Raising The Benchmark On.. Well, Benches.

Once upon a time, given my old design snob tendencies, the only benches I'd consider owning were the classic slat bench, the Platform bench, by George Nelson for Herman Miller and the leather Mies van der Rohe Bench for Knoll. Both, shown below, are still worthwhile investments, but if you're looking for a new modern bench, there's no shortage of fabulous designs out there.

Here are 10 unusual functional benches available for purchase that would look beautiful indoors or out.

1. The Kantbank


The Kantbank bench by miramondo is like a giant piece of shiny origami, made entirely of polished stainless steel.




Made up of a 2 mm-thick stainless steel sheet measuring 3,000 by 500 mm, the surfaces of all parts are polished.
Buy it here.

2. The Skew Bench


The Skew bench by Desu Design is one of my favorites. Designed to be a sculptural form of intersecting angular planes, the SKEW-001 draws inspiration from geological rock formations and also suggests movement. Made of certified renewable cellulose fiber and resin. It'd be stunning indoors or out.



buy it here.

3. Tree Trunk bench
Jurgen Bey's tree trunk bench for Droog has been out for awhile, but that doesn't make it any less cool.



The bench is a real tree trunk with chair backs made of bronze inserted into it. Buy it here.

4. Furniture to Garden Benches


The Gardening bench by 5.5 Designers is a concrete bench with built in areas for plants. The Furniture to garden collection consists of three bench styles and 2 chair styles as well as an end table.




The water can evacuate thanks to 2 or 4 perforations (depending upon which bench size) that are attached to the legs. Buy it here.

5. The Ordrupgaard bench


Architect Zaha Hadid's for Mobler is a simple organic bench in solid ash.




It was initially designed as part of the interior of the annex she designed for Ordrupgaard Museum in Charlottenlund just outside Copenhagen. The bench entered PP Møbler´s collection in the spring 2006. Buy it here.

6. The Swilken bench


The Indoor/outdoor bench with ReClaimed² hardwood top and concrete or polished aluminum base by Acronym Design is a beauty. Available in various woods.



The inspiration for the form came from the Swilken Bridge on the 18th Green at St. Andrews golf course in Scotland. This bench follows those principals and uses the simplicity of form to showcase the beauty of the wood. Hidden connections keep the bench sleek. Buy it here.

7. Bovine Benches


I've blogged about them before, but can't mention unsual benches without including the headless bovine benches by Julia Lohmann:


Buy them here.

8. The Nea Studio water bench


Designed by Nina Edwards, is actually a concept bench, but I had to include it. It's a concrete energy-efficient water bench is designed for public parks, cafes, outdoor train, ferry, bus stations and other waiting areas in extreme climates.



It is heated from the earth's energy in cold climates through an underground pipe system. It is cooled in hot climates from pipes connecting to fresh water or to the existing urban water system. Read more about it here.

9. the Inner Beauty bench


The Inner Beauty Bench is crafted from laser cut plywood by Studio Bility in Iceland. With intricate interior designs, the top stays smooth and simple. Buy it here.

10. The Water Bench


The Water Web Bench by Drift Design is a polyurea and efs outdoor bench available in three different patterns and six different colors. Water is pumped from within the bench to flow through the crevices cut into the bench and then back into the sofa.




The Water bench is the first product Ralph Nauta and Lonneke Gordijn designed together. Pump and algae solvent are included with the bench. Other colors may be available upon request. Buy it here.

Also worth noting:
The Botanist Designer series of metal benches.
The Whippet Bench by Radi design.
The Lightbench by Frellstedt is a traditionally shaped park bench that is illuminated from within in several color options.

If you want to purchase the Classic Nelson Platform bench or The van der Rohe bench, you can find them at any store that carries authentic Herman Miller and Knoll furniture.

Herman Miller launches new "Be Collection"

Herman Miller has launched a new collection of products designed for your comfort, your organization and your working lifestyle. Called the "Be Collection", they teamed up with some of their favorite designers (Yves Behar, Bill Stumpft and Jeff Sokalski to name a few) to create products in three categories; comfort, connectivity and organization.

Products range from the frequently blogged about Leaf lamp to a cool little personal climate control unit called the C2.


