At HSL, comfort is only part of the story. Every chair we create is designed with your health and wellbeing in mind. That’s why we work closely with qualified occupational therapists and follow trusted scientific research when developing our products.

We believe that true comfort comes from proper support. Good posture, the right seat height and tailored lumbar support can all make a big difference to how you feel each day. By partnering with healthcare professionals and using evidence-based design, we make sure our chairs do more than simply look good in your home.

Meet the experts behind our ergonomic designs. You’ll learn about their qualifications, their experience and how their knowledge shapes every HSL chair.

Find out what Occupational Therapist Approved means in practice, and explore the scientific expertise that shapes our designs on our Backed by Science page.

Ergonomic design is about creating furniture that works with your body, not against it. When a chair properly supports your spine, hips and knees, it can help reduce strain, improve posture and support long-term comfort.

At HSL, ergonomics is not an afterthought. It’s built into our design process from the very beginning. We collaborate with qualified occupational therapists who understand how posture, mobility and joint health affect everyday life. Their insight helps us design chairs that are tailored to real human needs.

Our therapists review key features such as seat height, seat depth, lumbar positioning and armrest support. This ensures each chair promotes safer sitting and easier standing. You can learn more about this partnership, where we explain how the professional input of occupational therapists shapes our products.

Alongside this clinical expertise, we also follow a strong scientific approach. We use research on biomechanics, pressure distribution and spinal alignment to guide our designs. This evidence-led process ensures our chairs provide structured support, not just soft cushioning.

Our Backed by Science page explores this research-driven approach in more detail. Together, professional knowledge and scientific insight allow us to create chairs that support posture, improve comfort and promote everyday wellbeing.

We’re proud to work with Julie Jennings Dip COT HCPC, an independent occupational therapist who approves our furniture range.

Julie is a member of the British Association of Occupational Therapists. She provides independent advice to a wide range of clients across the UK and Europe, and works with many brands to ensure the guidance she gives reflects best practice in occupational therapy and supportive seating.

Every piece in our range is thoroughly tested and evaluated by Julie. Her professional expertise ensures our chairs promote good posture, support the natural alignment of the spine and help make sitting and standing easier and safer.

Julie and her support team are also instrumental in training our Comfort Specialists. They help them understand good posture, the correct seating position and supportive transfer in and out of a chair. This training is one of the reasons our Comfort Specialists are able to offer such high-quality, personalised advice when helping you choose the right chair or sofa.

Thanks to her involvement, our furniture is proudly described as Occupational Therapist Approved. Learn more about Julie’s qualifications and the key role it plays in supporting our designs.

HSL chairs are proudly backed by science.

We work in partnership with the University of Leeds to research the physiological impact of sitting in a chair that truly fits you. Leading that research is Dr Andrea Utley, a Reader in Motor Control and Learning in the School of Biomedical Sciences.

Dr Utley leads the Human Performance at Leeds group. Using a range of research methods and techniques, the team explores human movement and performance, including how we learn to move and how our bodies respond to different seating conditions.

At HSL, we take the findings from this research and apply them directly to our furniture design. This helps us make sure our chairs are built for the way people actually move, offering support in all the right places.

It’s another reason we’re able to offer feel good furniture. Our Comfort Specialists use this knowledge, alongside occupational therapy guidance, to provide in-depth advice and help you find the right chair for your needs.

For an in-depth look at how science influences our design process, explore more about our research partnership.

The integration of expert knowledge directly influences the features of our chairs, ensuring they meet the highest standards of ergonomic design. Thanks to the insights of our occupational therapists and scientists, our chairs are equipped with features like advanced lumbar support, adjustable seat depth, and fully customisable armrests. These features are specifically designed to provide optimal comfort and support for a wide range of body types and seating preferences.

For instance, the lumbar support in our chairs is carefully designed to promote healthy spinal alignment, while the adjustable features allow users to tailor the chair to their individual needs. This expert-driven design process ensures that HSL chairs do more than just look good; they actively contribute to improved posture and reduced physical strain.

At HSL, we understand that a comfortable chair is more than just a luxury; it’s a crucial tool for maintaining health and well-being. That’s why we collaborate with both occupational therapists and scientific researchers to ensure that every HSL chair is designed with your physical health in mind.

To learn more about the expertise behind our ergonomic solutions, we encourage you to visit our Occupational Therapist Approved and Backed by Science pages. Explore how HSL is leading the way in ergonomic design for better health and comfort.