9to5 Seating expands the design options on the popular conference and executive chair Mila, launching a new knit back option as well as a black finish for the frame. The latest aesthetic choices meet the growing demand for engaging design and materials that serve dual purposes—like the cooling and ergonomic benefits of knit.
Mila’s new knit is a unique, innovative material that combines the visual appeal and support of woven fabric with the breathability and cool sit of knit. The groundbreaking textile is available in a variety of colors. Together, the design possibilities and the ergonomic support make Mila a contemporary seating choice that continues to raise the bar for this popular conference room and executive chair.
Comfort and ergonomics are designed into Mila. With a simple mechanism that adapts to a user’s weight as well as easy-to-reach height and back tilt adjustments, Mila’s ergonomics are easy and accessible. Controls are masked by a curve in the aluminum frame and arms feature soft urethane pads.
“We wanted to keep up with the market demands,” says Mark Mannon, VP of Product Development and Marketing. “We knew adding a black frame color option and a comfortable knit material would be a valuable option add to Mila—one of 9to5 Seating’s most popular conference room chairs.
Mila is backed by a lifetime warranty and has achieved BIFMA LEVEL 2 and GREENGUARD certifications. Mila starts at a list price of $1,319. Reach out to your 9to5 Seating representative for a demonstration or start customizing with Chair Designer.
What could the Beatles and office chairs have in common? The recent documentary series “The Beatles: Get Back,” directed and produced by Peter Jackson, covers the making of the Beatles’ 1970 album “Let It Be.” The documentary is an eye-opening look at how creativity comes together to spawn one of the greatest rock and roll albums ever made.
It is a good example of how creativity can happen even when we are not working. The documentary proves that most of the genius that comes through in the Beatles album happens between recording sessions when the group is simply hanging around together, noodling on their instruments and talking about riffs they have come up with and fragments of songs they have written.
If creativity and collaboration can happen outside of work, then imagine what could happen when employees are sitting in their office chairs during work hours. Creativity in the office often happens naturally, but it can certainly be increased and improved through workplace design and the right mix of office furniture.
People around the world rank team building as the most important attribute of great workplaces, according to a recent workplace survey by the design firm Gensler. In Germany, which is dominated by shared and group offices, workers are asking for more open, collaborative spaces. Gensler’s Germany Workplace Survey found that three-quarters (74%) of respondents work in an enclosed office, but over half (61%) would prefer a more open work environment.
Collaboration Matters
Designers are thoughtfully creating more opportunities for workers to collaborate by rethinking meeting spaces and turning them into less formal rooms and touchdown areas. Touchdown areas are for more casual work, often unscheduled. Still, these areas need the right tools that can support collaboration.
9to5 Seating’s Mila office chair is a good choice for a multi-use conference room. The chair can be dressed up in its upholstered version or used more casually in mesh.
With its integrated, intuitive controls, Omnia is a great choice for collaborative work as well. A light-scale mesh office chair, Omnia can be specified for work, conference or as a stool and it doesn’t have to be adjusted by the user, making it perfect for these important shared spaces. The Cydia mesh chair comes in a variety of styles including task, stool and side versions making the collection extremely flexible for spaces where collaboration matters.
Organized Teamwork
As the pandemic subsides and workers return to the office, organizations will want team members to reconnect and engage more frequently in less formal spaces. This organized teamwork brings together workers to make better decisions, thereby strengthening the work process and end product. Multiple studies have shown that collaboration increases employee engagement, creates stronger teams and ultimately improves the bottom line of the companies that encourage it.
If you don’t have them already, think about creating touchdown or team rooms for casual and collaborative meetings. Use 9to5 Seating products like Cydia Mesh, Mila and Omnia with lounge products from the Jax and Lilly collections to create spaces where these office chairs can be easily placed around a table with few adjustments needed to create a comfortable sit, mixed with some lounge products for more casual work.
The Jax Collection goes perfectly with 9to5 Seating’s collection of high-performance seating products. Jax is a complete lounge line and is available in high-back, mid-back and side options. When blended with other 9to5 Seating products, the lounge collection can be used to create an oasis in the office — small collaborative areas where teams can gather for work or socializing. The Lilly collection with its lounge and side seating, also has counter stools for café use, dining and collaborative spaces.
By bringing together products like those mentioned above, companies can push their offices into the future. Strategies like creating activity-based workplaces (ABWs) and neighborhood-based choice environments (NCEs) can create collaborative work zones in the office while giving employees a number of options when it comes to how and where they want to work.
Of course, one person’s interaction can be another person’s distraction. It is important for companies to work with designers to make sure the collaborative spaces aren’t compromising quiet, “heads-down” work, and ultimately employee productivity. Like all high-performing offices, the right blend of individual focus work and collaboration space is needed.
