Side Chairs

Envelope Chair

Angled view of an Envelope side chair with black leather upholstery and a tubular steel frame.

1960s industrial style finds its comfort zone

Upholstery wraps the welded tubular steel frame the way Envelope wraps around its sitter. Ward Bennett designed the Envelope Chair in 1966. Its timeless aesthetic prompted Geiger to reintroduce it in 2004. It’s been in-demand ever since. Envelope comes in a variety of textiles, making it well-suited for private offices and public areas alike.

Product designer Ward Bennett seated on a Sled Chair.

Designed by
Ward Bennett

Team member working in Hildebran facility

Built in
Hildebran, NC

  • An executive office featuring two white leather Envelope side chairs facing each other across the narrow side of a rectangular desk.
  • Side view of an Envelope side chair with black leather upholstery and a tubular steel frame.
  • An Envelope side chair with black leather upholstery and a tubular steel frame, viewed from the front.
  • An Envelope side chair with black leather upholstery and a tubular steel frame, viewed from behind at an angle.
  • Angled view of an Envelope side chair with beige leather upholstery and a tubular steel frame.
Black-and-white image of an Envelope side chair, viewed from the side to show how the leather upholstery wraps around the tubular steel frame.

Design Story

As one of the first American designers to use industrial materials in design, Ward Bennett forecast the high-tech look of the 1970s. His Envelope Chair, designed in 1966, illustrates what the AIA termed Bennett’s transformation of “industrial hardware into sublime objects.”

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