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Design by Mark Goetz, 1999. Made in the U.S.A. by Herman Miller.
Molded plywood carries an immediate association with classic Herman Miller designs, and Mark Goetz, principal of TZ Design in New York City, skillfully and creatively incorporates this material in his sofa design. The Goetz Sofa turns traditional sofas inside out, since its plywood shell is clearly visible as both an aesthetic element and a structural frame.
The Goetz Sofa's dramatic profile features upholstered cushions with a balanced seat depth. A durable polyurethane finish protects veneers. Zippered covers on all cushions can be easily removed for cleaning. Matte finish metal legs add contemporary appeal. Select from five veneer finishes with a wide-range of upholstery choices.
People feel close to their furniture. They get attached. "So my goal is to design furniture that fits into someone's life," Mark Goetz says. "I want even office furniture to feel as personal as any object someone has at home."
Of course, furniture must solve a problem, Goetz says, but that's only half of the designer's mission. "You could live with a good solution and not really like it. Objects should be loved and wanted as well as provide a solution."
Goetz has been designing loved and wanted objects since 1986, after his graduation from the Pratt Institute in New York City. In 1988, he founded TZ Design in New York and has created children's products for Marimekko, backpacks and totebags for Le Sportsac, table top items for Crate & Barrel, and crystal for Steuben.
He also has designed a variety of products for the contract furniture industry, including tables, casegoods, and more than 60 chairs. His pieces furnish the corporate headquarters of the Chicago Bulls, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and the president's office at Harvard University.
For Herman Miller, Goetz designed the Aside guest chair and the Goetz sofa--two products that seem vastly different yet embody similar themes. "I try to give things a reserved, quiet expression so they're appropriate in a variety of environments," he says. "But I also try to make interesting forms that people really like--something fresh and new."
He says the sofa was a "daunting challenge" because it's part of the Herman Miller Collection of classic home and office products that define 20th century design. "If I were sitting in a room with Eames, Nelson, and Noguchi," he says, "and we were discussing design, I would be listening rather than talking. When designing the sofa, I took on that role, trying to understand the qualities of the collection that make it so wonderful. I wanted to create something that echoes the collection and respectfully adds to it."
Likewise, the Aside chair resembles traditional guest chairs but adds unique comfort and a sleek, contemporary look that complements a range of office settings.
Above all, "I want people to feel comfortable with my work," Goetz says, "so they feel it's created especially for them."
Awards/Recognition Institute of Business Designers Award for seating, 1993 Best of NeoCon Gold Award for seating and tables, 1996 IIDA Apex Award for seating, 1996 Best of NeoCon Gold Award for occasional tables, 1998 Best of NeoCon Gold Award for seating, 2000 Chicago Athenaeum's Good Design Competition, 2000
By using common materials and processes in innovative ways, designer Mark Goetz achieves a clean, crisp aesthetic with the Goetz Sofa. It complements contemporary, informal lifestyles while echoing Herman Miller's classic heritage, while offering supportive comfort. A complex miter at every corner allows the molded veneer to wrap completely around the sides and back.
The sofa's practicality extends to one of its most important features: comfort. Goetz conducted his own research and consulted with other experts to arrive at a seat depth that gives ergonomic support as well as room to lie down.
This conventional lacquer is the standard top coat for Copeland Furniture and features a matte, satin look and feel. The highly durable finish is Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) rated - meaning it can withstand the type of heat, grease and spills typically found in a kitchen setting.
Copeland Water Based Finish
This water born, formaldehyde-free finish is offered on most Copeland Furniture pieces and features a matte, satin look and feel. It is every bit as durable as conventional lacquer, with the added benefit of drastically reduced VOC emissions at the factory and off-gassing at the home.
Fully Adjustable Wood Drawer Glides
Adjustable wood glides are a unique Copeland Furniture innovation. Two glides on either side of the drawer are spring loaded and attached to the case side with two Philips head screws. They can then be adjusted tighter or looser to allow for the perfect fit and smooth operation.
Wood Drawer Glides
Wood drawer glides are the traditional cabinet maker's standard. In this configuration, two glides on either side of the drawer carry the load to smoothly operate a drawer while it is being opened and closed. In wider drawers, a single under-mounted glide may be used to keep the drawer tracking straight.
Asymmetrical English Dovetail Joint
An asymmetrical English dovetail is a type of drawer box joint. Asymmetrical refers to the fact that the pins (seen on the drawer front) and tails (seen on the drawer side) are of different widths. This is the gold standard in traditional joinery and is both aesthetically and structurally superior to other common techniques.
4-Star refers to the number of pronged feet at the bottom of a work chair base. A 4-Star Base is typically provided with glides (pads that protect floor surfaces) and therefore is suited for relatively static environments.
