The 3-Minute Custom Cobi Chair & Stool Collection by Steelcase Design Studio & Luke Pearson of PearsonLloyd
Meet Cobi, the newest addition to Steelcase's home office and task seating collection. Designed specifically to promote movement during long periods of sitting time, Cobi encourages you to move around and sit in a variety of different postures - letting you find that 'sweet spot' in your sitting position that keeps you comfortable and, in turn, more efficient. With only one adjustment (seat height), and a weight-activated mechanism that senses and supports your own center of gravity, anyone can get comfortable very quickly.
With its sleek modern design and a very affordable starting price tag of $399, Steelcase's new Cobi is an ideal home office chair. Available in 13 fun and vibrant colors (e.g., Wasabi, Tangerine, and Scarlet), Cobi is to the task chair what the iPod was to mp3 players (most of Cobi's fabric options even match Apple's iPod colors). Bottom line is that Cobi is a fun innovative product designed to fit today's lifestyles.
SmartFurniture.com has developed a web based product design tool it calls the 3 Minute Cobi Designer. This provides customers with the ability pick and choose among the dozens of Cobi feature alternatives, view how the different combinations look, and order their customized version of the Cobi Chair on the spot (most configurations ship in two days!).
Providing both substance and style on Cobi is the new Cogent Connect 3D fabric, a refined spacer knit material designed to provide comfort through its ogee-like pattern that graces both the chair and stool's seat. Airy and breathable, Cobi's Connect back fabric is offered in a variety of colors - from crisp, clean neutrals to bold, bright palettes.
Standard Cobi Chair and Cobi Stool features include:
Flexing top edge: The Cobi chair allows users to rest their head, arms, backs, even legs on top of the chair, supporting a variety of postures. The flexing edge takes pressure off the back, shoulders and limbs that use it for support, as well as increases circulation. Cobi makes you more comfortable, looser and free to move as you please.
Flexing back: Provides comfort and support for users. The Cobi also conforms and contours to the shape and pressure of your back and shoulders.
Flexing seat: Encourages users to move and shift, and allows for any variety of postures. Whether you're laid back or posture-perfect, Cobi works for you.
Weight-activated mechanism: Sensing your center of gravity, the Cobi adjusts to the position that will put the least amount of stress on the back, shoulders and legs, while still keeping you properly oriented and supported.
Seat height: Cobi accommodates different heights and leg lengths. To raise or lower the Cobi chair, just pull the lever up.
Adjustable Seat Height Accommodates various heights and leg lengths
Adjustable Foot Ring (stool only) Raise or lower the foot ring height up to 4 inches
Choose from a wide variety of configurations, from a large selection of upholstery colors and base and frame finishes to having arms or no arms - Cobi fits virtually any work style and any space.
Materials: Powder-coated steel, glass-reinforced nylon, polypropylene and 100-percent polyester fabric
Dimensions: Chair: 34.25"-39" h x 24.75" w x 23.25" Stool: 40"-50" h x 24.75" w x 23.25" d
Care Instructions: For the Cobi chair and Cobi stool's plastic and painted parts, clean using a mild household cleaner (like Fantastic or 409) and wipe with a soft, dry cloth. For Cobi's Connect fabric, use a vacuum cleaner for regular cleaning. Do not steam clean. Most stains can be removed by applying a mild soap to a slightly damp cloth, then rubbing it gently over the stain. Wipe dry.
When Steelcase created the Cobi chair, they created a whole new category of seating products designed specifically for the needs of collaboration: meetings, long nights, movement back and forth between spaces. The Cobi chair was designed specifically to foster that kind of collaboration and thrive in that environment. Cobi was based on three Steelcase research observations that resulted in three key insights. The observations:
Collaboration takes time. Cobi would need to be an adaptable, flexible chair for long periods of sitting.
People don't adjust their chairs in collaborative settings. When you're listening to a presentation or putting heads together over a tough problem, adjusting your chair is the last thing on your mind. Luckily Cobi has taken care of that issue by being intuitive and responding automatically to all kinds of pressure and varieties of gravitational centers.
