An Affordable Icon
The Aeron® Basic Chair by Herman Miller is a high-quality durable seating option for people of any size and lifestyle. As an icon in both ergonomics and aesthetics, - it is the only desk chair on display at the Museum of Modern Art - the Aeron has helped mold the modern office landscape into a healthier, more responsible, and of course more stylish place to work. The Aeron’s intuitive Kinemat tilt feature as well as its ability to adjust in eight different dimensions facilitates the discovery of your preferred posture for maximum comfort. The innovative mesh Pellicle suspension system, which gives the Aeron its distinct look, conforms to your body evenly to provide back-pressure relief while its breathable texture keeps you cool. The "waterfall" front edge of the seat takes the pressure off your thighs, promoting blood circulation and helping you stay alert and focused.
The Aeron® Basic Chair is the simplest version of the groundbreaking office chair, stripping away the adjustable arms, forward tilt, tilt limiter and PostureFit options so it is just you and the chair. The chair is far from being bare bones, and features a pneumatic lift, the already mentioned Kinemat Tilt, tilt tension, and fixed arms. It comes with an option of three Pellicle weaves in neutral colors and a range of finish options so that you can create an Aeron that fits your unique tastes and needs. The classic and contemporary Aeron Chairs is a smart and cool choice sure to suit any home or office environment.
Herman Miller set out to create a new kind of chair that changed the way challenged the norms of function, form, and materials for an office chair. To do this the company turned to Don Chadwick and Bill Strumpf, the designers of the groundbreaking Equa Chair. Chadwick and Strumpf decided to start with no prior assumptions about chairs with the intent to alter office chairs forever. After some thorough research, the designers decided that should be more then just an object to sit on. They were driven to build a new chair which was simple to adjust and adjusted as naturally as possible. Their opinions were staunch that this new chair must actually improve the health of the back when sat in for too long. They were also determined that this chair should cater to people of varying sizes instead of just accommodating them. Lastly on Chadwick and Strumpf's lofty list of goals was that this chair be environmentally friendly, recyclable and easy to repair or disassemble.
These results of these goals redefined the meaning of the "work chair". The Aeron, which was dimensioned in three models that looked exactly alike, was not padded and its revolutionary concept incorporated more patentable ideas then any previous Herman Miller research program. The chair is also made out of almost two-thirds recycled materials and 94% of the Aeron is recyclable. Designed Bill Strumpf explains his chairs' new design by saying, "Competitive ergonomic chairs became look-alikes. Differentiation was a huge part of the Aeron design strategy, and it remains one of, if not the most, critical aspects of Aeron's success". This differentiation strategy led to a complete redesign of the office chair with no straight lines because "the human form has no straight lines".
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The Aeron design was refined and validated through consumer research and experts' opinions. An early focus group of retired people highlighted the need for aeration in the chair and long-term comfort. These areas were addressed in the final product through the Pellicle screen that helped permit the flow of air, light and moisture through the chair. Leading ergonomist, orthopedic specialists and physical therapists helped refine the chair's fit and motion and led to studies to help calculate everything from popliteal (back of the knee) height to forearm length to complete the design of the chair. The research team did pressure mapping and thermal testing to determine the weight distribution and heat- and moisture-dissipating qualities of the Pellicle material on the chair's seat and back. Field studies using a specially designed measuring device examined the relationship between sizes of people and their preference for chair size (Dowell 1995b). Measurements of 224 people—in a sample that was evenly distributed between men and women and that closely reflected the distribution of the U.S. population on most dimensions—found that of all the anthropometric dimensions measured, height and weight had the strongest relationship to chair size preference. The relationship is strong enough to allow us to recommend one of the three chair sizes based on those dimensions.
After all of this thorough research the chair reveals its aesthetic heritage in lyrical shapes reminiscent of George Nelson designs, organic forms that recall the work of Charles Eames, and a spare, athletic aspect that brings to mind its designers' Equa chair, the Aeron chair definitively looks only like itself. Its unique form expresses its purpose and use and the material composition of its parts and the way they connect. The slightly transparent and reflective nature of its surfaces gives it an airy quality. It becomes a part of the person who uses it and the environment that surrounds it. Made largely of recycled materials, the Aeron chair is designed to last a long time, and parts that get the most wear are easily replaced and recycled. Just what you would expect in a well thought-out design. |
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The Aeron Chair has won many awards for its innovative design. Here is a sampling of its most prestigious honors:
- In 1999, the Aeron Chair was named one of "Designs Greatest Hits" in Your Company magazine
- In 1999, the Aeron Chair won "Designs of the Decade" Gold Winner in "Office Furniture" from the Industrial Designers Society of America & Business Week magazine
- In 1998, the Aeron chair was given the International Plastics Consumer Product Design Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers
The Aeron is an exemplary office chair when it comes to the principles of Healthy Back's SLAM methodology--which helps you find the best chair suitable for your specific needs. The revolutionary design promotes motion and supports a full range of dynamic adjustment for almost every body shape and size.
