Promotion: furniture brand Herman Miller and Berlin-based design firm Studio 7.5 have collaborated to release the Zeph Chair, an office chair with a sculpted mono-shell seat, which is a nod to the iconic mid-century Eames Shell Chair.

The Zeph Chair is designed to combine mid-century aesthetics with contemporary ergonomics.

The design features a slim profile and comes in a number of colours, which allow it to fit into residential or office spaces and gives designers, architects and buyers flexible design options.

"Zeph aims to bridge the gap between Herman Miller's iconic mid-century designs and the ergonomics of today's office chairs," said Herman Miller. "The result is an accessible design that doesn't compromise comfort or style."

"With its slim profile and an easy-to-adjust design, users will find Zeph a colourful companion capable of supporting a variety of needs while seamlessly incorporating itself into the scenery of any room," it continued. "Its versatility easily translates into traditional office settings, providing architects, designers and consumers with a refreshing and flexible choice."

The chair includes a sculpted mono-shell seat that is designed to account for users' movements and support their posture despite its single-piece construction. When users move, so does the seat, which offers a natural recline to create the "right counterbalance and change posture seamlessly".

"Our ambition was to create an animated shell chair," said Studio 7.5 co-leader Burkhard Schmitz. "What first sounds like a contradiction became possible by utilising the inherent materiality of plastic: being flexible and capable of providing a spring-loaded mechanism. Zeph's joyful aesthetics provide surprising ergonomic benefits too."

The chair is available in eight distinct colours, achieved using Herman Miller and Studio 7.5s "dipped-in colour" process where colour is applied to the entire design, which achieves a single, uniform hue.

"One of the things we wanted to pick up from Herman Miller's mid-century era was the optimistic and delightful idea of the future. We wanted Zeph to be playful and happy," said Studio 7.5 co-leader Carola Zwick. "The palette or 'the crayon box' as Studio 7.5 says, is intended to be inviting for a variety of tastes, and to let users have some fun."

Beyond the base colour, buyers can choose from 20-seat pad upholstery options made from 50 per cent recycled polyester yarn, which is achieved through 3D Knit technology. As the fabric is knitted to the chair's exact dimensions, there is zero fabric waste, according to the designers.

Seat pads can be removed and replaced without tools, allowing for colour swaps or convenient cleaning.

Beneath the shell seat itself lies Herman Miller's ergonomic technology, offering multiple adjustments to meet users' needs. Combined with the flexible shell seat itself, the technology has been designed to "deliver a seamless ergonomic experience that leverages human-centred motion".

"Zeph marks the introduction of a chair tailored to our new ways of working. It’s an elegant, customisable and colourful addition to Herman Miller's market-leading portfolio of high-performance seating," said Herman Miller president, Ben Watson.

Herman Miller will soon offer the Zeph chair with a unibody option, which covers the entire front of the seat shell. A separate side chair design will be released early in 2023.

To view more about Herman Miller, visit its website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Herman Miller as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.