Coinciding with Salone del Mobile 2018, Herman Miller presents “For You Everyone” at Herman Miller in Milan. The exhibition will serve as the global debut of the company’s new seating line, Cosm, designed by Berlin-based Studio 7.5.
In “For You Everyone,” the many variations of Cosm will be celebrated. Departing from the standard, stationary furniture showroom, visitors will be invited into a veritable high-design automobile show where they can test drive Cosm’s Auto-Harmonic Tilt™. Herman Miller’s Milan showroom will see its glass façade draped in grey curtains, punctuated only by animated neon signage. Inside, Cosm’s many colors and sizes will be on display on rotating pedestals of various heights. Beyond the exhibit, in the Herman Miller Milan showroom and design center, Cosm will be installed in a variety of work environments so visitors can try out Cosm in its natural habitat. This take on the furniture display celebrates the ways in which Cosm’s adaptability inspires curiosity and lets people make their work environment work for them.
Studio 7.5 has a distinguished track record of designing for Herman Miller. Their design approach is notably hands on; they believe in testing the product first-hand and interactively redesigning until they reach the solution they’re looking for. Studio 7.5 built and tested full-scale prototype after prototype developed by hand along with the help of a new technology which uses aluminum dust and resin to 3D-print fully-functional models. This iterative design process recalls the practice of Charles and Ray Eames with a contemporary update. Not just the product of this intense prototyping, Cosm represents a culmination of two decades of engineering and design research with Herman Miller and a deep understanding of the science behind how people sit and work.
With a move toward shared workplaces and workpoints, Cosm is not only great for individuals, but it’s also the ultimate shared chair. Cosm’s unique Auto-Harmonic Tilt™ instantly provides balanced support and movement corresponding to the user’s body, posture, and seated position. While previous office chairs need to be individually adjusted to specific bodies, Cosm is made for the contemporary workplace, instantaneously and comfortably adjusting to whoever is sitting in it. To experience Cosm is—as Studio 7.5 says—to forget you’re sitting in a chair at all.
Not limiting ergonomic support to mechanics, the frame and suspension work in tandem with the Auto-Harmonic Tilt™ to enhance the experience of total comfort. The continuous contour of the suspension envelops each person’s individual form, delivering dynamic, uninterrupted support. Even Cosm’s arms were precision-designed for comfort in a process of constant sculpting, testing, and re-sculpting. The innovative new Leaf Arms cradle the elbow no matter the size or shape of your body.
The holistic approach to design is taken into Cosm’s aesthetics, where a monochrome “dipped-in-color” option presents the chair in a single hue from top to bottom, available in three colors—Canyon, Glacier, and Nightfall. More traditional options in the form of Mineral, Graphite, and Carbon are also available. Cosm also comes in three back heights and a stool, providing a range of configurations to allow the chair to be implemented seamlessly across an entire floorplate.
The exhibit will be on view at Herman Miller at Corso Garibaldi 70 in Milan’s Brera district from 17-21 April 2018. Herman Miller invites the design industry and public at large to view the exhibition, explore Studio 7.5’s design process, and experience the next generation of work seating in Cosm.
Cosm will be available mid-summer through Herman Miller’s global dealer distribution network. For more information on Cosm, visit hermanmiller.com/cosm.