5-Star refers to the number of pronged feet at the bottom of a work chair base. This has become the universal standard for most office chairs as it provides improved stability. Depending on model specifications, 5-Star Bases may be provided with glides (pads that protect floor surfaces and render the chair relatively static) or rolling casters (wheels that render the chair relatively mobile).
Tilt-Swivel refers to a feature that allows the chair to both tilt back and forth, and swivel side-to-side.
Tilt Lock allows the chair seat to be 'locked', preventing it from tilting backwards, or unlocked, allowing it to tilt backwards without restrictions.
Tilt Limiter and Seat Angle refers to the adjustable seat back and adjustable seat pan, respectively. The Tilt Limiter allows the user to select the tilt range to limit the amount of recline in the seat back . When the user leans back on the seat back, the maximum it will recline is to the angle set by the tilt limiter. The Seat Angle allows the user to set either a horizontal or 4° forward angle of the seat pan, allowing the thighs to rest horizontally or slightly angled down in relation to the floor. These features help to customize the chair to the user's body, aiding in lower back support and all day comfort.
The Tilt Limiter allows the user to select the tilt range to limit the amount of recline in the seat back. The user can adjust the Tilt Limiter by leaning all the way forward and moving an adjustment level up to find different stopping points. When the user leans back, the seat back will stop reclining at the angle that was last set.
Tilt tension controls the amount of force required to recline. Tension can be increased or decreased until the chair back resistance is set to the user's preference for working comfort and should take in to account how the user moves throughout the day.
Harmonic Tilt™ transfers weight from the seat to the back without changing the relationship between the chair's back and the user's back. This patented mechanism keeps resistance consistent throughout the recline range. It allows the user's body to pivot naturally at the ankles, knees, and hips. It provides balanced support as the user moves from an upright posture to a completely reclined posture and as it stops anywhere within that recline range. Harmonic Tilt is available on all Mirra and Celle models.
Pneumatic Seat-Height Adjustment regulates the height of a chair relative to the floor using a gas lift mechanism, usually controlled by a lever. It allows the user to adjust a custom seat-height based upon the size of the user. This reliable adjustment mechanism has become an industry standard because of its ease of use and quiet, smooth operation.
Ganging Connectors attach adjacent chairs to form a unitary row of seating. This is a useful feature for auditorium or conference seating configurations where standard rows or sets of chairs are needed.
FlexNet™ is a strong, mesh-like material specifically developed for the Caper Chair. Similar to the Aeron Chair's Pellicle suspension, FlexNet provides aeration as well as added comfort and weight distribution for longer-term sitting.
TriFlex™ is a bendable, elastic material developed for the seat back of the Mirra Chair. It provides flexible and continuous back support intended to support the entire spine while providing airflow. TriFlex is self-adjusting, conforming to the user as soon as he/she is seated.
AireWeave™ seat-suspension material was developed for the seat of the Mirra Chair. It is lightweight and breathable and evenly distributes the user's body pressure over the seat of the chair, while keeping the user cool. AireWeave is self-adjusting, conforming to the user as soon as he/she is seated.
Pellicle® was developed for the Aeron Chair. It is a material that conforms to the user's body and retains its original shape when unoccupied. The material is lightweight and breathable and distributes the user's weight evenly over the seat and back of the chair.
Cellular Suspension™ seat and back material was created specifically for Celle Chairs. It uses pliable molded polymer "cells" and loops to responsively flex in concert with the body's movements throughout the workday. This lightweight, breathable material evenly distributes the user's weight over the seat and allows the back to provide flexible and continuous support.
Pixelated Support Technology refers to the seat construction of Herman Miller's Embody Chair. This 4-layer construction provides support and comfort by spontaneously conforming to the user's shape and postural movements, while simultaneously moving heat away from the body. The results are improved circulation and greater comfort.
FlexFront™ Seat Depth was developed for the Mirra Chair. By squeezing a handle under the front of the seat, users can control seat depth by curling the front edge of the seat up or downward, providing a 2" range of adjustment. And, because depth is controlled by the shape of the seat front and not a moving seat pan, there is never a gap between the chair seat and back. When properly adjusted, the seat edge should not touch the back of the user's legs. This ensures the best body alignment, providing constant spine support and all day comfort.
Kinemat® Tilt is adjusted by turning a knob under the Aeron Chair's seat pan. The feature promotes a reclining posture by using a tilt geometry based on human body linkages moving through space. This engineering opens up the angle between the thighs and torso encouraging a reclined posture that aids in back and body support. Kinemat allows the body to naturally pivot at the ankles, knees, and hips by responding to the user's movements and maintaining full chair support of these pivot points. (Imagine the many body shifts and position changes a user makes throughout the work day. Kinemat is designed to adjust with all these changes, as they occur, without compromising comfort or posture.)
