EC176 Loose Cushion Armchair (Casters)

This production example of the Loose Cushion Armchair is upholstered in a 100-percent-nylon textile known as Hopsak, which Alexander Girard designed for Herman Miller in his capacity as the director of the company’s textiles division. Hopsak was available in 21 different colors, including this punchy red, and it was only one of four different textiles that could be specified for the armchair. Additionally, the vinyl edge band that secures the textile to the shell was available in three different colors. Here, black vinyl brings attention to where the upholstery and fiberglass meet. The chair could be further customized by adding a swivel or tilt-swivel mechanism to its Eames Universal Base (this example features a tilt-swivel mechanism). While the mechanism itself was not designed by the Eameses, they did carefully modify it by adding polished aluminum end caps that match the cast aluminum base, and an ergonomically designed polished aluminum adjustment knob.