what you are writing. This ensures ease in finding it later and a potentially faster response.
• Never say in an email anything you wouldn't say to someones face.
• Underlining, italicising, colouring, and changing font size can make a mild email message seem overly strong or aggressive.

MEETINGS

This can easily be the most intimidating part of starting a new job. The environment of a meeting requires some careful navigation to maintain your professional image, whether the meetings are one-on-one, with several colleagues or with external clients.

• For a meeting in someones office, don't arrive more than five minutes early, as they may be prepping for your meeting, another meeting later that day, or trying to get other work done. You may make them uncomfortable, and that is not a good way to begin your meeting.
• Don't arrive late...ever. If you are going to be late, try to let someone know so that people are not sitting around waiting for you. Don't forget that being on time for a meeting means arriving 5 minutes early - for an interview, arrive 10 minutes early.
• When a meeting runs late and you need to be somewhere else, always be prepared to explain where you need to be (understanding that the value of where you need to be will likely be judged).
• Do not interrupt people. This is a bad habit to start and a tough one to end.
• There is a time and place for confrontation, and a meeting is almost never that place. You will embarrass and anger other people, and you will look bad for doing it. Give people time and space outside of meetings to reflect on issues that need to be dealt with.

WORK SPACE

You may spend more waking hours in work spaces than in your home space so:

• Keep the space professional and neat with appropriate personal touches! People will see the space and consider it a reflection of you.
• Whether it is a cubicle or office, respect others' space. Don't just walk in; knock or make your presence gently known. Don't assume acknowledgement of your presence is an invitation to sit down; wait until you are invited to do so.
• Don't interrupt people on the phone, and don't try to communicate with them verbally or with sign language. You could damage an important phone call.
• Limit personal calls, especially if you work in a space that lacks a door.
• Learn when and where it is appropriate to use your cell phone in your office.
• Food consumption should generally be regulated. Smells and noise from food can be distracting to others trying to work.

What is Bonded leather?

What is Bonded Leather? 
It can also be called Enviro Leather or Eco Leather.
Conventional tanning techniques include the use of chrome and other heavy metals which transform the perishable raw hides into durable leather, but at the expense of our natural resources. The chrome and other metals pollute and contaminate our air and water.

Enviro-Leather is made by bonding tannery leather fibres which would otherwise go into landfills. Bonded, Eco or Enviro Leather use processes to create high quality products using environmentally friendly recycled content.

Bonded leather is made from small pieces of genuine leather that have been infused into the fabric’s backing. Bonded leather looks and can even smell like genuine leather.
Bonded leather has the same look and feel as genuine leather. On high quality bonded leather fabric you can hardly tell the difference.

Bonded leather can smells like real leather. It’s so similar it can be hard to tell the difference.


Bonded leather is good for the environment. Leather scraps that wouldn't have been otherwise used are recycled to create bonded leather.

Bonded leather is a material that consists of recycled leather that’s combined with other materials to create a 'bonded' leather. Bonded leather or Enviro leather is used to upholster furniture, bind books, and create clothing and fashion accessories.

There are several different types of bonded leather that are created for a variety of uses. Bonded leather is commonly used to upholster furniture and contains recycled leather. The amount of leather used depends on the manufacturer and quality of fabric.

The material is leather that is "left over" or otherwise not in its original form, pressed together and adhered to other leather via a bonding agent. This type of leather, sometimes referred to as reconstituted leather, is an alternative to what is known as genuine leather, which are whole pieces of animal hide.

Some may confuse bonded leather with artificial leather or synthetic leather, which should not be done. In some cases, a bonded leather product is 100 percent leather. Those looking at bonded leather should understand this is an option that does include realleather. Some may appreciate that fact, while others may not.

The difference between bonded leather and genuine leather, in terms of quality and looks, can be hard to see. If it is done properly, the grains and textures of bonded leather should look very close to that of genuine leather. In some cases, the only different may be that the texture of the bonded leather may not be quite as pronounced as that of natural-grained genuineleather. The function, smell, and overall appearance remains much the same.

As with all types of leather, the material remains very durable, able to withstand a number of conditions, including heat and moisture. This is a hallmark of leather and why it is used in applications such as Bibles, shoes, belts, and even sports balls. In the end, the choice will usually come down to a personal preference.

Bonded leather is produced in a similar process to paper manufacturing. Leather scraps are dispersed in water and are shredded and milled by special grinders to free the leather fibres. Mixing these fibres with natural latex binders and other additives, a leather fibre pulp is produced.

The pulp is then continuously poured and processed on a web, which is then dried and reduced to a uniform thickness.

The surface is then embossed with a grain to make it look like natural leather and finally a polyurethane coating is applied to give a soft feel and rich colour.

