About Ikaria Design
Behind Movement-First Furniture
Designer and founder, Pack Matthews, was frustrated with how conventional ergonomic chairs left him in pain and offered no options for changing position while working at the computer.
Collaborating with friends, physical therapists, yoga instructors, fine woodworkers, and industrial engineers, Pack developed Ikaria Design's first product, the Soul Seat. Since its debut, the original award-winning design has spawned an entirely new category of seating, being copied the world over.
After using his Soul Seat for a few months, Pack found he was more comfortable sitting on the floor and adding poses to his yoga practice that had eluded him for years. Finding himself reluctant to leave this newfound comfort of the floor, the next item added to Ikaria Design's stable was the Flow Desk. With this product, Pack’s dream of never needing a conventional chair again became a reality. Now he starts the day on his yoga mat, switching to work on the computer, and ending the day stretching on the yoga mat before bed without ever having to use a conventional chair.
In the process of designing our products and observing them in use, we’ve also discovered that there are more than external contributions to our sedentary lifestyles. Those barriers are internal as well - mental, emotional, and physical. One of the internal barriers is the shortened psoas from years of conventional sitting. Our products are designed to give the psoas maximum engagement and activity while we do our knowledge work. Our Flow Desks help us imagine working in many different positions, orientations, and locations. We should be able to preserve the same flexibility our bodies enjoyed as toddlers.
Beautiful by Design, Ergonomic by Nature
A cushy desk job was once a badge of success. Now, sitting all day can be a recipe for declining health. Ikaria Design is devoted to helping you invigorate your workday with movement, making your evenings more about enjoying your life and less about recovering from work.
We want to break down the physical, mental, and societal barriers that keep us in conventional sitting positions and make the spaces where we work and live more active and healthy.
The ultimate goal of each Ikaria Design Co product is to create living and working spaces that encourage more movement throughout the day. We aim to challenge the outdated assumptions about what ergonomic furniture needs to look like with unique designs. Products that don’t interfere with workflow, but improve it, and go hand-in-hand with active and healthy lifestyles by promoting frequent movement, more natural sitting and sleeping positions, and better posture.
Active Sitting Solutions with Integrity
We Value Your Insight
We rely on the vibrant and ongoing conversations from our customers to know what’s working and what isn’t to further develop and refine our offerings. You are a direct beneficiary of customer feedback that has come before you, and we believe your voice should be present in all of our future decisions.
We Value Your Trust
We believe that trust is the most valuable currency. You trust us to behave ethically and honestly, and we will continue to maintain transparency. We also know that community is stronger than willpower, and that is why we are part of the global BCorp community.
We Value Your Path to Mastery
We know that good design at the front end is imperative to preventing chronic physical ailments. We won’t produce products that take advantage of, mask, or merely mitigate symptoms. We certainly aren’t interested in selling you a solution that you don’t need, and we don’t expect you to tolerate ineffective solutions or products. Our Buy Back promise is an expression of this commitment. We want to buy back your purchase if your journey back to sitting mastery has rendered your Soul Seat unnecessary.
We Value Design Thinking
Design Thinking is simply being forward thinking and aiming our human ingenuity and creativity at the point of highest leverage. Being willing to re-think decisions in light of feedback and the ongoing dance between our values and the real world has led to results of which we are extremely proud. Learn more about Design Thinking in our article “Sustainability: Forever at the Core of Our Design Process.”
We Value Plasticity Throughout the Mind and Body
Every day brings new evidence of the plasticity and regenerative capacity of our nervous system, while similar discoveries are changing our perception of the role of our microbiome and connective tissues. Our approach to product design and services is inspired by the understanding that these interdependent systems within our bodies are crucial and dynamic partners in our well-being. We are excited to incorporate these revolutionary learnings into our healthy lifestyles and the re-design of our built environment.
We Value Locality and Sustainable Supply Chains
We take pride in the high quality of our solutions and the attention to detail it takes to render them. We want to produce the products you depend on as close to your community as possible, so if you know craftspeople in your neck of the woods, we want to meet them! Keeping manufacturing local is better for your community and makes for healthier ecosystems.
Designed and Built in Columbia, Missouri
Ikaria Design Company is a small family-run business located in Columbia, Missouri that designs and builds handmade furniture for folks that want to stay active as they work. Those who tend to sit cross-legged at their workstations and prefer sitting on the floor at home are among our most avid fans. If you’re among the many who need to fidget to focus, can’t stay put in “90 degrees at hip and knee” then join us as we embrace the permission to sit weird!
Come Visit Us
We’re available by appointment: Email us at hello@ikariadesign.com to schedule a visit!
Address: 501 Fay Street, Suite 102, Columbia, Missouri 65201
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 10:00am – 5:00pm CST