The Emeco Navy chair is not your everyday chair. Sure, it has 4 legs and a high back like most chairs you see today regularly. In fact, you’ve probably seen the aluminum navy chair in both residential and commercial settings but didn’t think anything of it.
In spite of its unassuming appearance, the popular Emeco chair has a long history dating back to World War II. Its simplicity is directly tied to its durability, which has remained consistent for over seven decades. Often used by high-end restaurants and designers, navy chairs have been featured everywhere from magazines and movies to TV shows and government prisons.
A chair for battleships
The aluminum naval chair concept came from the need to make a chair durable enough to withstand a torpedo blast. Originally designed for US Navy battleships, Navy chairs were made to be attached to the ship deck with eye bolts under the seat that could be secured using cables.
The genius behind the vintage Emeco chairs is founder Wilton C. Dinges, who collaborated with the Aluminum Company of America in 1944. During the bid to secure the competitive Navy contract during WWII, Dinges threw the prototype out of an eight-story hotel window in Chicago to demonstrate the navy chair’s durability. It did not break or bend.
The Emeco chair gets nationwide distribution
Soon after securing the Navy contract, the Electrical Machine & Equipment Company, also known as Emeco, was opened. It’s important to note that the vintage 1006 Emeco chairs, which became the standard chair for all battleships, aircraft carriers, and submarines, were built with recycled aluminum using 77 steps to achieve a 150-year lifecycle.
After being purchased by a California businessman named Jay Buchbinder in the 70s, the Emeco chair was shipped from Pennsylvania and was soon being used in prisons, hospitals, government offices, and restaurants.
However, the 90s were not so profitable and the company was taken in a new direction by his son after noticing an untapped market of designers that were expressing interest in the navy chairs. A high society from all industries had discovered the beauty of Emeco’s designs. With well-known names like Giorgio Armani, Phillip Starck, and Frank Gehry who collaborated with Emeco, the company repositioned itself as an innovative leader in furniture design.
Coca Cola Chairs
The turn of the century brought about major development and design changes and improvements for Emeco. During the 2000s, Phillip Starck, a French designer specializing in architecture, product, interior, and industrial design, developed 14 new model chairs and tables with Emeco. Starck began his design career designing nightclubs in the 70s.
After being appointed to design the presidential apartments for the President of the French Republic in 1983, Starck became a prominent leader in the design and his influence remains to this day.
Stark is known for his “democratic design” approach to innovative furniture styles and the economizing costs for the consumer. His ideas of “less is more” are applicable to the combination of technology and human interaction. Starck strives to incorporate fewer materials to increase product efficiency.
The first model Starck created was the first designer Emeco chair called “The Hudson” named after the Hudson Hotel, which placed a chair in every room. This version is not only stackable but reflective and stylish. Additional versions of “The Hudson” included swivel and upholstery.
To top it off, an unanticipated collaboration with Coca Cola flourished in an effort to solve environmental challenges associated with the disposal of plastic bottles used in the food and beverage industry. In 2010, the Coca Cola chair was born made up of 111 plastic bottles with the same iconic shape as the original aluminum Navy chair.
The environmentally friendly campaign and collaboration was a huge success. The first five years of the new Coca Cola Chair launch saved over 22 million plastic bottles from landfills. The Emeco model is appropriately named 111.
Emeco chair goes Hollywood
Emeco chair goes HollywoodThe 1006 Emeco chair has been featured in numerous Hollywood blockbuster films and highly rated TV shows including The Matrix, The Watchman, The Dark Knight, I, Robot, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Terminator Genisys, Law & Order, and CSI. It has even been dubbed “the prison chair” for its frequent use in prison scenes on the movie screen.
Due to its huge popularity, it is no surprise that knock offs have been created. Target began selling imitation 1006 Emeco Navy chairs in 2005 by a supplier called Euro Style. Emoco sued Restoration Hardware in 2012 for reproduced knock offs and won for an undisclosed amount. Most recently, Emeco filed a lawsuit against the popular furniture giant IKEA for selling a knock off version of the Emeco Navy chair called Meltorp 2006 stacking chair. The two companies eventually settled out of court.
Emeco Navy chair in the making
The Emeco Navy chair is made so well that most of the originals that were created in the 1940s are still in use to this day. Weighing only seven pounds, the original model has a curved back and back legs. The primary materials are recycled aluminum with silicon, zinc, iron, titanium, and copper additions. Amazingly, all Emeco chairs are manufactured by hand in a 77 step process that lasts two weeks and welded from 12 separate pieces.
Aluminum sheets are rolled into tubes that are then cut and bent to using large automated machinery. Notches are created to fit all the pieces together then grinded by workers to create a flawless finish. After a repetitive heated and cooling cycle, increasing the chair’s stability, the chairs are anodized. Anodization is a process used to increase the thickness of a natural oxide layer on the surface of the metal.
There are currently 88 models of the Emeco chair, including barstools, rocking chairs, and armchairs. All versions are shipped from Hanover, Pennsylvania to locations around the world. More than 1 million Emeco chairs have been produced to this day.
The Coca Cola Emeco chair is slightly different. Made up of 65% recycled plastic and 35% glass fiber and pigment, it comes in 6 colors but still remains identical in its design. Its fire and scratch-resistance make it just as durable and strong as the original. It was developed over a four-year process with the use of plastic pellets and sells at a less expensive price than the 1006 model.
Other versions created from recycled materials include the Broom Chair and the Alfi Chair. The Broom Chair was made from recycled wood and a chemical compound known as polypropene. The Alfi Chair was created with 100% industrial waste.
Order yours from CLIMA today
Our wide variety of luxury furniture designers, including the Emeco Navy chair, make shopping for quality furniture a breeze. If you’re looking to upgrade your home furnishings or are seeking inspiration for a new home, take a look at our website catalogue today. You’ll be amazed by the extensive selection of sophisticated and comfortable styles for both indoor and outdoor seating and accessories. Our 100% price match guarantee and expert advice will put you at ease.
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