Happy Friday the 13th everybody!!

Here are some fun facts about this unpopular date! 

So many people are wary or afraid of this date, but did you know that this "phobia" actually has a name?

It is called friggatriskaidekaphobia.

Good news for the superstitious, Friday the 13th will occur only once in the year 2014, according to sources. Unfortunately, bad luck will reign again in the year 2015, with three Friday the 13th days on the calendar, in February, March and November.

Hotels, skyscrapers and even hospitals have been known to skip out on creating a 13th floor due to its numeral connection to the unlucky day. While not all establishments follow this superstitious trend, some have played into it. The Curtis Hotel in Denver, Colo., however, laughs in the face of fear by playing the "dun, dun, dunnnnn!!" theme in the elevator shaft for guests as they arrive on the 13th floor.

According to a report from U.K.’s The Mirror, 72 percent of United Kingdom residents claimed to having had experiences with bad luck on Friday the 13th. The participants polled admitted to avoiding traveling, attending business meetings and making large purchases on this unlucky day, with 34 percent admitting to wanting to “hide under their duvet" for the upcoming dates.

The “Friday the 13th” film franchise has been frightening moviegoers since its debut in 1980, and yet it continues to sweep up its box-office competition. According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, the dozen films named after the haunted holiday have raked in more than $380 million nationally, with an average gross of $31 million per feature.

Friggatriskaidekaphobia must have been rampant in the year 1984, when, according to USA Today, Friday the 13th occurred three times in one year, each date occuring exactly 13 weeks apart. The unlucky dates were January 13, April 13 and July 13.

Reducing Stress In The Workplace.

Feeling stressed in today’s society is pretty much inevitable.

But how stressed you get or how often this happens are two things that you can have a great influence over.

Without smart habits for dealing with situations that could be stressful life can be a whole lot more burdensome that it needs to be. You may feel tired before the week has barely begun. Be overwhelmed on a daily basis. Get an upset stomach, headaches or migraines too often and even start to feel burned out.

So what can you do about it?

In this article I’d like to share 33 tips and habits that have helped me to live a less stressful life.

The main focus will be on how to prevent getting stressed in the first place. But the article also contains a whole bunch of effective habits for dealing with a stressful situation when you are right in the middle of it.

I hope you will find a few favorites among these tips and habits that you can start using in your own life this week to reduce the stress and live a much lighter and more relaxing life.

1. One thing at a time.

You’ll feel better and less stressed if you just do one thing at a time. No matter if it is at work, in school or in your private life. This will make it easier to focus and to do a job of higher quality right away. Instead of having to go back several times and polish and rearrange to get the result you want.

If you have to multi-task a few things during your day then set off some time for that. Single-task during most of your day but set off an hour in the afternoon for instance to do all of that multi-tasking stuff in one big swoop.

2. Write everything down.

If your memory is anything like mine then it might be a bit like a leaky bucket too often. So write everything down. Your ideas, tasks and stuff you just have to remember.

Then you don’t have to worry about forgetting. And you will free up your mind for focusing on other things than remembering.

3. Keep your daily to-do list very short.

10 years ago I never used a to-do list. I got very little done. Then I started using a too overloaded to-do list. I got more done but I was stressed and felt overwhelmed a lot of the time. Today I use a very short daily list of just the 1-3 most important tasks. It works really well.

4. Don’t make mountains out of molehills.

One of the best ways to make your day and life easier, lighter and less stressful is to not build mountains out of molehills. To not create extra drama, overthink or create a problem out of something that doesn’t matter much. Or just out of air.

So how can you handle this bad habit?

Well, when a big problem is starting to build in my mind I first say something like: Hold on now…

This helps me to pause and become more receptive to change my line of thinking. Then I ask myself:

Will this matter 5 years from now? Or even 5 weeks from now?

Those two steps have helped me to build a lot less mountains in my life.

5. Spend 80% of your time focusing on a solution.

And only 20% of your time on dwelling on your non-molehill issue or problem. Instead of taking a common path and doing it the other way around. You’ll live a much more action-filled life and feel less pessimistic and powerless if you do.

6. Ask instead of guessing.

Reading minds is very hard. Misunderstandings will be plentiful if you try to do it. So communicate instead. You’ll have a lot less unnecessary conflicts, negativity and waste less of your and other people’s time.

7. Pack your bag before you go to sleep.

A simple one but one that can save you a lot of stress in the morning. Take 5 minutes before you go to bed to do this and you’ll also be less likely to forget something important like your schoolbook, wallet or phone.

8. Balance fully focused work with complete rest.

I usually work for 45 minutes. Then I take a 15 minute break away from the computer. I eat a snack, take a short walk or maybe watch half an episode of one of my favorite TV-series. This helps me to relax and to avoid stress building up during the day.

9. Set clear boundaries for your day.

This is very important, at least for me.

I need to have a good balance between work and rest. So I don’t work before 8 in the morning or after 7 in the evening.

10. Disconnect over the weekend.

It is also really helpful to find a good balance between work and rest from a weekly perspective. I do that by staying away from work and staying offline – except for one email check – during the weekend. I highly recommend trying it out.

If you have a cellphone for work leave it at your job. Or at least put it in silent mode, check it once every 24 hours and only call back if it is something important. Otherwise, let it wait until Monday.

These strict limits between hourly, daily and weekly work is a huge help for me to avoid the grey zone.

When you are in the grey zone then you are basically thinking and worrying about work when you are at home or you having a day off. Or you think about your private life and challenges there while you are at work.

Avoid the grey zone. It sucks the life out of you and can leave you so stressed that it becomes hard to focus or even to get a good night’s sleep.

11. Make sure you take time to do what you love to do.

Learn to get the necessary done quicker and don’t get lost in “have-tos”. Prioritize what really matters to you and carve out time during your weekend or evenings to do what you love doing.

Maybe it is playing soccer with your kids, painting, writing, taking photos or reading. Whatever you love to do, make sure you set off some time for it regularly in your schedule. Because few things will relieve stress and energize you like an activity you love doing.

12. Delegate.

You don’t have to do everything yourself. You don’t have to control or micromanage. If possible delegate and let someone else get that task or project to done.

13. Eliminate.

Do you even have to do everything that is on your schedule? What things could you stop doing altogether with no or very small consequences?

What things are your heart maybe not in like it used to be?

Could you say no to one or a few of those things to have more time and energy for what matters in both your professional and private life?

Reevaluate what you usually do in a day or week and see if there is something you would like to stop doing.

14. Be 10 minutes early.

This one has transformed my traveling from stressful situations to relaxing pieces of time in my day.

15. Stay on track by asking yourself questions every day.

One good way to find clarity, to not get behind on work and to actually do what matters each day is to ask yourself questions regularly.

Questions like: What is the most important thing I can do right now?

And: Is doing this bringing me closer to my goal?

If you like, write one of the questions down on a post-it note and put it where you will see it every day. It is very easy to forget to ask yourself the question otherwise.

16. Let your lunch be a slow time of relaxing.

Don’t wolf down your lunch in 7 minutes flat. That will only ramp up the stress that you bring with you from the first few hours of work.

Instead, let your lunch be a time of relaxation. Eat slowly and focus on the smell, texture and taste of the food. Put down the fork and knife down between bites to make that easier.

I have found this to be a wonderful way to relax midday. And to get the best experience out ofwhat you are eating.

17. Keep a very simple workspace.

Mine is for example a simple and small black desk with my laptop on it. A few flowers. And a glass of water. This simplicity makes it easier for me to focus on what truly matters in a relaxed and undistracted way.

18. Build a zone of few distractions for your work hours.

A simple workspace makes it easier to focus. I also find it helpful to keep instant messaging programs offline and to keep my smart phone in another room and in silent mode. And to use my browser only when I need to.

By doing so I am less distracted, it is easier to think clearly and I feel less stressed.

19. Get to done with something that stressed or bothers you.

An unfinished task that is tumbling around in the back of your mind can cause quite a bit of stress and negativity within. So if you know you have one of those then ask yourself:

What is one small I can do today to start getting this task to done?

Then take that first step and put yourself in motion towards finishing.

20. If it does not get done then there is a day tomorrow too.

Sometimes life interferes or you have a bad day. And you don’t get done what you had planned or hoped for.

The best way – in my experience – to handle this is to simply and kindly tell yourself that there will be a day tomorrow too and you can do it then.

Beating yourself up or getting angry will only add stress that will suck the energy, self-confidence and motivation out of you. And life is too short for that.

21. Everything in its place.

When things have their own home where you always put them back then they will be a lot easier to find and your workspace and home will be in better order. This will greatly reduce the number of stressful times when you can’t find an important report or your car keys as you are heading out the door.

22. Check your email etc. just once and as late in the workday as possible.

I usually check and process my email, social media accounts and various statistics for my website during the last hour of my workday.

By doing so I save the stress that it can cause me and the new tasks it can produce until I have already put in several of my most energetic hours on doing my most important tasks.

23. Limit your daily information intake.

Take a few minutes each month to unsubscribe to newsletters, blogs, podcasts etc. that you don’t get much out of anymore or you rarely even listen to or read.

