Setu Chair by Herman Miller designed by Studio 7.5 Need it sooner than later? See what's in stock now!
The Herman Miller Setu Chair is the first unmistakably 21st century office chair. New, innovative, precisely engineered, and beautifully designed, the Setu Chair mirrors the rush of technology and the bustle of the modern workplace. It's also designed to deal with the downsides of the modern workplace: long stretches of sitting, working at computers, and fatigue. Every inch of the Setu Chair has been molded and re-molded, finessed, until it has become the ideal chair for the today's office, and the today's worker.
Commissioned by furniture design giant Herman Miller, and designed by the gifted Studio 7.5 out of Germany, the Setu Chair has an impeccable pedigree. The research, design, and execution of the Setu Chair was shepherded at every step by the best designers and furniture minds in the world. When Herman Miller first contacted Studio 7.5 to do the work, the goal was simple: a work chair that was comfortable, environmentally responsible, stunning to look at, and a perfect fit for the modern office. The designers at Studio 7.5 responded with a chair that met and exceeded every immodest goal: the Setu Chair.
The first thing you notice about the Setu Chair is the artful beauty of its line. Consisting of four graceful curves designed to fit, support and comfort the human frame, the profile of the chair cuts a dramatic and unmistakable silhouette. The front curve, the edge of the seat, is designed to relieve pressure on the thighs. This is one of the persistent problems of the modern workplace: long periods of sitting which create strain, bad circulation, and even bruising on the thighs. The Setu Chair solves that problem, increasing comfort and blood flow, which in turn leads to more energy and a higher level of productivity. That's right, the design of the Setu Chair can actually help you do your job. The second and third curves combine to create a recessed joint at the juncture of the back and seat of the chair. This carved-out U creates a comfort pocket which accommodates the demands of various postures, heights, builds and weights of the user. This curvature also enables the Setu Chair to bend and recline in conjunction with your body, and under your own power. The chair responds to your pressure (when leaning back or turning) and responds accordingly. Pretty smart. The Herman Miller Setu Chair is adaptable to every possible user, and this comfort pocket is just one of the many reasons why. The fourth curve echoes the first, and creates a softer edge at the top of the chair, where the head and neck are meant to recline. Similar to the front edge of the seat, this curve ensures the all-day comfort of your head and neck, even when leaning and reclining. The elegant arms of the Setu Chair describe an arc as well, this one sharper than the others. The arm rest tilts slightly up, decreasing pressure and discomfort on the forearms (often caused by long periods of typing) and settling the elbow into a comfortable curve. Taken at a glance, these curves are both beautiful, functional, and smart.
The next thing you might take note of in regards to the Herman Miller Setu Chair is the distinctive spine attached to the backing and seat of the chair. Studio 7.5 called this major innovation the Kinematic Spine. The Kinematic Spine is a hyper-responsive, intuitive design element that enables your unlimited and ultra-comfortable movement in the Setu Chair. Designed to look like the human spine, and arranged against the back and seat of the chair as an exoskeleton, it is a transparent, hip and useful piece of furniture design. When you sit in the Setu Chair, it is the Kinematic Spine that allows for your freedom of movement. It is the Kinematic Spine that allows the Setu Chair to be one of the first chairs that requires absolutely no adjustments or tilt settings to conform to your seating needs. The Kinematic Spine makes the chair natural and responsive, comfortable and creative. It also happens to be a wonder of engineering.
The shape of the Kinematic Spine, like the curvature of the entire Setu Chair, is inspired by the natural world. The spiraling nautilus shell shape and contours were painstakingly designed, re-designed, and designed again so that every centimeter subscribes to specific design principles: less material, comfort, intuitive movement, and perfect engineering. The Setu Chair is mathematics and technology in action, leveraged to make one of the most comfortable and intuitive chairs ever built. As Herman Miller says: "There has never been a chair like Setu, nor could there ever have been, before now." That's because the Herman Miller Setu Chair is a peerless blend of science, ergonomics, mathematics, and comfort, the tools for which had not been available to furniture makers until recently.
The Herman Miller Setu Chair is all about transparent design, literally. The elastomeric fabric that serves as the back and seat of the chair is a mesh, allowing for semi-transparency and the free passage of air through the chair. That keeps it cool, in more ways than one. Literally cool in that it prevents the build up of heat that can happen with solid or leather chairs and cause discomfort and sweating, and cool in the way it adds to the technological and aesthetic quality of the chair.
