Designed by Berlin-based Studio 7.5, Cosm is Herman Miller’s first task chair with an automatic tilt. It also has the industry’s first suspension armrest. Initially revealed in Milan during Salone Del Mobile 2018, the chair will be available for order worldwide later this summer.
To experience Cosm is—as Studio 7.5 says—to forget gravity. And now people can have that comfort and support no matter how many settings they sit in throughout the day.
As more organizations move toward shared workplaces and workpoints, and people enjoy the freedom to choose the setting based on the work they need to do, one thing hasn’t changed: the need for ergonomic support. Cosm offers exactly this consistency, providing unparalleled comfort and performance, making it not only great for individuals, but also the ultimate shared chair. Cosm rapidly adjusts to whomever is sitting in it using its hidden “engine,” the Auto-Harmonic Tilt™—a culmination of two decades of design research and engineering that further deepened Herman Miller’s understanding of how people sit and work.
Auto-Harmonic TiltTM
Hidden in Cosm’s gearbox beneath the seat is the technology that gives the feeling of balance and comfort. The Auto-Harmonic Tilt instantly and automatically provides continuous support and fluid movement corresponding to the person’s body, posture, and seated position. Other chairs on the market with automatic tilts achieve this simplicity by compromising the experience—relying on systems that cause the body to follow the tilt mechanism, rather than the tilt following the body. Cosm’s Auto-Harmonic Tilt is able to understand how much tension to provide based on the downward force exerted by the person and it provides the same experience for everyone, regardless of body type or seated position.
Iterate, Iterate, Iterate
Perfecting the tilt mechanism—to give users the seamless experience Studio 7.5 was aiming for—involved years of building and testing full-scale prototypes. Studio 7.5’s iterative process was similar to that of famed Herman Miller designers, Charles and Ray Eames, with a contemporary twist. Studio 7.5 built and tested prototypes in-house using a new 3D-printing technology blending aluminum dust and resin to create mechanically sound components. After countless iterations of 3-D printed prototypes, along with hand sculpting, tweaking, and testing, Studio 7.5 arrived at Cosm’s final form.
Suspension Material
Cosm’s ergonomic support goes beyond mechanics. The frame and fabric suspension work in tandem with the Auto-Harmonic Tilt. The continuous suspension material, Herman Miller’s new Intercept™, forms to each person’s unique contours, delivering dynamic, uninterrupted support. Intercept delivers thermal comfort while standing up to years of use. The hourglass-shaped suspension attaches to the frame, creating areas of high- and low-tension that provide comfort and support where it is needed most—regardless of body size or position in the chair.
An Industry First: Leaf ArmsTM
Cosm’s arms also make it unique. In fact, the use of suspension material over a solid form make its Leaf Arms an industry first. Precision-designed for comfort, Leaf Arms cradle the elbow, supporting its delicate nerves even in a variety of positions. In addition, the angle of the Leaf Arms prevents them from colliding with work surfaces. For people who would rather have a more traditional chair arm, Cosm is also available with fixed arms and height-adjustable arms, as well as without arms.
Back Heights
Cosm is available in three back heights and as a stool, making it useful in a variety of applications. The minimalist low back makes it easy for people to turn around in the chair, inviting casual conversation and collaboration. This look, in the words of Studio 7.5, “integrates seamlessly within a landscape of work surfaces.” Cosm’s versatile mid back provides lower back and scapular support. The high-back version goes one step further, providing total spinal support and an experience of “offloading,” in which the body’s back muscles can relax fully due to support of the cervical and upper thoracic regions of the spine.
Dipped-In-Color
Cosm’s “dipped-in-color” aesthetic is unlike any other office chair. Achieving a precise color match on the metals, plastics, and fabrics that comprise Cosm was a technical challenge that required a great deal of color engineering. The results of these efforts are three all-over hues that are fresh and compatible with Herman Miller’s color palette for other products throughout the family of brands.
Cosm’s six shades—three new saturated hues and three classic Herman Miller neutrals—provide options for everyone. Canyon (a bright red-orange) is the boldest color, while Glacier (a soft, light blue) and Nightfall (a deep navy) serve as “new neutrals” in place of the neutral greys so common in today’s workplace. Cosm is also available in the more familiar neutral options, Graphite, Carbon, and White (dark, medium, and light shades of grey), as well as mix-and-match variations of all of the above.
As interior walls come down and sightlines open up, the dipped-in-color options allow designers to create visually interesting and harmonious solutions for floorplates of all sizes and layouts. The three colors, designed and curated by Laura Guido-Clark, Herman Miller’s Creative Director of Materials Innovation, are intended to “foster great connection, creativity, productivity and ultimately greater prosperity for all.”
Cosm will be available for order through Herman Miller’s global Dealer/Retailer Network and through store.hermanmiller.com beginning this summer. For more information on Cosm and Studio 7.5, visit hermanmiller.com/cosm.
About Herman Miller
Herman Miller is a globally recognized provider of furnishings and related technologies and services. Headquartered in West Michigan, the 112-year-old company has relied on innovative design to solve problems wherever people work, live, learn, and heal. With recognizable designs as part of museum collections worldwide, Herman Miller is a past recipient of the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper Hewitt National Design Award and has been ranked number one on Contract Magazine’s list of “Brands that Inspire” for four straight years. Known and respected for its leadership in corporate social responsibility, Herman Miller has earned numerous global sustainability and inclusivity awards including the Human Rights Foundation’s top rating in its Corporate Equality Index for 11 years in a row. In fiscal 2017, the company generated $2.28 billion in revenue and employed nearly 8,000 people worldwide. Herman Miller trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR. www.hermanmiller.com/about-us @hermanmiller on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
About Studio 7.5
The name chosen by Burkhard Schmitz, Carola Zwick, and Roland Zwick—Studio 7.5—comes from an 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 important for these designers. When creating products for their clients, they range widely before zeroing in on a solution. In particular, they find designing office chairs to be most rewarding—and have worked with Herman Miller on the award-winning Mirra Chair, Setu, Mirra 2, and now, Cosm. “We define not only how the chair looks but how it performs,” Carola says. As to how Studio 7.5’s designs perform for you, they would rather you forget you’re sitting in a chair at all.
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