Commercial Furniture Suppliers

In 2002, Kirkhouse supplied 300 Monarch Conference Chairs to Baden Powell House (Scout HQ) in London. We were rightly proud of the installation. In 2007, a further order was placed for 40 more of the same chairs – the reason, theft! Over a period of four years, forty of our chairs had been stolen! This has in fact become more common; we occasionally hear from various customers, with reports of stolen chairs (and tables).

Share Chairs
We’re happy to present Share Chairs; a solution to the problem of chair theft! Mimicking shopping trolley systems, share chair is designed for indoor and outdoor use. The chairs nest together with a coin operated locking mechanism.

The product is in the final stages of development, please let us know if you’re interested.

Share Chairs - Stop Thief!

We are please to announce the launch of our new eco friendly materials PU (Polyurethane) Faux Leather ranges Torro and Torro Plus.

eco friendly furniture
Polyurethane (PU) has been developed as a green and more eco friendly alternative to Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC).
PVC releases toxic dioxins into the atmosphere in production and is difficult to dispose of, emitting carcinogenic VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) when incinerated.
Our new eco furniture faux leathers are also biodegradable, where as other PVC upholstery fabrics will leach toxic additives in landfill.

eco friendly leather chairs
Comparatively PU is also a greener alternative to leather, which is linked to large amounts of water pollution and uses numerous chemicals, including heavy metals in tanning.

Naturally soft and flexible, polyurethane does not require the solvents used in softening PVC and leather, allowing us to create more environmentally friendly chairs. Furthermore, it is fair to say that fewer animals are harmed in the production of our PU sustainable textiles.

Torro and Torro Plus are a fantastic development in eco friendly furniture design. Used in conjunction with our most sustainable chairs we now offer truly environmentally friendly, contract interior design furniture. Please ask for further details, Torro and Torro Plus can be applied to almost all Kirkhouse commercial seating.

Kirkhouse Faux leathers are nicer on Cows and their environment

Jolly Back has been designed by Lorna Taylor, a chartered paediatric therapist. For over three years Lorna developed the “Adolescent Back Pain Prevention Enhancement” program which she delivered to schools as part of the “Healthy Backs – School Education Initiative”. Through this work, Lorna gained first hand experience of the discomfort experienced by nearly all education staff. Today, we welcome Lorna’s Jolly Back Classroom Chair to our commercial furniture range.

Easing Back Pain in the Classroom
Research indicates that 88 per cent of early years and primary school teachers have work related suffered musculo-skeletal pain. Up to 50 per cent of 14 year olds have also suffered from back pain. Classroom teachers at low working heights in child-focussed environments are more likely to suffer back pain – often through adopting unsuitable posture, furniture & equipment handling and carrying resources and indeed children.

Furthermore, Children’s spinal health can be adversely effected through poor posture, increasing the risk of musculo-skeletal disorders.

Jolly Back helps children and staff learn and achieve healthier, safer postures – bringing immediate and long term benefits.

Jolly Back Classroom Chair offers:

• Award winning and original products which provide improved posture
• Ergonomically designed by a specialist physiotherapist
• Assesed by education staff to ensure genuine, practical benefits
• Made in the UK to high quality and environmental standards
• Back care education and training
• Professional advice and consultancy

Jolly Back provides innovative, affordable and effective solutions which:

• Improve staff comfort, continuity, morale and career longevity
• Help to reduce staff absences and related costs and disruption
• Improve pupil posture and concentraton
• Assist baby development and comfort

Musculo-skeletal Disorders include problems such as back pain, joint injuries and repetitive strain injuries.
Some areas which can create risk include:

• Bending and twisting – repeating an action too frequently
• Uncomfortable working position
• Not receiving and acting upon reports of symptoms quickly enough
• Repetitive and heavy lifting

Jolly Back Chair Size Guide

Since 1998, Kirkhouse has been a growing force in the Education Furniture market. When we were founded (1992) the internet was unknown to UK Schools; following our 1800 seat installation at Westminster Cathedral, Kirkhouse targeted it’s marketing at Churches and Church Halls. Print advertising in The Church Times and Church Building Magazine was the name of the game, where we repeatedly stumbled across the same competitors week after week. We take a look at how we’ve affected the Education Furniture Market.

As commercial furniture suppliers, we’re frequently quizzed regarding the suitability of certain upholstery fabrics. Which fabrics are suitable for Schools, which for Village Halls? With the help of Bradbury Fabrics, we’ve compiled a list based on the recommendations of BS7176: 1991.

We first encountered commercial stacking chair model S-393 at the 2009 Stockholm Furniture Fair. Our colleagues at Balzar Beskow were very keen to show off one of their latest designs; with very good reason. Nearing the eve of our S-393 installation at Clissold House in North London, we contacted the chairs designer, Tim Alpen and had a chat…