There is no wrong way to sit: Bad Posture Chairs
Mara Bragagnolo’s Bad Posture Chairs question the standard ways of sitting, wondering what it would be like if furniture adapted to real bodies instead of constricting them.
The standard chair is a normative object. It has a seat, a back, often armrests, and it encodes in its very geometry a single, correct way to occupy it: spine upright, feet flat on the floor, weight evenly distributed. Yet, many of us naturally deviate from this position, crossing our legs, slouching forward, putting one knee under our chin.
Mara Bragagnolo’s Bad Posture Chairs, presented at Milan Design Week 2026, begin with a refusal of there being a correct way to sit. The collection of birch plywood chairs accommodates unusual positions, supporting a specific non-standard sitting posture. The project emerges, in part, from observation of neurodivergent sitting behaviour.
Gallery
Open full width
Open full width
Research has shown that people with ADHD may unconsciously seek the right balance of sensory input to be able to focus on tasks. Standard seating not only fails to support these postures but actively frustrates the regulatory function they serve. We talked with Mara to better understtand the project.
Where did you get the idea of designing for neurodivergency and unconventional sitting?
Mara Bragagnolo:
“The idea started from my own personal experience. I’ve always sat with one leg up, or cross-legged, and I’ve always been told off for it, like I was doing something terribly wrong, even if that was my most natural and comfortable way of sitting, and really, wasn’t hurting anyone. I’m definitely not the only one sitting in unconventional postures, indeed it is extremely common, especially among other neurodivergent people like myself.
A lot of people find comfort in awkward positions, in leaning, feeling pressure in some parts of the body, and having the body engaged in ‘’difficult’’ positions because it helps them concentrate on other tasks. The idea of designing for neurodivergency and unconventionality is also a way to question the norms in a larger sense, and to underline that normal doesn’t really exist, and for this reason, design should reflect the diversity of experiences.”
What was the research and experimentation process like to decide which kinds of postures to include in your designs?
Mara Bragagnolo:
“Since this is a project I’ve been wanting to do for years, I’ve always been observing and noticing how people sit, so it’s been an ongoing research project for a long time. When I started the design process, I started asking people, especially neurodivergent people, what their preferred way of sitting was, and collected multiple experiences.
I’ve also researched online, on forums like Reddit, where I found that so many people asked questions like, “ Am I the only person sitting like this?’’ I wanted to design chairs that would feel like they were designed exactly for those people, that would make people feel seen, and that their niche behaviours were being taken seriously and designed for their comfort.
In the experimentation process, I created cardboard prototypes to try to create shapes that would allow these multiple positions, and asked people to try them on. Bad Posture Chairs now started with two chairs, but it is only the start of this project. My idea is to expand the collection based on feedback and needs I receive, and keep designing them based on newly discovered postures.”
What does “comfort” actually mean to you as a designer?
Mara Bragagnolo:
“I think design sometimes creates an idea of how things should be and how we should interact with them, and often it feels restrictive. I love designs that allow interpretation, that can change based on how people perceive them and decide to use them. This is a virtue we all have as kids, and we lose when we grow up, trying to adhere to society’s rules and expectations. So comfort for me means being able to create something that would allow people to be fully themselves, where the design fits around them, and not the opposite.“
