by Brianna Crandall — June 26, 2015—American Seating, a provider of innovative seating solutions for 129 years, introduced a new family of chairs at the NeoCon 2015 contract furnishings show in Chicago last week that was developed in collaboration with iconic designer Giancarlo Piretti. Nima prototypes were introduced at NeoCon 2014 (see the FMLink article).
The new Nima chair family is an “inspiring” collection of multipurpose chairs that offers greater flexibility through various leg, height, mobility and configuration options. Combined with exceptional comfort and a sophisticated minimalist aesthetic, Nima is said to be an ideal seating solution for the higher education market and various contract environments.
“The key to Nima’s outstanding ergonomics and design aesthetic is its pivot point, which originates at the user’s hip, not the back,” pointed out American Seating Director of Advanced Design Doug Oswald. “The contoured articulating back conforms in harmony with the waterfall-styled seat and allows the user to move naturally at the hip point. This organic movement creates a uniquely smooth ride while also providing the ultimate in support and comfort.”
The chair’s patented articulating back mechanism and other components are intentionally hidden and minimized, letting the chair’s elegance be the design statement. The crisp, smoothly curved seat back is the aesthetic signature of the product and creates design continuity within the entire line. Piretti’s vision for the Nima chair is available through a video interview on YouTube.
Defining or reconfiguring a space with the Nima chair is made easy with its sleek design and multiple options, says American Seating. A four-leg chair option is available at desk, counter or bar stool height. A sled-base leg option is available at desk height. For mobility, the four-leg chair at desk height is available with casters. A task chair comes with a casters option at the desk and stool height levels. With these options, the chair fits well for multiple corporate or educational environments ranging from classrooms or training rooms to casual break areas or even café-type settings.
Greater configuration flexibility is available when Nima is paired with American Seating’s Rely table line. Like the Nima chair, the gracefully designed and durable Rely table—available in various style options—can be affixed at a desk, counter or bar stool height, thus providing a tiered seating option if desired. Nima can also be used in multiple fixed configurations, whether beam mounted or jury mounted and paired with the fixed Focus tables.
A sophisticated color palette for the chair’s shell was designed to meet many current and popular interior design trends, from exciting bright blues to neutral greys and browns. Finishes include four different powder coat options, and chrome is an available choice for the sled-base chair.
Nima’s design and construction complement a variety of other furniture, including standard tables, café tables, training tables, classroom tables, teacher desks, computer tables, study carrels, temporary offices, lab furniture and fixed tables, particularly those from American Seating’s Focus line.
The chair’s back-on tubular-support frame is designed to create first-in-class durability. Additionally, each chair in the family is engineered to meet American Seating’s time-tested and rigorous quality standards. All products will meet or exceed BIFMA requirements.
With its articulating back, Nima rounds out American Seating’s portfolio of seating solutions with various back options. Chairs in the Acton line offer a fixed back, and the Us Family chairs feature an inherent back flex.
