Geiger International debuts five original lounge seating and table designs at the
NeoCon World's Trade Fair in Chicago, June 9-11, 2008. Developed in separate collaborations with designers Eric Chan and Mark Goetz, the new offerings give designers a fresh vocabulary for creative expression while meeting the evolving performance needs of high-image lobby, office, and reception areas. The designs extend the Geiger and Brickel legacies of classic design matched with superior wood finishing and upholstery.

Eric Chan, designer of Geiger's Foray executive task chair, interprets familiar materials in unexpected ways with Inman Park seating and Lissome tables. The designs make clever use of modern technology, yet the aesthetic is strictly humanistic. The seating's sumptuous curves embrace the user, while the table's undulating sides push the art of molded, veneer-clad plywood.

"People seek out simplicity," Chan notes. "Though modern technology enables us to produce pieces of almost any shape," he adds, "people want comforting, humble, iconic objects." Inman Park takes shape as a chair and settee, and Lissome as a coffee table and console table. Inman Park's exposed metal finish is an environmentally sound, powder-coated metallic silver.

First Sight, the first of Mark Goetz' designs for 2008, was inspired by the design of steel-hulled ships, in which holes are punched out of a single exterior skin, resulting in a fluid, single-piece shape. A hint of the 1960s prevails, though the winding frame's materials and subtle tapers are decidedly contemporary. The First Sight vernacular features a bench with wood side inserts, chair, settee, round and square tables, and an ottoman. Side tables offer backpainted glass, wood, or cushion tops. Metal frames are white or metallic silver powder-coat.

Overt Chair, Coffee Table, Settee, Side Table, Chair
The slope and forward motion of Overt give it a kinetic feeling. "It definitely is not meant to sit quietly," said Goetz. Slender arms give Overt a delicacy, but the intentionally angled profile gives the whole piece a dynamic attitude. Inspired by airport interiors of the 1960s, Overt hearkens back to an era when travelers dressed up for flights. The Overt family includes a chair, sofa, coffee table, and side table, and features stainless steel frames.

At first glance, Goes Around appears to be another play on the familiar "tuxedo"shape. At close inspection, however, the elegance of Goes Around's subtly curved edge details surface. The flowing lines soften the geometry of the chair, settee and sofa group, and reveal the group's Art Deco influences. A counterpoint to Goes Around's substance, the Comes Around chair offers a higher center of gravity and lighter scale in a Goes Around-compatible form. The round back cups the sitter in comfort while maintaining a professional posture. "Goes Around and Comes Around are ideal companions. The designs are similar, yet each offers its own point of view," noted Goetz. Both feature metallic silver powder-coat frames.

Though designing separately, Chan and Goetz both emphasize the need to address the rapidly changing role of the reception or waiting area.

"These areas are becoming hybrid spaces, seen as more interactive and productive, where people connect with each other and with technology," says Chan.

Goetz agrees: "These pieces are being used more and more in collaborative spaces. Corporate image continues to be a priority," Goetz notes, "but the categories are really changing."

To view the new lounge collections in person, visit Geiger's Chicago Showroom at 300 West Hubbard Street, Suite 400 (two blocks from the Mart), or go to the Herman Miller Showroom on the 3rd floor of the Merchandise Mart.

About Geiger International
For more than forty years, Geiger International has inspired the A&D community by pioneering the design and manufacturing of architectural furniture for private offices and commercial interiors. Today, Geiger's excellent reputation for design, engineering and craftsmanship continues to enhance business interiors with an elegant and intelligent portfolio of product solutions for the modern workplace. Founded in 1964 in Toronto and headquartered in Atlanta since 1979, Geiger International is a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly held Herman Miller, Inc.

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