This makes it easier to focus on what truly matters for you, to spend more of your time on taking action and to not get stuck in information overload and analysis paralysis.

24. Listen to yourself.

When you are starting to feel drained, more irritable and creativity plummets then don’t just keep on going right into the brick wall. Listen to yourself and your body. Schedule more time to take care of yourself.

Just spend the evening in bed watching your favorite movies. Or go out for a walk or run in the woods. No one will reward you for running into that wall or even becoming burned out. Be kind to yourself and prioritize your health.

25. Be here.

When you spend too much time in your head reliving the past or imagining the future then it is easy to become worried. Fearful. Stressed out. Choose to spend more of your day and time in the present moment.

One simple way to reconnect with the now if you get lost in the past or future is to just focus fully outward for a minute or two. Sit or stand still and take in everything that is happening around you at this moment. See it. Hear it. Smell it. Feel the sun, the rain or your soft sweater on your skin.

26. Stop trying to do things perfectly.

Go for good enough instead and when you are there then you are done. And can move on to the next task or project. Set this more human bar to measure success by not only to finish things but also raise and then keep your self-esteem at a healthy level.

Because when you measure yourself to a perfect standard then it will pretty much impossible to keep your self-esteem up and feel good about yourself more than once in a while.

27. Ask for help.

You don’t always have to go it alone. You can ask your friend, parents or partner or even someone you do not know that well for a helping hand. You might not always get it but you may be surprised at how helpful and kind people can be if you just ask.

And then later on when they ask then you can return the kindness.

28. Talk it out with someone.

This can be a great relief and vent to have when you are in a stressed situation. Let your stress and the issue that it comes from out into the light and let someone close to you see it too.

Just letting it out can often help you to decrease the stress quite a bit and when you say it out loud then it also becomes easier to see if you are making a mountain out of a molehill.

The other person can also help you to ground yourself when needed and together the two of you may be able to figure out what to do about the situation. Or at least how to get started with improving it.

29. Zoom out.

One thing that helps me as I sometimes fall into victim thinking when I am stressed is to zoom out on my narrow perspective by asking myself this question:

Is there anyone on the planet having it worse than me right now?

30. Slow down.

If you slow down your body then in my experience your thoughts will once again become clearer and slower too. So sometimes when I am stressed and am trying to do everything quickly then I force myself to slow down. I move slower. I eat slower. I talk and walk slower.

It may be uncomfortable for the first minute or so but after a very short while my mind stops racing and the stress starts to melt away and is replaced with a bit more inner calmness.

31. Tell yourself: Just take care of today.

Focus only on that. Forget about all those tomorrows. And about all your yesterdays. Go small, narrow your focus greatly and just take care of today. Then you can take care of tomorrow when it comes.

This one is very helpful when you feel overwhelmed.

32. Just breathe.

Release the stress, calm your mind and body down and reconnect with the present moment again by fully focusing on your breathing. Breathe with your belly for just 1-2 minutes and focus only on the air you are breathing in and out.

33. Be smart about the three fundamentals of energy.

What are these three fundamentals? Getting enough sleep, eating healthy and exercising a couple of times a week.

I know, these things are very obvious. But when you manage these three areas in a good way in practice then that makes a huge difference for your mood, energy, outlook of life and how well you can handle stress.

We have been very busy this week bringing you new products and some fantastic new special offers to tempt you with. Lots of people like to refresh their office space a bit when the new year has begun so now is the best time to introduce you to some new models in our catalogue.

First of all we bring you the Xenon Executive model which is brand new to the market for 2015! This model is available in either a medium back version or high back - both are which are very stylish! There are 4 upholstery options available with this chair, you can choose from black or white bonded leather or black or blue fabric.

Features of this chair include;

*Gas lift
*Contoured lumbar support
*High density moulded foam seat and back rest 
*Sleek and low profile design
*Aluminium 5 star base
*Nylon fixed armrests
*Body weight tension control
*Matching cantilever version also available.

What is more, this model can be ready built for you for a small charge! 

Another exciting addition to our catalogue is the Ice model. 

This is undoubtedly one of the funkiest chairs we now sell. Constructed with a one piece shell design frame, it comes in a choice of 4 funky colour options. A nice feature of this chair is the detailing, with the red colour option you also get the red incorporated in to the base as well as the wheel castors. It is little extras like this that make this model stand head and shoulders above several of our others. 

Features included on these models include;

*Stylish white frame

*Breathable air mesh seat
*Colour tipped 5 star base
*Coloured castors
*Integrated fixed loop armrests
*One piece shell design
*Lock tilt mechanism
*Body weight tensioner

Once again, this model can be supplied ready built. 

In addition to these newbies we also have several special offers running, click here to take a look...