The Setu Chair is a must have for the modern office. It is the culmination of years of research into how people sit, how they lean and recline and move, and what workers want out of their office chairs. Setu answers every need and even a few most folks hadn't thought of: It's leans and reclines with you, it conforms to your individual shape and measurements without needing adjustment, it's sustainably built and manufactured by an environmentally-minded corporation, it's beautifully and brilliantly designed, and it comes with a fantastic, long-term warranty. The engineers, designers and artists who worked to create the Setu Chair did it with one goal in mind: to make it perfect for you. They succeeded by building a chair that couldn't have been built before, a wonder of modern design.
Setu - Furniture Makers Answer Technology The primary element in modern society, the lightning fast and ever-changing rise of technology in the last few decades, has radically altered everything about modern life. Work has changed, homes have changed; language and communication have been altered, the speed and efficiency of work has gone up. The designers of the Setu Chair, German design group Studio 7.5, understood this. So did Herman Miller, the manufacturer of the exquisite Setu task chair. In every detail, every design adjustment and innovation, these artists and engineers attempted to solve the puzzle of modern life; how to use technology to your fullest advantage while at the same time retaining your sanity, comfort, and peace of mind. The Setu Chair is the physical embodiment of their answers to the complicated algorithm of modern life. It's a modern sculpture in a classic tone, and a dazzling accomplishment of traditional craftsmanship and advanced technological research.
In previous years, before the advent of the technology present in the Herman Miller Setu Chair very little was expected of your office chair. It needed to be pretty comfortable, and durable, and most of all, it needed to be cheap. Your options were limited as far as personalization went, and mostly your choices came down to rolling or non-rolling, leather or cloth. When it came to actual work, no one ever made the suggestion that your chair should be a partner in the process of doing your business. But now all of that has changed. With the rise of new technology, the radical re-alignment of workspaces and the reconsideration of what work even means in the modern world, chairs have been called upon to achieve ever greater efficiencies, uses, and comfort. The Setu Chair is a tonic for these evolving priorities.
The Setu Chair was built for deployment in almost any seating situation. There are several versions of the chair; the barstool version, the rolling version, the steel base version. The barstool version of the Setu Chair is taller, with very long legs. The height of the chairs is, of course, ideal for bar seating, but also countertop meals, high tables, and cafeterias. The barstool version of the Setu Chair offers all the comfort advantages of the regular version, because of the revolutionary design which makes obsolete all the adjustment levers and gears that usually accompany the task chair. The bar stool version of the Setu Chair is simply a variation in height which suits an altered need for seating. The rolling version of the Setu Chair marries the convenience and comfort of the Setu Chair to the efficiency and fun of the rolling office chair. With the rolling Setu, you can reach your desk, tables, and all workstations with a few quick pushes and pulls. The rolling Setu Chair adds convenience and efficiency, and a dash of fun, to your workday, increasing productivity. The steel base version of the Setu Chair offers the user the advantages of steel; strength, durability, weight. The steel base Setu Chair is solid and strong, just like the design and engineering that went into it. All of these variations hope to contribute a ration of comfort and style to your busy day. The Setu comes in several colors as well, upping even further the potential for a personal re-invention and customization of the chair to your exact needs and specifications. But it is the Swiss army knife adaptability of the Setu Chair that most directly addresses technology.
The Herman Miller Setu Chair was designed by German Studio 7.5 for Herman Miller. The chair was commissioned to achieve several goals: to outperform the Mirra Chair, the last product Studio 7.5 had created, to do more (function, comfort, sustainability) with less material, and to make the first office chair that belonged completely to the new technological century. After years of innovation and research, the result was the stunning Setu Chair, the chair for the modern office.
