The Case Study Fiberglass Rolling Chair is the classic office chair of choice. Modernica updated the vintage 4-star aluminum rolling base, with a contract-approved five-star base. The new five-star base surpasses the original design with an added weight-adjustable, tilt-control feature, which locks your chosen position in place. Also added is a fun to use, gas-lift height adjustment lever, for superfast height adjustments. The height is adjustable up to six-inches and the chair is easily tilted forward or back. The base rotates smoothly 360-degrees. Suitable for any corporate or home office space, this base has a five-year normal-wear guarantee.
Easily one of the most important and recognizable designs of the twentieth century. The Fiberglass Shell Chairs were originally designed by Charles Eames in 1948 as an entry in The Museum of Modern Art’s International Design Competition. At the time, no one could possibly have anticipated the massive success and longevity of this iconoclastic design.
In the early fifties, fiberglass was considered an ultra-high tech material. Produced with a mixture of resin and glass fibers, it was lightweight, yet heavy-duty. It was the inherent nature of this material that was the solution Eames needed in order to construct his ideals. Initial development and production was through Zenith Plastics—early pioneers of developing fiberglass for household and military applications. As for the chair bases, they were cleverly designed to provide a number of leg options that would be interchangeable within and between the arm shell and the side shell.
The shell chairs were first available in the spring of 1950. The first runs of the chairs were produced in only three colors; griege, elephant-hide gray, and parchment—all of which had interesting translucent qualities. The chairs were distributed by Herman Miller and were available in their product line until 1983. Subsequently in 2003, Herman Miller introduced a modified version of the chair made of polypropylene.
In 2000, Modernica revived this potentially lost art of high-pressure, molded fiberglass. Modernica creates each shell, by hand, one-by-one, in our Los Angeles factory—just as they had been designed, developed, and produced by the Eames Office, here in Southern California in the 1950s. Modernica uses all of the original presses and specialized equipment obtained from Century Plastics. To ensure authenticity of production, the initial shell chair production was overseen by Sol Fingerhut and Irv Green, the same team Charles Eames employed over sixty years ago to develop the original technology.
Modernica is committed to the legacy of the authentic genuine design of Charles Eames. Modernica creates each chair with the charge of adhering to the original tactile qualities, texture, and characteristics that alone are unique to the fiberglass shell chair.
Our historic equipment has created thousands of chairs for three generations of chair lovers — and everyday Modernica continues to produce beautiful chairs for upcoming generations. Choose from a wide range of shell colors and chair base options. Modernica offers the flexibility to build a chair to suit your individual style and needs.
Handcrafted in Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Dimensions
Fiberglass Arm Shell Dimensions:
25"W x 18"H x 18"D
Rolling Base Dimensions:
16"H x 24" Diameter
Seat height adjusts approximately from 16" to 22"
Materials
fiberglass shell, triple-plated chrome steel, polypropylene non-skid, non-marking wheels. The chrome star base is supported by a chrome-plated column that will accommodate any of our side or arm shells.
Shipping
Ships UPS ground within 1-2 weeks of order placement.
Assembly
Simple assembly required. Please see the link below:
Fiberglass Chair Assembly Instructions
Click here to see a full report of the flammability test.
Our fiberglass chairs contain no (PBDE) Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers