What Is a Mesh Chair?

Eames

• As part of the Modernist movement, the husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames experimented with chair forms to come up with the wire-mesh chair. This creation came from bent and welded steel, and received its name because both the back and seat were formed from a wire mesh. The steel from the mesh met into triangular posts to form the legs, while doubling its gauge formed the rim of the chair. The chair seemed light and airy: a skeleton without an opaque skin. And yet its material and form made it durable and robust to use as commercial furniture.

Aeron

• Arguably influenced by Eames’ earlier designs, designer Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf set out to design a new type of chair in the 1990s. They wanted it to fit the body of the sitter so it would be comfortable and healthful, be adjustable with simple and natural controls, and use natural resources wisely. They came up with the Aeron chair, a piece of furniture that had no straight lines, and was neither padded nor upholstered. Instead, the thin mesh on its back and seat, known as a pellicle, gave it transparency and allowed air to flow to the skin.

Herman Miller

• The creations of the Eames, as well as Chadwick and Stumpf, have spawned imitations and design variations, though the latter Aeron chair is what's more commonly used in offices and for commercial seating. The official version is produced by only one company, Herman Miller, and features the small, medium and large sizes designed to fit users measuring from 4 feet and 10 inches and weighing 90 pounds, to 6 1/2 feet and weighing 270 pounds. Depending on the model, the chair also features pneumatic risers, adjustable arm rests and lumbar support, casters, seat-angle adjustments and a lock and a locking tilt.

Costs

• Mesh chairs have evolved into a wide array of colors and styles, but are primarily used only as office furniture. The cheapest versions can be had with only a mesh back, a padded seat and no arms at a cost of $50. The top-of-the-line Aeron Chair from Herman Miller can cost as much as $1,374, not including such options as a frame of polished aluminum and graphite at an extra $434. All costs are accurate as of the 2011 publication, and come from the manufacturer or distributor.