Design: Klaus Franck, Werner Sauer, 1980
Over 35 years ago two young designers at Wilkhahn recognized that sitting still cannot be healthy. Both of them wanted to give adults their natural mobility back. Following intensive studies, they developed the FS-Line, a chair that revolutionized the office furniture industry. Since then, we have produced 40 variations of this chair. Millions of these have been sold worldwide; they have been inundated with awards and have often been imitated - but not very successfully. The principle is quite simple: the highly flexible seat shell adjusts automatically to any change in posture. The technical term for this is: "automatic synchro-adjustment". We call it "Sitting without a driving licence."
The FS-Line was launched back in 1980. And its highly flexible, unitary seat- and backrest shell are still considered a global milestone in dynamic seating. With the elegant curve of the swivel arms, the appealingly spacious seat, slim contours and compact mechanics, the design also wrote history. A more attractive ergonomic office chair, so lacking in complexity, is difficult to imagine. Well-known publishing house “form” devoted a whole issue of its “ Design Classics” series to the FS-Line. So it’s not surprising that the FS-Line’s Executive models have been popular with decision-makers in the worlds of politics and business for decades.
Executive chair.The FS Management models are available as office or conference chairs in two backrest heights, exclusively with bright chromium-plated frames and robust leather. After all, we want them to keep their owners company for decades. FS Management is extremely good value, reflecting current trends in management styles and dynamic seating. As a result, it is the ideal choice when a touch of gravitas, as well as healthy and comfortable dynamic seating, are required.
Minimal materials.Maximum transparency. Simple to use. This range is an ingenious combination of lightweight furniture that is comfortable at the same time. So what could be more logical than to add a visitor and standard office swivel chair to the concept? The visitor swivel chair has a flat, four-arm star base and the transportable, height-adjustable office chair has a vertically aligned, fivestar, diecast aluminium base. Similarly to the swivel pedestals, they are bright chromium plated and therefore particularly robust. Both models have a contact suppression feature and are very flexible. As a result, they are very comfortable for a range of applications, for meetings, discussions, showrooms, reading rooms, Internet cafés or at your desk at home.
Aline swivel chairThe through-dyed, covered seat and backrest frame are available in black, grey or white, optionally with or without armrests. For the black type, the cover is also available in silver - black, or copper-black.
For even more comfort and choices of material and colour: the seats on the swivel chairs can have textile cushions with high-quality stitched fluting on request.
Wilkhahn’s Aline range, designed by Andreas Störiko, sets a new standard for furniture in variable meeting rooms and informal communication areas. Aline is a multi-purpose furniture range, with a design that combines the function, strength and aesthetics. Seat and backrest frame of the chair is molded in reinforced plastic with a transparent and strong net on seating surfaces. The net is both climatically, comfortable and easy to maintain. A chrome-plated skid-base ensures the stability. The result is a piece of furniture with exceptional user properties and well-chosen materials which combine maximum strength with minimum weight. Seat and back frame and net of the chair are available in black, gray or white.
The seat net can optional be replaced by fabric upholstery. A small masterpiece: Quick and easy handling are important features for multi-functional furniture. Aline's lightness and strength are making life easier: A handle in the backrest provides a good grip when the chair are being moved or stacked. An integrated guiding groove in the seat frame allows the chair to slide horizontally when stacking which prevent unnecessary lifting. As an option the chair comes with a built-in inline connector - spring loaded for secure and fast linking in rows. Aline is ideal for restaurants, conference areas, auditoriums, waiting rooms, canteens or at domestic interiors.
For Wilkhahn, designers Markus Jehs and Jürgen Laub have come up with a chair and table range which is perfectly coordinated with one another. It’s called Occo. Occo combines enormous versatility and a vast choice of design options with a clear and immediately identifiable design language. The special shape of the recesses in the back and sides allows chairs to be stacked (when a chromeplated, four-leg metal frame is chosen) and superb seated comfort is also delivered at the same time. The seat itself is very rigid, but the back is exceptionally flexible due to its shape and the different thicknesses of the material.
