July 8, 2013—Global furniture company Herman Miller introduced its Living Office vision and several new products during NeoCon 2013 in Chicago June 10-12. Among other NeoCon introductions , the company reintroduced two of its popular chairs with significant new features. Eames Molded Wood Chair was recognized with a Gold Award in the Seating: Guest category of the Best of NeoCon Competition, and Mirra 2 was an entrant in the Seating: Ergonomic Desk/Task category.
As part of the Herman Miller Collection, the company has launched a new interpretation of its classic Eames Molded Plastic Chair, first introduced by husband-and-wife designers Charles and Ray Eames in 1950. For the first time, this iconic form will be produced in molded wood in a range of veneer and base options. Achieved with the help of today’s 3-D veneer technology, this authentic form is the result of a process that gives wood veneer the flexibility it needs to be molded into the complex curves of a single shell.
Since the launch of the Eames Molded Plastic Chair in 1950, details like color and height options, shock mounts, base variations, and use of upholstery have received constant improvements. And in the 1990s, when new findings revealed fiberglass-reinforced plastic shells to be less suitable for the environment, Herman Miller explored sustainable solutions and, in 2000, reintroduced the design in 100 percent recyclable polypropylene. The Eames Molded Wood Chair follows the Eames vision of continued exploration, refinement, and discovery, resulting in a beautiful expression of their timeless design, says Herman Miller.
As work evolves, the variety of tasks and the speed of transition between them has accelerated, requiring today’s professional to be more agile in shifting between a wide range of individual and collaborative work processes, notes Herman Miller. Mirra 2, the company’s latest advance in high-performance work seating, was designed to give people support that moves with them.
Designed by Studio 7.5 of Berlin, Mirra 2 is built on the same principles as their best-selling original but has been completely redesigned from the casters up, says Herman Miller. Ten years and over 1.5 million chairs later, the designers of Studio 7.5 worked with Herman Miller to rethink every part of a successful design. Advancements to the chair’s back, seat, and tilt join the athletic attitude and intuitive adjustments of the original to make Mirra 2 reassuringly familiar even as it advances how people sit.
The result is a leaner, lighter, and more responsive chair that moves as one with the sitter and dynamically supports the slightest movements—”the same spirit in a new, trimmer body,” says the company. The lean design of Mirra 2 reportedly brings a sophisticated profile and visual lightness to any space. Added selections for textile and frame colors—and the opportunity to combine them creatively—along with new options for base finishes increase the range of choices.
The Mirra 2 Butterfly Back, with its exceptional responsiveness and intuitive feel, results from inventing a method for merging a fabric layer with polymer veins to create an intelligent support structure, says Herman Miller. This hybrid structure, shaped for dynamic support, keeps the user’s body in healthy alignment, says Herman Miller. Ingenuity is also apparent in a new seat design that increases air flow to keep the sitter cool, and a reinvented Harmonic tilt that creates a smooth and balanced feel when the user moves from one posture to another.
Less material used intelligently—also known as dematerialization—makes Mirra 2 more responsive to the body, and more responsible to the earth. At 22 percent lighter, Mirra 2 has a carbon footprint that is also 25 percent smaller. By moving sustainable design forward, the company says it is building on its legacy as the first office chair developed from the ground up using design for the environment principles.
Mirra 2 is available to order summer 2013.