Aeron's PostureFit® Support provides a custom fit in the lower back area, below the beltline. A step up from standard lumbar supports, PostureFit is flexible and follows the shape of the lower back. By allowing the pelvis and base of the spine to sustain a forward position, it promotes a healthier posture and improved lower back comfort and sacral support. This features comes standard with the Aeron Posture fit Work Chair.
Mirra and Celle Chairs use Passive PostureFit® Support. A camber shape at the base of the back creates an arched area that supports the way the user's pelvis tilts naturally forward, so that the spine stays properly aligned, whether the user leans back or forward. By allowing the pelvis and base of the spine to sustain a forward position, it promotes a healthier posture and improved lower back comfort and sacral support. Passive PostureFit is available on all Mirra and Celle models as an integrated feature.
Height Adjustable Arms
Height-Adjustable Arms allow the user to set chair arms at varying vertical positions (moving the armpads up or down). Adjustable arms add to the versatility of the chair allowing a user to slide the chair under a desk, adjust the arms for proper arm support (moving weight off the shoulders), etc. Chairs noted as "fully adjustable" feature arms that move vertically and also pivot (the armpads move at a set degree-range outward and inward from the user). Adjustable spans vary by model.
Seat Depth is measured from the front of the seat to the chair's back support. For fixed seat depth chairs, this distance can not be altered or customized for the user. Therefore, the seat will fit everyone differently depending on the length of their legs. The depth of the seat varies by model.
Adjustable Seat Depth allows the user to customize the seat distance, measured from the hip to the knee, to help adjust for user's leg length. To adjust, the user presses a lever and slides the entire seat pan back or forward to customize the amount of support and to create the optimal fit based on their body.
Adjustable Lumbar Support allows the user to change the seat back shape along the base of the seat back to enhance support and comfort of the user's lumbar region. Lumbar adjustments vary by model. But, in general, these mechanisms are controlled by levers to adjust to fill the void left between the chair and the curve in the user's mid-back or lumbar region.
Glides are specialized pads at the base of a chair or other piece of furniture which protect the floor beneath and make it easier to occasionally reposition the chair. However, glides render the chair mostly static within its space.
Casters are rolling wheels located at the base of a chair or other piece of furniture making it fully mobile and moveable within its space. Different caster options are available on some chairs to accommodate movement on different types of flooring materials (for example, hard floors or carpet).
Fixed Arms are non-adjustable. Consider desk-top height and arm positioning needs when selecting chairs with this feature.
The Mirra Chair's 3-Dimensional Adjustable Arms allow the user to adjust arms 4" vertically, 1.4" horizontally, and pivot the arm pads 11° outward and 11° inward. Adjusting arms vertically can add to the versatility of the chair allowing a user to slide the chair under a desk or to raise the arms for arm support. Adjusting arm pivot (or angle) can help support different types of work and shifts in posture. For example, the user might adjust chair arms inward for support while using a keyboard or adjust arms out for support when using a mouse. While horizontal arm adjustment tailors the chair so that user arms are fully supported, taking weight off the shoulders.
Adjustable Seat Height regulates the height of a chair relative to the floor. This feature, usually controlled by a lever, allows the user to adjust a custom seat-height based upon the size of the user. Seat height should be adjusted so the user's feet are flat on the floor with knees at a comfortable bend where the lower legs and hips are a little over 90° with the thighs sloping slightly downward.
Kinematic Spine™ technology was designed for the Setu Chair. It is a frame technology integrated into the chair's back to allow for varying recline positions and continuous support. This feature is self-adjusting and requires no user adjustment.
A self-adjusting feature requires no manual adjustment by the user.
White Glove Delivery
White Glove service includes inside delivery, unpacking, assembly (if required), furniture installation and removing cartons and crates.
3D Intelligent
Herman Miller's 3D Intelligent back material is a seating technology designed for the SAYL™ Chair. The 3-dimensional mesh-like suspension material is stretched from the Y-Tower at the back of the chair just as cables are stretched from the towers of a suspension bridge. The tension is greater in the transition areas, from the thoracic to the lumbar regions and between the lumbar area and sacrum. "Hinge points" allow these areas to flex and support the healthy, forward rotation of the pelvis. At the same time, less tension in other parts of the back encourages a full range of seated movement.
Y-Tower
Y-Tower is the primary support structure of Herman Miller's SAYL™ Chair. The Y-Tower retains tension, replacing the traditional frame of task chairs. It works like the towers from which a bridge is suspended and combines with a 3D Intelligent suspension material to provide frameless back support that hugs the user's back from resting through reclining, forward leaning and twisting motions.
Threshold Delivery
Threshold Delivery service includes inside delivery, unpacking and removing cartons and crates. Product assembly (if required) is not offered with this service.
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