While they’re best known for their revolutionary Navy chair, iconic American furniture company Emeco makes a whole range of seating and other furniture — not just seaworthy chairs. The development of each product is guided by an eco-friendly ethos and pragmatic approach to design.
Emeco began to take shape during the 1940s, when the U.S. Navy needed a lightweight, fireproof chair that could withstand a torpedo blast and hold up to use by “big, burly sailors,” says Gregg Buchbinder, Emeco’s chief executive.
With experts from the Aluminum Company of America, an engineer named Wilton C. Dinges (1916–74) delivered, and the Emeco 1006 — that is, the Navy chair — an aluminum classic, was born. In order to demonstrate the chair’s sturdiness, Dinges threw it from the eighth floor of a hotel in Chicago, and when it landed, the chair bounced in lieu of breaking or bending.
The engineer secured a contract to manufacture the Navy chair beginning in 1944 at the Electrical Machine and Equipment Company (Emeco), which he’d founded a few years earlier in Hanover, Pennsylvania. In the ensuing decades, the factory’s craftsmen would stamp out by hand hundreds of thousands of Navy chairs for battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines — a process that requires more than 70 steps.
Today, the impossibly durable Navy chair, which is recyclable and made of at least 80 percent recycled aluminum, inspires knockoffs left and right and can be found in a variety of public settings, from upscale restaurants to hotels and offices. But it took time to get here.
In 1979, Gregg’s father, Jay Buchbinder, a businessman whose Long Beach, California, furniture company manufactured seating for fast food restaurants, purchased Emeco. The company hit a rough patch in the 1990s. When Gregg acquired Emeco from Jay in 1998, he took the $2 million in debt that came along with it. Fortuitously, Gregg learned that the Navy chair had taken on a new nonmilitary identity around the same time and that it was increasingly seen as sleek and retro in addition to being great submarine seating. Orders for the Navy chair were coming in from design luminaries like Ettore Sottsass, Giorgio Armani and a daring young French designer named Philippe Starck, who purchased a large number of 1006s for Ian Schrager’s Paramount hotel in New York City.
Gregg seized on Emeco’s newfound popularity, initiating a partnership with Starck, who would design the company’s Hudson Collection, a line planned for Manhattan’s Hudson Hotel that saw the Navy chair take on the form of a barstool and other pieces. He also partnered with Frank Gehry, whose Superlight chair for Emeco can be hoisted off the ground with one hand. Collaborations with Jasper Morrison, Jean Nouvel and others followed, and today, Emeco continues to build durable seating furniture from a range of recycled materials with a variety of designers.
Find authentic Emeco chairs, stools, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$3,840Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of Six Emeco Navy Counter Stools in Brushed Aluminum
By Emeco
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Iconic American set of six navy counter height stools finished in brushed aluminum made by Emeco. Designed in 1944 and still in production today. The navy chair is hand-formed from r...
Aluminum
Emeco 1006 Navy Chair in Brushed Aluminum by US Navy
By Emeco
Located in Hanover, PA
First built for use on submarines in 1944, the Navy Chair has been in continuous Production ever since. With the famous 77 step Process, our craftsmen take ...
Aluminum
$4,100 / item
H 17.72 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
Set of 2 Modern Brutalist Dining Stools in Hardwood, Belgium 2022
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Made from thermal treatment Fraké which is graded with durability class A and therefore perfectly suitable for outdoor applications. This is a sculptural eye-catcher that can do it a...
Hardwood
$318 / set
H 17.88 in W 15.25 in D 15.25 in
Tolix French Made Stacking Stools, Set of (2) Over (1000) Pieces in Stock
Located in BENSENVILLE, IL
“Real” hand-made in France, authentic Tolix Steel Stacking Stools in Pale Pink. We have amassed a collection of over (1000) pieces of genuine Tolix steel stacking Chairs, Counter Stools and Bar Height Stools as well as Tolix Steel Tables. Most of our Tolix inventory is new, but have been sitting in a warehouse for over a decade and most all will have minor surface scuffs. We also are listing on 1stdibs...