Above left: the personal Leaf Light in red. Right, The C2, a personal climate control device



In addition, the Be Collection from Herman Miller employs Herman Miller's Design for the Environment protocol (DfE) for material selection and product design.

See the entire collection of products here.

Stop Sitting Up Straight! The Right Angle For Your Task Chair

Your mother was wrong: Sitting up straight is bad for you. Scottish radiologists confirmed in a study last year that a 130-degree angle of recline between torso and thighs reduces pressure on the discs in the lower back. This (and its sleek design) is why the ubiquitous Aeron chair was so ahead of its time in 1994. It deeply reclined by pivoting at the hips.

But designers find that the features of chairs like the Aeron (see image below) are lost on most sitters. The array of levers and knobs—recline tension, lumbar support, seat-pan depth, forward tilt—are commonly ignored by users, who only think to change the chair’s height.


above: The revolutionary Aeron Chair

This neglect has manufacturers such as Herman Miller and Humanscale looking toward the next frontier: a self-adjusting chair. “We’re working on a chair that will listen to who’s sitting on it and adjust itself to their weight,” says Bill Dowell, director of research at Herman Miller, which makes the Aeron.



Humanscale’s Freedom chairs (shown above) include a counterbalance system that adjusts itself like scales to the sitter’s weight as he or she reclines, eliminating the need for recline controls.


above photo by Nick Kaloterakis

Or perhaps the chair of the future isn’t one at all. Chairs contribute in part to the high rate of back pain, which, according to the National Institutes of Health, affects eight out of 10 Americans. “Our notion of a machine for sitting may not make sense in a globalized world,” says Herman Miller designer Cameron Campbell. Galen Cranz of the University of California at Berkeley points out in her book The Chair that the Indian practice of squatting and the Muslim practice of stretching five times a day to pray have great ergonomic benefits. Ten years from now, one worker may settle into a low recliner, another will kneel on a soft carpet, and they’ll talk across a pile of office cushions.—

This article is reprinted from THE FUTURE OF WORK-Pimp Your Cube 2017
The ultimate self-adjusting office chair plus seven more concepts that will make your daily grind a little smoother By Peter Hall and Lauren Aaronson | February 2007 Peter Hall

New Re-issue for Herman Miller

Mid-Century Modern Furniture is Still Going Strong.

Herman Miller has just announced the re-issue of the classic George Nelson Swag Leg Chair.




Hot off the presses from Herman Miller!

Herman Miller, Inc., Brings Back a Nelson Classic
January 26, 2007

Nelson Swag Leg Collection reflects growing appeal of mid-century modern design

First launched in 1958, the swag leg group by George Nelson is an expression of his philosophy that design is a response to social change. Now, almost 50 years later, Herman Miller is honoring Nelson's straightforward genius with the reintroduction of select swag leg products.

The timeless appeal of the collection has led to the revival of chairs, tables and an elegant desk that can be used separately or together in either a residential or office setting.

The collection is known for the distinctive design of its legs. Nelson insisted that they be metal, machine formed and pre-finished. Swaging--using pressure to taper and curve a metal tube--proved the best way to produce the legs, which are 16-gauge steel and have adjustable glides.

"The decision to bring the swag leg group back has been warmly received by the A&D community," said Gregg VanderKooi, Herman Miller product manager, Classics. "We think each piece in the group is exceptional, but the chair is the focal point and is getting an incredible response."

The chair's most notable feature is the separate molded seat and back. "Nelson wanted the chair to flex and move with the user," adds VanderKooi. "He also realized that the slit between the seat and back prevented heat build-up, even before this issue was on the radar."

The chair has received the most significant makeover, moving from molded fiberglass to an environmentally sustainable polypropylene to conform to Herman Miller's strict guidelines for sustainable design. The chair currently is available in white, but additional colors, including black and gray, or a combination of any two colors for the seat and back, will be available this spring. The legs are available in chrome, white, or a black finish.

The group also offers a choice of white laminate or walnut veneer for either the round or square table. The Nelson desk has been fitted with a cable access hole for wires, two pencil drawers, and cubby holes decorated with brightly painted hardwood dividers. Chrome legs are standard on the desk and tables.