Set of Six Brushed Aluminum #111 "Navy" Chairs by Emeco with Cushion
About the Item
- Creator:Emeco (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)Depth: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Industrial (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1990s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:
Emeco
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: San Diego, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Postmodern Set of 4 Italian Fan Back Chairs by Pietro CostantiniBy Pietro CostantiniLocated in San Diego, CASet of four tall back Italian chairs by Pietro Costantini, circa 1990s in black lacquer glossy finish and handstitched black leather seat, soli...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood, Lacquer
- Set of Four Chrome & Leather "Polar" Chairs by Esko Pajamies for Lepo FinnBy Esko PajamiesLocated in San Diego, CASet of four chrome and leather "Polar" chairs by Esko Pajamies for Lepo Finn, circa 1960s. This very rare set has been professionally re-chromed and re-upholstered in black leather...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Italian Bentwood Caned Set of 6 Red Lacquered Chairs Mid Century ModernistLocated in San Diego, CAFabulous set of 6 Italian red wood lacquered dinning chairs with cane seats , beautiful color hard to find nice condition with normal light wear.Category
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Wood
- Brushed Aluminum Decorative PlateLocated in San Diego, CABrushed aluminum decorative plate, showing block letter initials RAM. Not dated.Category
20th Century American Decorative Bowls
MaterialsAluminum
- Set of Eight Archline Armchairs by Charles Hollis JonesBy Charles Hollis JonesLocated in San Diego, CAGreat set of eight Archline lucite armchairs by Charles Hollis Jones, circa 1980s. The chairs have been recovered in a wonderful beige snake skin fabric and measure 25"W x 27"D x 37"...Category
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Lucite
- Set of Six "Cadette" Dining Chairs by Dakota JacksonBy Dakota JacksonLocated in San Diego, CAAbsolutely gorgeous set of six "Cadette" dining chairs (two arm chairs) by renowned designer and furniture maker Dakota Jackson, circa 2000s. The dining chairs have a kiln-dried hard...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMahogany, Leather
- Emeco Navy Chair in Brushed Aluminum with Bar Back by US NavyBy EmecoLocated in Hanover, PAFirst 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...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Pair of ‘as-new’ Emeco 111 Navy ChairsBy EmecoLocated in Kennett Square, PAPair of gray Emeco Navy 111 chairs. Excellent condition, very light if any use. Measures: 15.5” W x 19.5” D x 34” H - seat height 18”.Category
2010s American Industrial Chairs
MaterialsPlastic
- Emeco Navy Barstool in Brushed Aluminum by US NavyBy EmecoLocated in Hanover, PAFirst 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...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
MaterialsAluminum
- Emeco Navy Barstool with Arms in Brushed Aluminum by Us NavyBy EmecoLocated in Hanover, PAFirst 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...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
MaterialsAluminum
- Emeco Navy Swivel Chair in Brushed Aluminum w/ Bar Back by Us NavyBy EmecoLocated in Hanover, PAFirst 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...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Emeco Navy Barstool in Brushed Aluminum & Cherry by Us NavyBy EmecoLocated in Hanover, PAFirst 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...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
MaterialsAluminum