Steel
Customizable Powdercoat Aluminum Ribbon Stool by Laun
By LAUN
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Simultaneously delicate and bold, the Ribbon stool is a playful addition to Laun's outdoor furniture catalog. The layered aluminum tubes stack together t...
Aluminum
$1,745 / item
H 31 in W 24 in D 24 in
Emeco Navy Swivel Armchair in Brushed Aluminum with Bar Back by Us Navy
By Emeco
Located in Hanover, PA
First built for use on submarines in 1944, the Navy Chair has been in continuous Production ever since. With the famous 77 step Process, our craftsmen take soft, recycled aluminum, h...
Aluminum
$1,800 / set
H 34 in W 15.5 in D 19.5 in
Set of Six Brushed Aluminum #111 "Navy" Chairs by Emeco with Cushion
By Emeco
Located in San Diego, CA
Set of six brushed aluminum #111 "Navy" chairs by Emeco, circa 1990s. the set is very sturdy and functional and in very good vintage condition. The chairs come with black Naugahyde seat pads and measure 15.5"W x 19.5"D x 34"H with a seat height of 18". #3528 Originally designed for use on WWII...
Aluminum
Vintage Tall Brushed Aluminum Bar Stools - Set of 4
By Emeco
Located in Monrovia, CA
4 vintage Tall Brushed Aluminum Indoor Outdoor Bar Stools. These Sturdy Brushed Aluminum Indoor Outdoor Bar Stools Are Very Comfortable With A Verti...
Aluminum
Set of 6 Emeco 1006 Navy Chairs — Brushed Aluminum Finish
By Emeco
Located in Los Angeles, CA
set of six Emeco Navy Chairs, crafted in brushed aluminum. Originally designed for use on U.S. Navy submarines during World War II, these chairs have become an enduring icon of American industrial design. Lightweight, incredibly strong, and built to last a lifetime. Each chair features Emeco’s signature hand-welded construction with a clean, minimalist silhouette that fits effortlessly in modern, industrial, and contemporary interiors. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. Emeco chair, Navy chair, brushed aluminum furniture, aluminum dining chair, American industrial design, modern metal chair, Bauhaus style, minimalist furniture, sustainable design, mid century modern, industrial seating, collectible design, aluminum furniture, cafe chair, restaurant chair, timeless modern design, US Navy chair, contemporary interiors, steel chair, Hollywood Regency, loft furniture...
Aluminum
$4,101 / set
H 42.92 in W 15.75 in D 19.69 in
FOUR COLLECTABLE ViNTAGE EMECO 111 BRUSHED ALUMINIUM COUNTER BAR STOOLS
By Emeco
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely suite of four vintage RRP £5,600 Emeco 111 Brushed Aluminum Navy Collection bar counter stools ...
Aluminum
$950 / set
H 37.5 in W 19 in D 20.5 in
2000s Pair of Emeco for BMW Designworks 1951 Counter Stools in Black
By Emeco
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a pair of 1951 stools, originally designed by BMW Designworks in 2005. These particular pieces were produced by Emeco in the USA in the 2000s. The stools feature seats and ba...
Aluminum
Funki stool in brushed aluminum
By Louise Roe
Located in PARIS, FR
Funki stool in brushed aluminum by Louise Roe. Made in Portugal. The Funki Furniture series by Louise Roe is a versatile collection that includes a bench, rectangular and square coff...
Aluminum
$500 / item
H 36.5 in W 19 in D 19.5 in
2010s Emeco 1951 Counter Stools by BMW Designworks in Brushed Aluminum
By Emeco, Adrian Van Hooydonk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a 1951 Counter Stool, redesigned by Adrian van Hooydonk of BMW Designworks for Emeco in 2003. Adrian created an updated version of this stool that retains Emeco's DNA, yet lo...
Aluminum
Amieco Aluminium Table
By Emeco
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Amieco aluminium table for indoor or outdoor use. Last picture shows table with two Amieco Phillip Starck chairs which we also have in stock, $245 for ...
Aluminum