Technology has changed how and where we work. Now we work anywhere and everywhere. No matter where we work we want a comfortable chair.
Introducing Setu®. Its innovative kinematic spine bends and flexes to your every move. There's nothing to tilt, nothing to tweak. Setu's finely tuned elastomeric fabric provides superior suspension and conforms to your contours. It's comfort now.
Instructions: Sit down.
The first thing you'll notice once you sit in Setu? Nothing. There's nothing to tilt, nothing to tweak. It's mathematics in place of mechanisms. From the moment you sit down, you and the chair move as one. It's form and function working together in harmony. It's elegance in the name of performance. Design for how we live and work now.
The details are in the materials.
From the tip of Setu's polypropylene kinematic spine down to its category-first H-Alloy base, there isn't a molecule we haven't mulled. Because, as with every Herman Miller design, our products and materials are one. This honesty in materials has long been the cornerstone of design at Herman Miller, and Setu firmly holds true to this principle.
Burkhard Schmitz, Claudia Plikat, and Carola Zwick began their partnership in 1992. They were looking for the freedom to work on projects that interested them. And for the freedom to do so without bosses and titles.
And that's pretty much how they've operated ever since. "Everybody does everything," says Burkhard, speaking for the group that now includes Carola's brother Roland Zwick. "That's how we cultivate ideas and maintain our openness and curiosity."
The group's name "Studio 7.5" comes from an early idea to rent a 7.5-ton truck, put a model shop in it, and drive from one project site to another. Obviously, freedom of movement is a big deal for these designers. They move freely "and smartly" when designing products for their clients.
Going from concept stage to the model shop, sometimes within a day or two, they begin to create rough prototypes. And like kids let loose with a pile of clay, this is their favorite activity.
"You really have to work in three dimensions when designing products," notes Claudia. "So we don't spend much time on fancy renderings. Computer drawings just don't give you the feel, the touch, the smell."
And they love designing furniture. "What's so interesting about designing furniture as opposed to, say, a tape recorder, is that the designer who designs the recorder comes in last in the chain of command," explains Roland. "It's just the beautification or 'packaging.' With furniture, it's far more holistic."
They find designing office chairs in particular to be the most rewarding. One reason is their experience working with Herman Miller on their award-winning Mirra chair and their newest design called the Setu chair. "We define not only how the chair looks but how it performs," says Carola. "We're very involved with its physical behavior, because beauty is not only what you see, it's also what you feel."
