Two Chairs

(Image at the top: “Walking Past Two Chairs” by David Hockney, b. 1937)

I have two chairs in my office. They have very specific purposes, and I love both of them and the activities that I pursue in each.

The Red Chair

The red chair sits at my computer desk. I use it for writing, for blogging (which is also writing,) for emails, for social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter,) for online shopping, for Zoom meetings, and anything else involving my computer. I probably sit in my red chair for 6-8 hours on many days, and a minimum of 3-4 hours on days when I leave the house for errands. I try to remember to get up and move around every 45 minutes or hour, for health reasons, including working out on my elliptical machine, also in my office. So, why RED? (Other than the fact that I love red and it looks good with my rug.)

According to Color Matters:

Red is the color of extremes. It’s the color of passionate love, seduction, violence, danger, anger, and adventure. Our prehistoric ancestors saw red as the color of fire and blood – energy and primal life forces – and most of red’s symbolism today arises from its powerful associations in the past.

I think it’s also interesting that the word “red” in Russian, krasnyj, is related to the word krasivyj, beautiful. Hopefully much of the time I spend in my red chair results in writing that is passionate and adventurous, full of energy and creativity, and hopefully, beautiful.

On the practical side, the chair was on sale at Office Max a few years ago and it’s really comfortable for a relatively inexpensive chair.

The Yellow Chair

My yellow chair sits only a few feet from my red chair, next to my rotating bookcase/end table. It also has an ottoman. It’s a leather Stressless chair, which we purchased about fifteen years ago and it’s still as good as new. (Husband has a GREEN Stressless chair in his office upstairs.) I use my yellow chair for completely different tasks than my red chair. It sit in it for reading, for editing, and for watching television. It’s incredibly comfortable, but I only spend about 1-3 hours a day in my yellow chair, and that includes evenings when I sit here to watch the news most nights with my husband while he works out on the elliptical. And sometimes I watch a movie sitting here, maybe once or twice a week.  So, why YELLOW? (Another favorite color that also matches my rug and looks great with red.) Again, from Color Matters:

It’s the color of happiness, and optimism, of enlightenment and creativity, sunshine and spring.

So, that’s a quick look at the two most important chairs in my life. And they both live in my favorite “room of my own”—my sunroom/office. Where do you spend most of your “sitting” hours? I hope you have chairs that you love. Chairs that bring you physical and emotional comfort and inspiration!