Meaningful Collaboration
The pandemic forced people to work from home and collaboration suffered. Even though hybrid work — a blend of working from home and in the office — is likely to continue in some form even as the pandemic recedes, the office will remain critically important, especially when it comes to meaningful collaboration. Being in-person with other people is among the top reasons to come into the office, according to a Gensler study. Working in-person with my team/colleagues was universally ranked as the #1 reason in a Gensler Research Institute report, while socializing with colleagues, being part of the community, or impromptu face-to-face connections also ranked high. In particular, respondents reported that the office excels at supporting collaboration, awareness, problem-solving and inclusive communication.
Finding the right balance between work from home and in-person work and heads-down and collaborative work is ultimately a management decision, supported by space and furniture like the products from 9to5 Seating, but even the most introverted worker understands that collaboration — that productive interaction found in abundance in the office — is key to unlocking creativity.
9to5 Seating has been honored with three esteemed GOOD DESIGN® Awards for Jax, Sol and Mila. Granted by The Chicago Athenaeum since 1950, the prize recognizes innovative industrial, product, and graphic designs from around the world.
Founded in Chicago in 1950 by pioneers Charles and Ray Eames together with former MoMA curator Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., GOOD DESIGN spotlights work that has “chartered new directions and pushed the envelope for competitive products in the world marketplace”.
Winning products Jax, Sol and Mila creatively address needs in the market while delivering on style. With dramatic silhouettes and a sculptural aesthetic, the Jax Collection is a complete lounge line with high-back, mid-back and side models to create a cohesive look office-wide. Task chair Sol features active pivot-back technology, engineered to support a range of working postures for users on cell phones, tablets or laptops. Mila enables easy ergonomic adjustment, with a mechanism that automatically adapts to each user’s weight, hidden in a contoured aluminum frame that encircles the seat and back.
“9to5 Seating is honored to be granted not one but three prestigious GOOD DESIGN Awards this year,” said Dara Mir, President and CEO of 9to5 Seating. “We are just as committed to design and innovation as we are to making it accessible to a wide audience.”
Jax, Sol and Mila are now available to order. Products can be specified using 9to5 Seating Chair Designer.
The Omnia and Mila each captured an ADEX Platinum Award in Contract Furniture –Task Seating.
Conducted each year by Design Journal, ADEX (the Awards for Design Excellence), is one of the largest and most prestigious industry recognition programs for design excellence and product innovation. A panel comprised of interior designers, architects, and facility managers selects outstanding products and projects for Platinum, Gold, and Silver Awards.
“Last year, we won two ADEX Platinum Awards and two more this year. We’re very proud to have won again this year,” said Dara Mir, President and CEO of 9to5 Seating. “It’s a testament to our team who works hard every day to deliver the highest quality seating at an unparalleled value.”
Today, 9to5 Seating announced the all-new Mila, an intelligent seating solution for conference, executive and task seating.
Mila makes ergonomic adjustment easy, with a simple mechanism that automatically adapts to each user’s weight, and fingertip levers that adjust height and back tilt. The elegant contoured aluminum frame encircles the seat and back and hides the control. The arms are finished with urethane pads that are soft to the touch.
“Mila is truly a feat of design, engineering, and craftsmanship. It’s sculpture in motion – eye-catching from every angle,” said Dara Mir, President of 9to5 Seating. “With its simple, intuitive adjustments and superior comfort, it’s a chair for everyone.”
Mila Key Features:
Integrated weight-balanced control that adjusts to each user
Exceptional seat comfort made possible by engineered flex zones
Distinctive sculpted aluminum frame that wraps around the back, arms, and seat
Available in a mesh back with a soft touch back frame or a sleek upholstered back with a thin profile
Starting at $945 list for the mesh back and $995 list for the upholstered back, Mila comes standard with an aluminum base in polished or silver finishes. It is orderable through the 9to5 Seating contract dealer network. Mila is GREENGUARD Gold and BIFMA LEVEL certified.
9to5 Seating is proud to announce that the Mila conference and executive chair has received a Product Innovations award from BUILDINGS Media. The product is a member of an elite group of products that will be showcased in the August 2018 issue of BUILDINGS.
The BUILDINGS editorial staff evaluated submissions in terms of their innovation and contribution to productive workplaces. The staff then evaluated finalists in person at the NeoCon 2018 show in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. Mila received the Merit award in the Seating category.
“We’re very proud to announce the Merit award for Mila. The modern, elegant and sophisticated design of the Mila is only enhanced with its unique fingertip lever control mechanism, which we feel the A&D industry will really respond to” said Dara Mir, President of 9to5 Seating, “The award recognizes what the 9to5 Seating team has already been saying, ‘It’s going to be a hit!’”
Mila will be available December 2018 and will be orderable through the 9to5 Seating contract dealer network.