The first time I sat in an Eames lounge chair, I was hooked. It was simply the most wonderful chair I had ever encountered, its curved and playful profile unlike anything I had ever seen. When I finished architecture school and got my first real job, I had enough money to buy either the chair and its matching ottoman or a car. Deciding that transport was the wiser choice, or at least more practical, I bought the car. But I never stopped wanting the chair. Now, three decades later, I finally own one. In this long quest, I discover that I have not been alone. "At some point in their careers, architects and designers all aspire to own one," said Marge Mojzak of Herman Miller, the Zeeland, Mich., company that manufactures the Eames lounge. What accounts for the enduring popularity of this chair and ottoman, introduced in 1956? Unlike other chairs that are also considered "icons of modern design," this one is uncommonly comfortable, so much so that when you sit in it, you're not aware that you're actually sitting on something.
The chair has three upholstered pieces, each attached to a curved plywood shell. The larger one is the seat; the smaller two are back supports. All three are strategically angled to maximize your comfort. Charles and Ray Eames, the husband-and-wife design team behind the chair, had a remarkable understanding of ergonomic principles long before these were developed into a science in the 1970s. Bill Dowell, a certified professional ergonomist and director of research at Herman Miller, characterized the relationship among the pieces of the lounge chair as "profound." He explained that the angle of the seat takes the weight off the base of your spine while the lower back piece supports your lower back; this makes you feel relaxed. Meanwhile, the angle of the upper back piece that supports your chest allows you to be active -- you can comfortably read, chat or look straight ahead and watch TV. The ottoman, which aesthetically enhances the chair, also has a health benefit, Dowell said.
If you sit or stand all day, blood collects in your feet. When you put your feet on the ottoman in the evening, blood circulates back to your torso and out of your extremities. The Eameses' ergonomic sensibility is also evident in the size of the chair. Their hands-on method of design included testing many iterations. In satisfying themselves, they also created a chair that will suit most people because they represented a broad range of body types -- he was tall and lean; she was short and stockier. Today's designers use a slightly broader standard that includes about 95 percent of the U.S. adult population's body types, Dowell said. (The range for height is 4 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 2 inches, and the weight range is 105 to 230 pounds.) The chair also incorporates another ergonomic concern: stability. It has a five-legged base, which prevents you from falling backward as you assume a semi-reclined posture and sit down. Today, the five-legged base is used for most office chairs because it keeps the chair upright when you lean back, Dowell said.
The look of the upholstered lounge chair was entirely new. That it still remains fresh after more than 50 years is due, in no small part, to the emphasis on function. Although the designers were known to have an obsessive concern with visual details, comfort trumped looks. "What . . . works is better than what looks good," Ray Eames once said in an interview. "You know, what looks good can change, but what works works." The price for the chair and ottoman was also a radical departure for the designers and marked their first foray into the luxury furniture market. The set originally sold for $578, a lot of money then. The current list price is $3,900 to $4,900, depending on the finishes selected, but many retailers periodically offer discounts. If you're persistent, you can also find a secondhand set, as I did. As with other popular but expensive luxury items, knockoffs began to appear soon after the ensemble debuted. Unlike most companies that face this problem, however, Herman Miller went to court and won.
In 2003, a landmark decision granted Herman Miller "trade dress" protection. This rarely used legal instrument allows a business to prevent competitors from manufacturing look-alike products that might confuse consumers. Unlike patents and copyrights, which protect manufacturers and authors for a specified period, trade-dress protection does not expire as long as the company continues to manufacture the product. As a result of the ruling, only Herman Miller can legally sell the "Eames lounge chair and ottoman." A quick scroll through eBay and Google, however, indicates that the look-alikes have not disappeared. For anyone who wants to buy these classic pieces, caveat emptor applies. Many books have been written about Charles and Ray Eames and their work. "The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention," Donald Albrecht, et al. (Harry N. Abrams). Copyright 2008 Katherine SalantThe Nightingale CXO 6200 and 6200D Chairs offer extreme comfort combined with elegant styling.
This Nightingale Mesh Chair's seat is crafted of ENERSORB memory foam covered by a custom-knitted fabric that stretches with the foam to provide a soft yet supportive seat, reducing pressure on your spine and hips. The contoured mesh back keeps you comfortable no matter the temperature and flexes to allow for supportive yet personalized back support. The mesh chair back also lets users rest comfortably against its gel-filled lumbar support. Additionally, the synchronous tilt mechanism allows you to rock back with ease or lock your back into any position, offering a variety of postures to break up static postures throughout the work day. Nightingale CXO Chair 6200 & 6200D Contoured mesh back comes standard in an attractive black/gray finish providing cool back support High density, high resiliency Enersorb memory foam contours to fit your body, and it incorporates a "waterfall" design that gently slopes away from the legs, minimizing pressure on the thighs and promoting good posture
Stretch-knit fabric on seat on the CXO 6200D chair and headrest provide better air circulation Adjustable height and depth lumbar back support with gel pad CXO 6200D Chair includes the ratchet headrest adjustment filled with Enersorb memory foam for individual comfort. Note: the headrest can be removed or added to the CXO 6200 at a later date Easy to use, finger-tip height and width adjustable arms with super soft polyurethane arm pads Synchronous knee-tilt swivel mechanism with infinite position tilt-lock, pneumatic seat height adjustment and tension control Nightingale CXO 6200 Mesh Chair Specifications 27-29.5" W x 36.5-41" H 27-29.5" W x 47.5-55" H 20" W x 19-21.5" D x 16-21" H Limited Lifetime: All non-moving metal parts. 10 years: Control mechanisms, casters, pneumatic cylinders, self-skinned urthane parts, and plastic shells Nightingale CXO Chair 6200 & 6200D Brochure Nightingale CXO Chair vs. Herman Miller Aeron Chair
Read more on our blog! Mesh Chairs - Are They Comfortable? Check Your Head: Headrests on Office Chairs Check out our video review of the Nightingale CXO 6200 below. The contoured mesh back of the chair, along with padded foam lumbar support, provide ample comfort and support for a variety of seating postures. The lumbar support has also been redesigned to make an exceptional chair even more exceptional. Enlarged lumbar support pads provide greater comfort and support User-friendly buttons offer up/down and in/out adjustment Contoured ENERSORB foam pairs well with the mesh back to allow for air circulation The new CXO arms are highly adjustable to accommodate the user and the task at hand. 30 degree arm pivot The CXO mesh chair offers a thick, padded seat cushion with a waterfall seat edge to ensure maximum comfort and support. Seat cushion is filled with ENERSORB foam which molds to your body when you sit and reverts to its original form when you stand up