Swivel Desk Chair by Emeco
View Similar Items
Swivel Desk Chair by Emeco
About the Item
- Creator:Emeco (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)Seat Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1983
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Original, clean, ready to use - shows only light cosmetic wear, normal and consistent with age.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU978723032822
Emeco
While they’re best known for their revolutionary Navy chair, iconic American furniture company Emeco makes a whole range of seating and other furniture — not just seaworthy chairs. The development of each product is guided by an eco-friendly ethos and pragmatic approach to design.
Emeco began to take shape during the 1940s, when the U.S. Navy needed a lightweight, fireproof chair that could withstand a torpedo blast and hold up to use by “big, burly sailors,” says Gregg Buchbinder, Emeco’s chief executive.
With experts from the Aluminum Company of America, an engineer named Wilton C. Dinges (1916–74) delivered, and the Emeco 1006 — that is, the Navy chair — an aluminum classic, was born. In order to demonstrate the chair’s sturdiness, Dinges threw it from the eighth floor of a hotel in Chicago, and when it landed, the chair bounced in lieu of breaking or bending.
The engineer secured a contract to manufacture the Navy chair beginning in 1944 at the Electrical Machine and Equipment Company (Emeco), which he’d founded a few years earlier in Hanover, Pennsylvania. In the ensuing decades, the factory’s craftsmen would stamp out by hand hundreds of thousands of Navy chairs for battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines — a process that requires more than 70 steps.
Today, the impossibly durable Navy chair, which is recyclable and made of at least 80 percent recycled aluminum, inspires knockoffs left and right and can be found in a variety of public settings, from upscale restaurants to hotels and offices. But it took time to get here.
In 1979, Gregg’s father, Jay Buchbinder, a businessman whose Long Beach, California, furniture company manufactured seating for fast food restaurants, purchased Emeco. The company hit a rough patch in the 1990s. When Gregg acquired Emeco from Jay in 1998, he took the $2 million in debt that came along with it. Fortuitously, Gregg learned that the Navy chair had taken on a new nonmilitary identity around the same time and that it was increasingly seen as sleek and retro in addition to being great submarine seating. Orders for the Navy chair were coming in from design luminaries like Ettore Sottsass, Giorgio Armani and a daring young French designer named Philippe Starck, who purchased a large number of 1006s for Ian Schrager’s Paramount hotel in New York City.
Gregg seized on Emeco’s newfound popularity, initiating a partnership with Starck, who would design the company’s Hudson Collection, a line planned for Manhattan’s Hudson Hotel that saw the Navy chair take on the form of a barstool and other pieces. He also partnered with Frank Gehry, whose Superlight chair for Emeco can be hoisted off the ground with one hand. Collaborations with Jasper Morrison, Jean Nouvel and others followed, and today, Emeco continues to build durable seating furniture from a range of recycled materials with a variety of designers.
Find authentic Emeco chairs, stools, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Swivel Desk Chair by GoodForm General FireproofingBy General Fireproofing CompanyLocated in New York, NYGreat Art Deco swivel desk chair with adjustable tilt backrest, stylized armrests, and aluminum star base. Iconic Machine Age classic, clean...Category
Mid-20th Century American Machine Age Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- 11 Swivel Tilt Desk Dining Swivel Tilt Chairs by Ward Bennet for BrickelBy Brickel Associates, Ward BennettLocated in New York, NYIncredible desk, office, or even dining chairs, designed by Ward Bennett, for Brickel Associates, circa 1960's. The chairs features supple leather seats, and backs , with a curvaceou...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Post Modern Knoll Swivel Desk, Office, Chairs 11 AvailableBy Knoll, Don ChadwickLocated in New York, NYExceptional Knoll swivel desk chair(s) from the 1970's, in rich brown formed foam upholstery, on five star base. The chair swivels a full 360, and the base is on double wheel coaster...Category
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsPlastic
- Swivel Tilt Office Desk Chair by the Good Form General Fireproofing CompanyBy GoodForm, General Fireproofing CompanyLocated in New York, NYArchitectural design, commercial quality swivel, tilt desk, office chair by Good Form, General Fireproofing. This example has a four leg aluminum base, with vinyl upholstered seat an...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Art Deco Industrial Swivel Tilt Armless Desk Chair by Harter Corporation 1930/40By Harter Furniture CompanyLocated in New York, NYClassic Industrial Tanker style swivel desk chair by the Harter Corporation, circa 1930 - 1940. The chair features a stylish propellor style base with streamline Art Deco chrome de...Category
Mid-20th Century American Industrial Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsChrome, Steel
- Pr. High Style Chairs Manufactured by Marble Imperial Design Att to RisomBy Jens Risom, Marble ImperialLocated in New York, NYChic and sophisticated pair of office, dining, occasional chairs made by Marble Imperial Furniture, design attributed to Jens Risom. The chairs have brushed steel frames, and orange ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Emeco Corp Art Deco Brushed Aluminum Black Swivel Office Desk ChairBy EmecoLocated in Philadelphia, PAVintage Emeco Corp Art Deco Brushed Aluminum Black Swivel Office Desk Chair. Item features an adjustable height, sculpted aluminum base, black vinyl upho...Category
Early 20th Century Art Deco Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Spanish Mid-Century Swivel Armchair Desk Chair circa 1940Located in Labrit, LandesSide armchair or desk armchair, mid-century Swivel armchair The leather needs to be restored Embossed leather and massive oak Good vintage condition Frame is sound and solid. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Upholstery, Oak
- Mid-Century Modern Swivel Desk Chair by Andrew Morrison & Bruce Hannah for KnollBy Knoll, Bruce Hannah & Andrew MorrisonLocated in Lafayette, INArguably one of the most elegant desk chair designs from the mid-century era, this Morrison/Hannah design for Knoll Studios is utilitarian sculpture at its best. Chair features a cur...Category
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum, Chrome
- Camila Swivel ChairBy TremoladaLocated in Milan, ITThe refined design of the Camila chair makes it a perfect complement to any home or office decor. This unique piece of furniture is characterized by the juxtaposition of leather and ...Category
2010s Italian Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$1,535 - Grey Fabric Seat Swivel Wood Sculptured Desk Chair, Italy, 1930sLocated in New York, NY1930s Italian swivel wood framed sculptural designed chair. Tripod legs. Looks great from all angles. Newly covered grey brushed twill seat.Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Lopold Swivel ChairBy Enrico PellizzoniLocated in Milan, ITPart of the Lopod collection, this chair is designed by Giulio Manzoni and features a structural polyurethane outer shell covered with soft natural brow...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$4,135 / item
