Naoto Fukasawa Elevates Executive Seating with Saiba for Geiger and the Herman Miller Collection
Designer Naoto Fukasawa has held design workshops titled Without Thought. The idea, says Fukasawa, “is that people think that design is something that appeals to their emotions, but in fact people are linked to things every day in their environments, unconsciously, without even being aware of it. This ‘unthinking’ state makes actions smooth. Designs that make us feel this kind of simplicity don’t stand out, but entwine with people’s actions and with the environment.”
With Saiba, designed for Geiger, Fukasawa has created a subtle and elegant chair that effortlessly fits into any environment with its carefully sculpted silhouette and sophisticated simplicity of form. The Saiba Chair subtly elevates the atmosphere around it while providing an intuitive sense of comfort to the person sitting in it.
Premiering at NeoCon 2015, Saiba is Fukasawa’s first furniture design for a North American company. To approach the Tokyo-based designer, Geiger leveraged Herman Miller’s relationship with Italian company Magis, for whom Fukasawa has designed many products. The introduction from Magis, and Fukasawa’s appreciation for another NeoCon introduction from Geiger–the Bumper Chair by Ward Bennett–began the relationship that has led to Saiba.
Fukasawa’s chair features thoughtfully designed details, from the custom-tooled base to the simple tilt mechanism to the considered proportions of the sculpted seat, back, and sides. A study in restraint, the Saiba chair exemplifies the designer’s “Super Normal” concept—instantly familiar (normal), and yet better than what’s come before (super). The result is executive and lounge seating that is intuitively beautiful and useful in any setting.
Saiba is available as a fixed-height lounge chair with four-star base and glides, or an adjustable-height executive chair with five-star base and casters, both offered with a mid- or high-back. Chairs with the five-star base feature a tilt mechanism to encourage natural movement while seated. Impeccable tailoring, a sophisticated palette of textiles, and a polished aluminium or black powdercoat base contribute to the chair’s timeless elegance.
About Geiger
At Geiger, why and how things are done are inexorably one—achieving quality through craft, celebrating materiality through elegant simplicity, improving the work environment for individuals through design that endures. Standards of craftsmanship and customer satisfaction set more than 50 years ago by founder John Geiger have driven the company’s growth and continue to inspire people today. Geiger's reputation for quality, sustainability, design, and engineering continues to enhance business interiors with an elegant and intelligent portfolio of designs for the modern workplace. Founded in Toronto and headquartered in Atlanta since 1979, Geiger is a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly held Herman Miller, Inc.