Aesthetics The Setu Chair was designed by a studio and commissioned by a company that consider themselves artists and designers first, engineers second. The line of the Setu Chair is striking and original. Consisting of four unpredictable curves, the appearance is almost that of a flower; the Setu Chair petals out from a recessed core at the juncture of the back and seat. Each curve of the Setu Chair is meaningful, however. Studio 7.5 and Herman Miller abandoned the superfluous and the unnecessary when designing the Setu, holding firm to the belief in materials and less is more that made their name. The front edge falls off the chair like a waterfall, which decreases pressure on the thighs and increases blood flow. The same principle applies to the small curve at the top of the chair, which is meant to cradle the neck. The unique pocket created by the juncture of the back and seat is designed to accommodate any size and shape, and help the chair adjust to any user. These curves are both beautiful, functional, and smart.
The make-up of the Herman Miller Setu Chair is somewhat controlled by the user (customizable colors and a height adjustment), but the designers have built a beautiful chair, tip to toe. Graceful in form, study at the base, and composed of elastomeric fibers that allow the user to see right through it. The Kinematic Spine, which is molded to the back and seat of the chair, is another striking and transparent design form.
Engineering The Setu Chair is a wonder of engineering, the first office chair made exclusively for the modern world. The Kinematic Spine is one of the most important design elements on the Setu Chair. A hyper-responsive, intuitive design element, the Kinematic Spine enables your unlimited and ultra-comfortable movement in the Setu Chair. The look of the Kinematic Spine reflects the name, and the exoskeleton look of it enhances the aesthetic value of the chair while collaborating with German engineering to make it the most comfortable, intuitive chair ever built. When you're in a Setu, the Kinematic Spine allows you freedom of movement. The Kinematic Spine is what makes the Setu Chair the only chair where absolutely no adjustments are necessary for optimum comfort: the chair reads your body, and reacts accordingly. Smart.
The shape of the Kinematic Spine, like the shape of the Setu Chair, is inspired by natural beauty the needs of the human body. The Setu takes the best of science and technology, combines it with the latest research in ergonomics, and puts it to use in a great chair. The elastomeric fabric that serves as the back and seat of the chair is a mesh, allowing for semi-transparency and the free passage of air through the chair. That keeps it cool, in more ways than one. Literally cool in that it prevents the build up of heat that can happen with solid or leather chairs and cause discomfort and sweating, and cool in the way it adds to the technological and aesthetic quality of the chair. As Herman Miller says: "There has never been a chair like Setu, nor could there ever have been, before now." That's because a chair with so much imagination was never before able to combine with the nearly unlimited potential of the ever-evolving technological revolution.
The Herman Miller Setu Chair was designed by the German furniture design team Studio 7.5 exclusively for Herman Miller. The team has found great success with Herman Miller in the past, designing the exquisite Mirra Chair and making a name for themselves in the process. The Setu Chair is the culmination of years of research, as well as a challenge Studio 7.5 took very seriously - to outdo their own stunning work.
Always believers in doing more with less, creating environmentally responsible furniture, and the physical properties of design, Studio 7.5 was a natural fit for Herman Miller, and their work has been outstanding. The Setu Chair is only the most recent in a long line of beautiful furniture, beautifully made.
The Setu Chair for Herman Miller began as a design response to the modern world. Both the benefits and the stresses were included in the brainstorming, as well as the demands of the modern world. The Setu Chair is designed to be gentle on the body and respond automatically and efficiently to the demands of sitting over long periods of time. It is comfortable, curved and contoured to fit any frame, and designed with a groundbreaking Kinematic Spine that bends, twists and reclines with the user. The edges of the seat and top of the back are curved off in waterfall designs to cut down on stress and low circulation, improving comfort and productivity. The chair is open, the mesh allowing the passage of air and breaking up the build-up of heat that can form under the thighs. Responsive and creative, the Setu Chair uses technology to answer the problems of the increasingly sedentary and technological workplace. Furthermore, the Setu Chair was made to be recyclable and environmentally friendly, to help counter-act the more devastating consequences of the industrial age.
Burkhard Schmitz, Claudia Plikat, and Carola Zwick began their partnership in 1992. The idea was to be open-minded and collaborative, equal. There would be no bosses, no titles, no departments separate from the whole. And for nearly 20 years, that's how they've worked. "Everybody does everything," says Burkhard, speaking for the group that now includes Carola's brother Roland Zwick. "That's how we cultivate ideas and maintain our openness and curiosity."