The characteristic shape of the seat and backrest shell mirrors the letters that Occo owes its name to. Viewed from the front, the chair looks like an O and from the side it resembles a C. Four frame types, three types of cushioning and six shell produce a total of 72 variants that respond to virtually all functional and design requirements.
The cushion covers come in different textures and colours and the through-dyed polyamide seat sections and frames are also available in a total of six colours. The spectrum covers black, white and grey to grey-beige and orange-red to blue-grey. The bright chrome-plated frame can be combined with all the colours. Up to six Metrik cantilever chairs can be stacked on top of one another in this version.
830 range - Design: wiege, Klaus Franck, Werner Sauer
Pure serenity.
Cubis marks the creation of a seating range that blends with any interior design without dominating it. The simple forms with closed side sections define a solid structure that conveys a feeling of well-being in open-plan interiors too. The clear geometry creates a serene appearance, irrespective of the configuration selected.
The cube-shaped structures are supported by legs in elliptical aluminium profile with a distinctive, bevelled detail at the top. Firm seat upholstery ensures a high degree of comfort, and a generous seat height facilitates standing up. A host of frame finishes and upholstery options provide almost unlimited scope for individual creations.
Cubis always looks good – in a foyer, a reception area or a lobby, or as office seating for a small, informal group.
The distinctive oval aluminium frame profiles are optionally coated, clear anodized or bright chromium plated. For the covers, you can choose from the entire Wilkhahn fabric and leather collection. The square or rectangle side tables have the same type of frame. With laminate or wood-veneered finishes they can be perfectly matched with the functions and design concepts they are required for.
The success of training and skills development depends greatly on the facilities that support these processes. Flexible class sizes and methods require tables that can adjust to whatever the room’s current demands are. Furthermore, the quality of the furnishings has an impact on the importance attached to personnel and corporate development.
The conference table Contas is an intelligent, superior and durable furnishing solution that quickly pays dividends. The clarity and quality of this sophisticated table system’s design is impressive. It cuts an equally fine figure in conference rooms and highlights the importance of the occasion. Contas also offers attractive cost benefits in terms of facility management. The conference table Contas can adapt to different numbers of participants, course methods and room shapes. Tool-free assembly turns the table systems into single tables, linked rows or grouped into horseshoe shapes or blocks in no time. The patented interlocking mechanism and the clever integration of all functions save time and money. The frame is bright chromium plated, with a choice of laminate, veneer and linoleum tabletops.
Designer: wiege, Fritz Frenkler, Anette Ponholzer With new products we usually also present innovative technology. For example, in the case of Contas, an ingenious, fully integral multiple connector plate allows individual tables and connecting leaves to be linked to form complex table configurations without the use of tools. We opted for lightweight construction throughout to ensure versatile application for you. The table legs can be easily folded up and locked in place so that several tables may be stacked on top of one another without any damage being caused. The design is equally versatile: high-quality materials and elegant forms do not commit you to just one work scenario: Contas is an eye-catcher in both an executive office and seminar interiors.
Design: Andreas Störiko
Transportable. Space-saving. Fascinating.The Timetable Smart follows the Timetable principle and taps into another application: transportable and dynamic furnishing of multi-purpose areas, such as versatile training rooms, project offices, canteens or meeting places. We only use tabletops made of tough boards (60x150cm, 75x150cm (235/8"x59", 291/2"x59")) coated with melamine resin with plastic lipping in the same colour. The frame has an extremely hardwearing swivel mechanism (which does not cause the foot section to rotate) with integral storage buffer. The table top is locked both horizontally and vertically.
The locking mechanism is released by simply pulling out the horizontal draw rod and pivoting the table along its horizontal axis. The wide frame with less of the table protruding at the sides, gives two chairs enough space between the foot sections, so that the table offers enough legroom for four people sitting opposite one another. Another bonus is that the table’s stable design allows sophisticated power supply solutions – either as standby options for temporary work spaces, or with permanently integrated multi-media technology, as a flexible facility for conference and training areas.
The cube-like shapes of the furniture match virtually any interior. The linear structure is combined with the soft upholstery to produce a composed piece of furniture that suggests gravitas, but is very appealing at the same time. Different frame surfaces, textiles for the covers and table top materials offer scope for variations in design.