People change postures frequently while collaborating. Nervous energy, the flow of ideas, and the long hours make meetings prime-time for shifting and re-adjusting the position of your body. The Cobi chair is designed to handle that very thing.
The insights:
The Cobi chair should promote movement and be comfortable for long periods of time.
Adjustments to Cobi should be automatic and intuitive.
Cobi should support multiple postures.
The Steelcase Cobi chair is a rousing success on all three fronts.
The Steelcase Cobi chair encourages movement and supports and contours to a variety of postures. With only one adjustment (seat height), and a mechanism that's weight activated and senses and supports your own center of gravity, anyone can get comfortable quickly.
In addition to the features already listed, the Steelcase Cobi chair has a wide range of options:
Stool version available (with and without arms)
Armless chair available
Four finish colors: black, near black, platinum & arctic white.
Optional sewn seat cushion to accommodate various fabric, leather & vinyl options.
Seat is available with Steelcase and Designtex fabric, leather, or vinyl as well as customer's own material, customer's own leather, and customer's own vinyl.
Connect 3D material is standard on the chair back with matching Cogent: Connect seat, or with a seat upholstery of your choice
The Steelcase Cobi Chair is the product of dedicated research and implementation by some of the finest furniture designers in the business. The Cobi was created by Steelcase in collaboration with Luke Pearson of PearsonLloyd. Their creation arose out of a desire to find the perfect chair to support someone who is sitting for long periods of time. Pearson wanted to strip the chair down to its essentials, in an attempt to get at its one true purpose - comfort.
By that standard, Cobi is a success. With only one adjustable feature (seat height), the Cobi will not require an instruction manual or a training course to get comfortable. When you buy Cobi and take a seat, you'll immediately recognize what Pearson and Co. had in mind. The weight-activated seat mechanism in Cobi senses your center of gravity and adjusts. You don't have to do a thing. Simply relax as the back, seat, and top edge of the chair contour to your body. Unlike most office chairs, Cobi is responsive to any way of sitting. The weight activation mechanism means you can sit in the center, off to the side, or any other way you please. This is a feature that was paramount to the creative process behind Steelcase Cobi's production. Pearson desired a smart chair that would support a wide variety of styles and personalities.
The first Cobi Chair design idea was "fingers" that fan out along the seat back and flex to adjust to the occupant's posture. This fits in with the idea of being simple, yet useful. After all, when you're sitting in a meeting, do you really want to spend time moving knobs and levers, adjusting each inch to get the right feel? We didn't think so. The folks at Steelcase achieved a productive comfortable feel with the Cobi without creating a chair that is static or heavy. In fact, the opposite is true. Everything about the Cobi Chair is designed for it to be an extension of your body, to move with you. This includes the new Cogent Connect 3D fabric, a knit material that is breathable, soft, and flexible.
What more could you ask for? Steelcase and Luke Pearson sought a solution to a seemingly simple problem - comfort in the home or office. What they have done with the Cobi Chair is a reflection of their commitment to this end. Buy Cobi today for no frills comfort with a purpose, keeping you focused on what's important, not on your chair.
Every part of Cobi was designed to flex and adjust to your body. Cobi's top flexing edge lets you comfortably rest your arm on top of the chair, while the flexing seat encourages you to move around and shift, allowing you to sit centered or off to the side. Cobi's flexing back contours to support any posture your body needs at any given moment.
Steelcase received the prestiguous 2009 Red Dot Design Award for Cobi. The Red Dot Award, formally known as Design Innovations, is ranked among the largest design competitions.
The modern office environment also demands productive collaboration now more than ever. Decisions are made synergetically, and working together effectively has become just as important as working at the individual level. With this in mind, Steelcase asked - "Can we make collaborative seating better?"
The answer is yes. The Cobi Chair is designed specifically to foster collaboration.