Studio 7.5 is a hands-on design team, and the Setu Chair was no exception. "You really have to work in three dimensions when designing products," notes Claudia. "So we don't spend much time on fancy renderings. Computer drawings just don't give you the feel, the touch, the smell." While the Herman Miller Setu Chair remains the most technologically advanced and quintessentially 21st century office chair yet built, it also bears the fingerprints of hands on design.
The members of Studio 7.5 love to design chairs, and their experience with the Setu Chair has been the most rewarding of all. "We define not only how the chair looks but how it performs," says Carola. "We're very involved with its physical behavior, because beauty is not only what you see, it's also what you feel."
Is the Setu Chair recyclable? Yes. The Setu Chair is composed of aluminum, plastic and steel, 93 percent of which is easily recyclable. Herman Miller designed the Setu Chair to be a responsible product, starting with the zero emissions manufacturing facility it was built in, continuing with the recyclable and re-usable packaging in which Setu is sent to vendors, and ending with the recycling of the product itself. 44 percent of the materials used in the chair have themselves been recycled.
What's all this about no adjustments? The Setu Chair is a wonder of furniture engineering. The only adjustment the user has to make when sitting in the chair is height. That's it. The Setu's groundbreaking Kinematic Spine and comfort pocket will take it from there. The edges of the seat flex and conform to your shape, as does the elastomeric fiber that composes the seat and back. The Kinematic Spine stretches, bends, leans and reclines with you, reading your body to find your center of gravity and your optimum weight distribution. The Setu is a truly smart chair, intuitive and capable.
How durable is the Setu Chair? The Setu is guaranteed** for 12 years by Herman Miller. That's a big commitment, but the craftsman at Herman Miller and Studio 7.5, who built the Setu Chair, are confident in their excellent work and in their strong, durable materials. The Setu Chair is composed of aluminum, steel, and plastic, long-lasting tough materials.
**Be aware that Lyris White suspension material will show dirt and discolor from contact with darker clothing, including denim; cleaning may not be successful. It is not covered under Herman Miller warranty fordiscoloration. Lyris White is available only with Studio White (98) frame finish.
Can I customize the Setu Chair? The materials used in the construction of the Setu Chair cannot be altered, but the color of the elastomeric fabric which composes the seat and back is up to the buyer. Additionally, the chair is adjustable only in terms of height, as the groundbreaking design of the Setu has removed the need for manual adjustments in other areas.
Setu in the Home Office The Herman Miller Setu Chair is not just for companies and business employees. It was built to be a task chair, adaptable to any situation, whether that be sitting at a bar, a table, in front of the television, at your computer, or in your home office. The meaning of the home office, of the office itself, has changed dramatically over the years as work has become possible in an array of different settings, at a variety of speeds and levels of intensity. Airports and restaurants, cars and bathrooms - you can work from just about anywhere. This chair was built to accommodate that. Of course, that doesn't mean the traditional needs of the home office worker are ignored or unmet in the Setu Chair; quite the opposite. The Setu Chair was built to be as personal and comfortable as your home office. The kinematic spine, a groundbreaking achievement in engineering and design, makes it possible for each Setu Chair, mass produced though they may be, to fit each individual user like a glove. The Setu Chair doesn't have to be adjusted or broken in, because it was built to be right for everyone. Your home office is a reflection of you, and with the Setu Chair, your home office chair can be too. You'll be comfortable, supported, and working in a chair that was built to fit you perfectly. The Setu Chair is a jack of all trades, but it's also a personal chair, and the designers and engineers at Herman Miller and Studio 7.5 wouldn't have it any other way.
What makes Setu so adaptable, so easy to use in a variety of environments? The principle element that contributes to the Setu's excellence is the kinematic spine, a groundbreaking design and engineering innovation that allows the Setu Chair to mirror your movements, adapt to your weight, height and posture, and do it all without any levers, adjustments, or knobs. The kinematic spine is a breakthrough of a high order, enabling every single Setu Chair produced to be completely different from the last, while at the same time exactly the same. The same because the materials and measurements are identical; different because one the Setu Chair is matched with a user, it immediately adapts itself to that person, becoming a different chair. The kinematic spine is shaped and designed to mirror the human spine, which is why it's so strong and flexible, while at the same time extremely responsive to the pressure and positioning of the human back and spine. Made of strong yet flexible materials and forming the backbone and support structure of the Setu Chair, the kinematic spine is the undisputed engine by which the Setu Chair achieves it's goals; comfort, flexibility, and utility.
