In 1994 Herman Miller changed the seating world when they announced the Aeron chair. Anyone one who has ever shopped for a business chair, worked at a tech start up, or studied marketing likely knows this all too well (luckily I fall into all three categories). 15 years later the chair is a now a thing of furniture legends and in many circles considered “the standard” office chair. I sit on one both at work and at home which means, quite literally, I spend a MAJORITY of my time in this chair.
So what makes it so special? Well from a marketing standpoint, it was priced significantly higher than what someone would consider a “mass market” chair – although mass market it did become. How? Well it looked wildly different, and it was. Adjustable and with space-age fabric so that the emerging waves of tech nerds could sit and code for hours and hours on end. In the end it was the timing of the chair that made it the success it became.
A few months ago Herman Miller unveiled the Aeron’s would-be successor – the Embody. I waited and waited to comment on the Embody until I had the chance to give it a test run and after a visit to my local Design Within Reach in Toronto and given the latest masterpiece a sit, I am willing to give some initial reactions.
The Embody is nowhere near as revolutionary looking as the Aeron. In fact I place it as a logical product update in my head – not that there is anything wrong with that. It is slimmer and features a lower profile than the Aeron, which is mainly because where the Aeron fans out on the back the Embody tucks in. The materials are similar in concept but different in actuality. While the Aeron is knows for its nylon-y surface the Embody is a rather traditional cloth-like-material. But then the Embody takes everything else to a whole new level. Gone are the multiple Aeron models (with different seat sizes etc.) and in comes one chair (with different aesthetic finishes) that is remarkably adjustable. What I was most impressed with was the adjustable back support that makes the support system on the Aeron look like something from the stone ages (less impressed with the look of it though, as a minimalist). Perhaps my favorite feature is the ability to change the depth of the seat – although not something I think you would need to do more than once, of course.
While I don’t see many people trading in their Aeron’s (especially given the long warranty) the Embody remains a fantastic push in the right direction for Herman Miller and the industry as a whole. I think conventional wisdom implied that you likely spend more time in you bed than any other place so you should spare no expense. For me, I spend it in my Herman(s).
Spotted by Chris Hanz
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