Seat Height and Depth
We measure the depth of your seat. There should be two to three inches between the front edge of the chair and the back of your calf. Adequate seat depth distributes your weight evenly over the longest possible surface area. Inadequate surface area can impede circulation, cause numbness and result in difficultly when sitting for longer periods. Proper seat height encourages you to sit back in your chair, resulting in correct body position with result to the rest of your workstation.
Lumbar Height and Depth
We measure the lumbar curve in your back to determine the depth and height of your unique body. We then fit you to the right chair.
Stand flat against a wall with your heels and your should blades touching the wall. Now place your hand behind your lower back--does it fit? If you cannot fit your hand behind you, you have a flat back and probably need a chair with very little lumbar support. If you can fit a flat hand behind you, you have a medium curve and need a medium level lumbar support. If you can fit a balled up fist behind your back, , you have a deep curve, or sway back, and need a large lumbar support.
Angles
A chair should allow you to sit with at least 90° angles in the following places: your knees, hips, and elbows. Angles of less than 90° have the detrimental effect of impeding circulation. In static seated situations, this can result in premature fatigue and discomfort. In general, more "open" postures and chairs that support you in "open" postures, will allow you to sit more comfortably for longer periods of time.
Motion
Critical to pain-free sitting is a chair that allows you to stay in motion. The more you move, the more you encourage blood flow, and the less stiff you become. Properly adjust the chair's tension control to achieve your desired level of motion. Rule of thumb: Static positions in and of themselves are a source of pain and fatigue.
The Aeron Basic Chair is designed to fit users of all heights and weights. To help users get the correct chair they have created different sizes to better suit the needs of different people. Smaller and lighter people should consider getting the Aeron chair in a Size A, while medium height and weight users should get size B chairs. The taller and heavier users should get the size C chair as it will help better accommodate their size. Please review the chart above to determine which size is best for you
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Seat Height
Paddle-shaped lever on right side
To raise: While taking your weight off chair, lift lever up.
To lower: While seated, lift lever up. |
Kinemat® Tilt Tension
Long stem on right side with knob
To increase tension: While seated, turn knob forward
(clockwise, toward + sign).
To decrease tension: While seated, turn knob backward
(counterclockwise, toward – sign).
Depending on the desired tilt resistance, a number of turns may
be required. |
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Arm Height
Lever on base of arm support
To raise or lower arm: While seated, lift lever to unlock. Grasp base of arm support and raise or lower to desired height. Lower lever to lock. |
Arm Angle
Front of each armpad
To swing arms in or out: While seated, grasp front end of armpad and pivot it to the left or right.
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Forward Tilt
Front lever on left side
To position chair forward: Lean back and lift lever all the
way up. Lean forward.
To resume horizontal position: While seated, push lever
all the way down. Lean back. |
Tilt Limiter
Rear lever on left side
To limit tilt range: Recline as far as you like. Move lever up to define the limit of recline. You can still move forward. Readjust
as necessary.
To release tilt limiter: Lean forward, press lever down. |
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Lumbar Depth
(Lumbar option only, not on Basic or Posture-Fit)
Thick pad on back of chair
To adjust depth: Using equal pressure on each end of lumbar support pad, lift it out of its track in back of chair. Flip it over and replace in track. (Notice that one side of support pad is thicker than the other side.) |
Lumbar Height
(Lumbar option only, not on Basic or Posture-Fit)
Thick pad on back of chair
To change height: Using equal pressure on each end of
lumbar support pad, raise or lower it to desired position within
adjustment track. |
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PostureFit® Adjustment
(not on Basic or Lumbar chairs)
Knob on right side of chair
To engage: While seated, turn knob forward (clockwise) until it
stops. Then turn knob backward (counterclockwise) until
you find the support that feels right for you.
To disengage: While seated, turn knob backward (counterclockwise).
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Fine-Tune™ Footring Height
Long stem on left side with knob
To raise: While seated, lift your feet off the footring, turn knob forward.
To lower: While seated, lift your feet off the footring, turn knob backward.
Note: Only available on work stool models |
The Aeron Basic Chair by Herman Miller is available with a 12 year warranty. Please click here to see warranty details.