The Setu Chair is perfect for your home office. It's perfect because it meets those goals; perfect because when you're working at home you need mobility, flexibility, and comfort. Setu Chair is uniquely positioned to offer this kind of Swiss army knife experience. The designers and engineers who put it together were on a mission: to make the best possible chair for today's uber-busy technological world. Setu is meant to meet any challenge, and that means helping you meet all of yours.
But it isn't just the wondrous engineering that makes the Setu Chair its distinctive self. It's the beauty, the style, and the design as well. Studio 7.5, which designed the Setu Chair, are renowned for the attention to line and detail the pay to every product they make. Working out of a flexible and collaborative tradition, the design team produces the very best in individualized designs that fit a universal need. The modern, clean lines of the Setu Chair are adaptable as well as fine. The chair fits in any environment, its simplicity and lack of unnecessary bulk and materials making it ideal for almost any office. The chair fits neatly and unobtrusively, but is stylish enough to avoid invisibility or blandness. The aesthetics of the Setu Chair belie a cultured design sensibility - it's modern, clean, and utilitarian. Setu is an art object, a work of exquisite design, but it's not showy or extravagant, the aesthetic hallmark of a classic and enduring design.
Herman Miller has made it easy for users to really make their Setu Chair their own. Setu is available in a variety of colors, styles, and even forms. The chair can be personalized by changing the style of base, which comes in both rolling and stationary forms. The chair can be personalized by colors; it's available in black, gray, and green, to list just a few options. The home office is often a sanctuary, an expression of self even more specific and personal than a bedroom or living room; so it's important for your office chair to conform to the way you want it to be. The engineers and designers at Herman Miller and Studio 7.5 know this, and they built the Setu Chair just for you.
After many faithful years, if for any reason you want to trade in the Setu Chair for another office chair, Setu is extremely easy to disassemble and recycle. In fact, most of the materials used to construct the chair itself are post-consumer recycled themselves. Herman Miller and The Setu Chair improves your office during its useful life (guaranteed for 12 years by Herman Miller), and when you're done with it, you can rest assured the disposal will be clean, sustainable and responsibly green.
Bringing a Herman Miller Setu Chair into your home office is bring grace, style, design, engineering, and comfort in as well. Your home office, and your personal Setu Chair, can be at the forefront a technological design revolution, sure to change the way people and companies think about their seating choices. Don't delay in securing for yourself the standard by which all other office chairs will soon be judged; make your home office an oasis, and buy the Setu Chair today.
Herman Miller is one of most environmentally responsible companies in America. They have expended tremendous effort in lowering their impact, and creating chairs, like the Setu Chair, that exceed every sustainability goal they have. Our Design for the Environment team (DfE) applies environmentally sensitive design standards to both new and existing Herman Miller products, utilizing the McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) Cradle to CradleSM Design Protocol. Herman Miller also works with the companies that sell their products to reduce their collective environmental impact. The Setu Chair is only released to companies making a good faith effort to increase their sustainability.
The Herman Miller Setu Chair is a product of a responsible company, and naturally is itself a responsible chair. Many hours of work went into making sure Setu would be a safe and sustainable product. The Setu Chair is MBDC Cradle to Cradle certified. That means every element of every material used in the Setu has been chemically tested to ensure its safe for the user and safe for the environment. The chair has been designed for reuse in a closed-loop system, meaning it's intended for recycling and/or composting. The Setu Chair was built using 100 percent renewable energy at a sustainable Herman Miller manufacturing plant.
The Setu Chair is composed of aluminum, plastic, and steel, all recyclable. The chair itself is 93 percent recyclable, and was composed with 44 percent recycled material. Herman Miller manufactures the Setu Chair using 100 percent green power, half of which comes from wind energy and half of which comes from captured landfill off-gassing. There are no air or water emissions released when the Setu Chair is manufactured. In making the Setu Chair, no polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was used (now known as a dangerous material), and the plastic components have been parked with the ASTM recycling code.
