Milan 2013: London studio PearsonLloyd is presenting a chair with orange adjustment controls for office brand Bene at the Austrian Design Details exhibition in Milan today.

Buttons and levers used to adjust the height, tilt and armrest positions are picked out in orange to make them easier to find, though there is the option to keep them a more subtle grey tone.

The seat and back are available in a variety of colour and textile combinations, while the plastic frame comes in a choice of black or white and the base can be ordered in a metallic finish.

Optional extras include a high back for shielding noise in open-plan workspaces and a weight-sensitive mechanism for automatic adjustment.

The chairs will be on display as part of the Austrian Design Details exhibition in the Salone dei Tessuti, located at Via San Gregorio 29.

PearsonLloyd will also unveil a range of plastic stacking chairs in Milan this week. The studio's previous designs for Bene include the Docklands range of workstations and PARCS modular office furniture.

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Here's the press release from PearsonLloyd:

Riya chair for Bene

London based studio PearsonLloyd will launch its new task chair Riya at Milan furniture fair this April.

Riya is the latest project to emerge from the studio’s ongoing relationship with Austrian furniture brand Bene. Like previous products designed by PearsonLloyd for Bene, which include the ground breaking Parcs range and the recently launched Docklands and Bay Chair, Riya is designed to work across the modern office landscape: in touch-down spaces and open plan zones for collaborative tasks, as well as in quiet areas for focussed individual work.

To achieve this, the task chair had to be flexible, and thanks to its new approach to adjustment controls, it is particularly easy to adapt. Instead of rooting around under the seat for hidden levers, the chair boasts visible orange controls that enable workers to change the chair’s ergonomic settings, and effortlessly glide into a comfortable position. While the task chair has all the comfort and support features you’d want from a seat you spend everyday in, its ease of use, coupled with the option for a weight sensitive synchro mechanism, make it a great choice for shared usage spaces.

Working in open plan spaces comes with a set of difficulties though, such as unwanted noise and visual distraction. So PearsonLloyd incorporated a high back option for the chair. Far from an indication of status, the high back acts as an acoustic shield, enclosing workers from noise behind them and creating a sense of privacy.

The task chair’s simple form and clean lines provide a great platform for bringing colour and textiles into the office space. Riya is an example of PearsonLloyd’s continued efforts to rid office furniture of the traditional tech aesthetic, and bring some human touches into the workspace.