From Kitchen Table Conversations to Global Impact: The Seating Matters Story
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May 9, 2023
When Seating Matters began, it wasn’t a company in the traditional sense. It was a response to need. Patients were struggling, therapists had limited answers, and at the heart of it all was a family determined to make a difference.
In a recent conversation on the Martina Tierney Podcast, Martina sat down with her eldest son, Jonathan, to reflect on the journey from those early days to Seating Matters becoming a global brand.
A Passion Passed Around the Kitchen Table
Back in 2000, Martina left her role in the NHS to set up what was then called The Disability Centre. At the time, her husband James was handcrafting chairs for patients. Seventeen-year-old Jonathan, still at school, got pulled in almost by accident.
But it wasn’t just about helping out. “It was your passion more than anything,” Jonathan recalled. “Talking about it around the kitchen table, I just knew there was something powerful there. The difference a chair could make never left me.”
That passion proved infectious. Jonathan’s brothers Ryan and Martin soon joined, and together, the three brothers grew the business alongside their parents.
From Ireland to the World
The first ambition was simple: to be the seating company of Ireland. But before long, demand outgrew that vision.
Jonathan shared memories of their first steps into the UK:
“It was probably the biggest jump we made. We were unknown there, and it took months before we sold our first chair in a nursing home in Stockton-on-Tees. But from there, the impact was clear — case study after case study showed it was worth it.”
From Ireland to the UK, then to Canada, the US, and now Australia, Seating Matters has expanded organically. Much of that growth came from therapists abroad who had trained with Martina or used Seating Matters chairs and wanted the same solutions in their new hospitals.
Patient First, Always
One story Jonathan shared captures the ethos that still drives Seating Matters today.
At just 18, he was assessing a patient in Wales who wanted a chair that wasn’t clinically right for them. Jonathan rang his mum to ask: “Do I sell them the chair they want, or the chair they need?”
Martina’s answer was firm: “Walk away if they don’t take the chair you recommend.”
That decision shaped the company’s values. “Doing the right thing is the right thing to do,” Jonathan explained. “It’s not about quick sales — it’s about trust, relationships, and long-term impact.”
Changing the Conversation in Healthcare
What started as one chair for one patient has grown into a movement to transform healthcare systems.
Jonathan describes hospitals today as places where “75% of patients are left in bed between 10am and 3pm” — a reality that leads to longer stays, muscle loss, falls, and hospital-acquired deconditioning.
“The diagnosis doesn’t change between the bed and the chair,” Jonathan said. “So the chair should be every bit as clinical as the bed.”
From emergency departments in London to ICUs in the US, Seating Matters is proving that seating isn’t just about comfort — it’s about recovery, prevention, and dignity.
The Long-Haul Flight
Jonathan often compares inappropriate hospital seating to a long-haul flight.
“Imagine an eight-hour flight where the chair is one-size-fits-nobody. You can stretch, move, walk around. But many patients can’t. For them, every day can feel like a long-haul flight, repeated again and again. The quality of their chair determines the quality of their life.”
It’s this vision — prevention, dignity, and quality of life — that continues to guide Seating Matters as it expands into new countries and tackles new challenges.
A Family Business with a Global Mission
Running Seating Matters as a family hasn’t always been easy. “When it works, a family business is the best business,” Jonathan laughed, “but when it doesn’t, it’s the worst.”
Still, that family feel is something the Tierneys are determined to protect, even as non-family members join the board.
Looking ahead, Jonathan sees huge potential in Europe, particularly in Germany, where healthcare spending is high but awareness of clinical seating is still limited.
“Everywhere we go, there’s more to do. It can feel overwhelming at times, but that’s what drives us.”
What Comes Next
This podcast was the first of a series where Martina will be sitting down with each of her children to share their side of the Seating Matters journey.
For Jonathan, the takeaway was clear: “The better our products are, the bigger the impact we make. And the passion just keeps growing.”
From humble beginnings around a kitchen table to influencing healthcare systems worldwide, the Tierney family’s story is proof of what can happen when passion meets purpose — and when patients are always put first.