The Setu Chair isn't just built sustainably at Herman Miller. The designers who created the chair made sure that you, the user, could take a part in the green initiative. It assembles and disassembles easily and quickly, making it cost-efficient and easy to recycle. The chair is designed to last, and is guaranteed by Herman Miller for 12 years. The Setu Chair is GREENGUARD certified as a low-emitting product. It meets and exceeds all indoor air quality requirements, and conforms to EPA guidelines.
If you are a business owner, a Setu Chair from Herman Miller can help contribute to LEED credits. That's because the packaging is returnable and re-usable, the product is durable, and composed of recycled content that can itself be recycled. It's also possible that the Setu can help secure LEED Regional Materials credits.
All in all, the Setu Chair is one of the finest, most responsible chairs on the market. And you can feel good buying it from Herman Miller and Smart Furniture, two of the most responsibly sustainable companies in the country. Durable, recyclable, green - the Setu Chair has it all for the responsible buyer.
Herman Miller is an industry leader in the integration of cutting edge technology to furniture and other household items to make everyday life more comfortable, convenient, and stylish. Herman Miller stands out at the forefront of such fields as ergonomic technologies, environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, and customizable furniture items.
In addition to producing some of the most outstanding office furniture in the world, Herman Miller has also taken on the responsibility of manufacturing some of the most celebrated furniture designs by some of the world's most famous designs. These "modern classics" include works by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Isamu Noguchi. Herman Miller celebrates these famous mid-century designers' works through its extraordinarily precise manufacturing techniques and industry-leading green production processes.
Herman Miller is a global company with operations, sales offices, dealers, and licensees in more than 40 countries in North America, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, serving customers virtually anywhere in the world. Herman Miller is headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan, while manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S., China, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
The first thing you notice about the Setu Chair is the artful beauty of its line. Consisting of four graceful curves designed to fit, support and comfort the human frame, the profile of the chair cuts a dramatic and unmistakable silhouette. The front curve, the edge of the seat, is designed to relieve pressure on the thighs. This is one of the persistent problems of the modern workplace: long periods of sitting which create strain, bad circulation, and even bruising on the thighs. The Setu Chair solves that problem, increasing comfort and blood flow, which in turn leads to more energy and a higher level of productivity. That's right, the design of the Setu Chair can actually help you do your job. The second and third curves combine to create a recessed joint at the juncture of the back and seat of the chair. This carved-out U creates a comfort pocket which accommodates the demands of various postures, heights, builds and weights of the user. This curvature also enables the Setu Chair to bend and recline in conjunction with your body, and under your own power. The chair responds to your pressure (when leaning back or turning) and responds accordingly. Pretty smart. The Herman Miller Setu Chair is adaptable to every possible user, and this comfort pocket is just one of the many reasons why. The fourth curve echoes the first, and creates a softer edge at the top of the chair, where the head and neck are meant to recline. Similar to the front edge of the seat, this curve ensures the all-day comfort of your head and neck, even when leaning and reclining. The elegant arms of the Setu Chair describe an arc as well, this one sharper than the others. The arm rest tilts slightly up, decreasing pressure and discomfort on the forearms (often caused by long periods of typing) and settling the elbow into a comfortable curve. Taken at a glance, these curves are both beautiful, functional, and smart.
The next thing you might take note of in regards to the Herman Miller Setu Chair is the distinctive spine attached to the backing and seat of the chair. Studio 7.5 called this major innovation the Kinematic Spine. The Kinematic Spine is a hyper-responsive, intuitive design element that enables your unlimited and ultra-comfortable movement in the Setu Chair. Designed to look like the human spine, and arranged against the back and seat of the chair as an exoskeleton, it is a transparent, hip and useful piece of furniture design. When you sit in the Setu Chair, it is the Kinematic Spine that allows for your freedom of movement. It is the Kinematic Spine that allows the Setu Chair to be one of the first chairs that requires absolutely no adjustments or tilt settings to conform to your seating needs. The Kinematic Spine makes the chair natural and responsive, comfortable and creative. It also happens to be a wonder of engineering.
The Herman Miller Setu Chair is all about transparent design, literally. The elastomeric fabric that serves as the back and seat of the chair is a mesh, allowing for semi-transparency and the free passage of air through the chair. That keeps it cool, in more ways than one. Literally cool in that it prevents the build up of heat that can happen with solid or leather chairs and cause discomfort and sweating, and cool in the way it adds to the technological and aesthetic quality of the chair. 
