Vitra Organic Conference Chair

Manufacturer: Vitra | Designer: Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen, 1940

An Icon of Organic Design, Built for the Table

The Organic Chair was developed in several versions for the 1940 ‘Organic Design in Home Furnishings’ competition organised by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. With its sculptural, body-following shapes, the design was decades ahead of its time — but without suitable manufacturing techniques, it never went into production. Not until the 1950s did it become possible to produce organically shaped seat shells at scale, as demonstrated by the Eames Plastic Armchair and Saarinen’s Tulip Chair.

The Conference version adapts the Organic Chair’s biomorphic shell for use with a wide variety of conference, meeting, and dining tables, offering exceptional seating comfort in both workplace and residential settings. The same laminated shell, polyurethane foam upholstery, and solid wood legs carry through from the lounge versions.

For more information on available fabrics and colours, visit the Vitra Colour & Material Library.

Specifications

• Dimensions — W72.5 × D61.5 × H93.5cm (seat height 42cm)
• Seat shell — laminated
• Upholstery — polyurethane foam with fabric cover
• Legs — black ash or natural oak
• Glides — plastic glides for carpet; felt glides for hard floors included
• Wood origin — oak (Quercus robur) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) from Western Europe and/or Poland

Also available as the Vitra Organic Chair and the Vitra Organic Highback Chair. Part of the Vitra Organic Chair, Vitra Lounge Chairs and Lounge Chairs collections.