Steelcase's latest ergonomic mesh chair, Karman, weighs just 29lbs and is designed to reactively adjust to the body with every shift or adjustment.

Sixty-two miles above the Earth resides the edge of space, a demarcation between our planet’s atmosphere and outer space. Also known as the Kármán Line, it’s where those venturing into its upper limits can experience the sensation of weightlessness. Office furniture maker Steelcase cleverly draws inspiration in feature and name with their new task chair from this atmospheric realm, the Steelcase Karman.

The core feature of the Steelcase Karman office chair is its extremely lightweight mesh and frame design, one with a suspension seat supported with cushioning engineered to create a sensation of weightless support. This effect is credited to Steelcase’s performance textile Intermix, a proprietary woven material incorporating yarns and filaments. The arms swivel to allow for a variety of support positions. We are curious how padded these armrests are, noting they can become a pressure point upon the arms throughout the day.
Attached to a weight-activated flexible frame, Steelcase says their Intermix textile creates a contoured support shaped to the body, evenly dispersed weight distribution over the seat and back. Along with the elimination of hard edges where the legs meet chair, the sum of the Karman’s design results in a reduction of pressure points, the bane of any desk-bound worker.

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