Podcast LOOC

Klöber is introducing a new product this year. A swivel chair called LOOC. A chair with a proper name. Why?

JB: We give every chair a name.

I like that answer. Having a name somehow makes the chair feel more human. What three character traits would you assign to LOOC?

JB: In this case, the name LOOC naturally sounds much more human than what we are usually accustomed to. Personally, I think the name LOOC is cool. I would characterise it as confident, honest, and comfortable.

There are already thousands of swivel chairs out there. What drove you when designing LOOC? Perhaps the desire to do something completely different?

JB: Generally, I don’t approach a project with the intention of doing something completely different. Instead, I ask myself where the chair will ultimately stand and how it will be used. In doing so, I don’t necessarily start with just a swivel chair in mind, but rather with the feeling of sitting in my favourite spot on my favourite piece of furniture. Secondly, I imagine the matching shape or the best material for the item. At the end of this thought experiment, a product emerges that usually doesn’t look like any others. It automatically gets its own distinct look.

And would you say that this feeling or these thoughts also transfer to people who see the chair for the first time?

JB: Yes, I hope so. I have an image in mind and I hope that others see it too.

What image did you have in mind when you thought of LOOC?

JB: I thought of an inviting, cosy office. Perhaps at home or in an agency. I imagined a place where a comfortable work armchair could belong.

When you look at a swivel chair, you usually look at the back first. What makes the view from behind special in LOOC?

JB: The rear view draws on Klöber’s history. LOOC features a classic backrest bracket, similar to our very first model, the Polstergleich. This design element was also featured on chairs like the Dactylo and other models from 1935 through to the 1960s. This gives LOOC a certain charm of a familiar old friend.

This seemingly inconspicuous detail is LOOC’s personal signature, isn't it?

JB: Not on its own. The archetypal image combined with the back bracket is normally characterised by a classic shell construction. In LOOC, however, the shell form is recessed, while still remaining as a visual reference and design association. The characteristic structural element - the closed shell - is deliberately absent in LOOC. The shape of the swivel chair is defined by the contour and the freely tensioned surface within the cutout. Such free tensioning creates precise, expressive forms that arise naturally due to the properties of the materials. We also use this structural effect in our Connex swivel chair; it creates particularly interesting visual perspectives. Furthermore, the lines continue in the armrest, which is derived from the shape of the backrest, giving the overall appearance a very harmonious and balanced feel.

Where does your fascination with free-tensioned surfaces come from, and how did that come about?

JB: I am particularly interested in bionics and architecture. This method of construction, and the surfaces created by it, came about through observing nature and has often been applied to wide-span shell structures. Many architects and master builders have experimented with this, and I find it deeply interesting.

And how does LOOC encourage active sitting?

JB: The seat features central movement and three-dimensional articulation. The backrest works in a similar way - it is mounted at the centre of the back bracket and moves in all directions thanks to the elasticity of its construction.

So active sitting is made possible by the elastic frame structure?

JB: Yes, you could say that.

As a designer, do you prefer to conceal a chair's load-bearing structures, or do you prefer the bare construction as a design element?

JB: Whenever possible, I like to enclose certain elements of the chair because I can create variations using different materials. Fabric or leather feels very pleasant, and you can achieve different looks and feels through various colours and textures.

What do you think: Does LOOC have a USP? In its design? In its construction?

JB: When developing a chair, we always think holistically. That means there is no strict division for me: you don’t define unique selling propositions separately for design and engineering; instead, you think about how to meet market needs and create something new in combination with the emerging design. We work closely together and have the opportunity to exchange ideas every single day. This creates a back-and-forth dynamic. At Klöber, we have a necessity to stand out from the crowd. We are purely a seating manufacturer - we only get into contract business through the topic of seating. That is why our standards here are extremely high.

LK: Perhaps one more point: right from the start, we set ourselves the goal of developing a foam-free swivel chair. That was quite a challenge - Klöber had never done that before. It was completely new territory for all of us. But I think we really succeeded with the mesh box seat - eliminating the foam without sacrificing quality. We managed to maintain our customary seating comfort.

So the seat of LOOC is completely free of foam. What makes the mesh box seat so special?

LK: We have extensive experience in developing spring core seats. With the Duera model, we previously developed a box spring seat based on an innerspring design. During development, we realised this principle offers a major advantage over PU foam: the seat has greater longevity. However, in developing LOOC, we went a step further and considered which materials are the most durable. Ultimately, this led to the mesh box seat - a combination of a 3D spring-core fabric with a supporting net structure. This combination of three different materials - knit mesh, interlayer, and box spring - delivers the seating comfort. I don't think the end user will even notice that they aren't sitting on PU foam, because the question won't even cross their mind.

Jörg, three steps forward, two steps back, and vice versa. Are there design compromises along the way?

JB: In my experience, there is almost always an improvement as development progresses. Perhaps that is because we work so closely together, so if something doesn’t work right away, we can thoroughly analyse why. That leads to discussions, and through those, improvements almost always happen. Of course, there are times when you have to find a compromise, but a compromise doesn't have to be a step backward.

LK: Discussions happen every single day. They are part of the process. Constructive criticism is never personal; it always serves the product. At the end of the day, we all share the same goals: we want to build the best chairs. I agree with Jörg - discussions help you grow personally. It’s often in those exact moments that brilliant ideas are born, because you have to reconcile everything: quality, design, production costs - these are crucial topics, as is the timeline. As the saying goes: innovation only happens when you are willing to question the familiar.

JB: It takes perseverance - or a capacity for suffering. But we prefer to talk about passion instead. (Jörg laughs.)

What were the biggest challenges with LOOC?

JB: I think it was the novelty of dispensing with PU foam without putting comfort on the back burner. That was challenging. And, of course, the construction itself: with LOOC, we have one structural framework for everything.

What would you estimate: how many sample models were built for LOOC?

JB: We easily re-printed, upholstered, or milled 30 to 40 components over and over again. And we tested and swapped out these innovations on about 8 to 10 sample chairs. Often it was just individual components, but these frequently led us to reconsider two or three technical steps and design new connection points.

And how long did it take - from the first sketch to the prototype? Does that happen within three months, or does it take two years?

LK: You can never generalise. There is, of course, a fundamental difference between building a confessional, a simple chair, or a swivel chair. (Leo grins.) The complexity of a swivel chair is significantly higher. Months can pass before a working prototype for a swivel chair is built.

One final personal question for you, Leo. You’ve been with Klöber for 29 years. What fascinates you most about your job?

LK: What could be better than accompanying every stage of creation, from the initial draft to the finished product? For me, it’s something new every time. Sure, it’s always a chair, but every chair is different. It’s a new story each time. We always try to deliver the best possible result and the latest state of the art during the development period, setting accents that set us apart from competitors. That is what we strive for. Perhaps we haven't always achieved that throughout our 90-plus-year history, but looking back, we were never just one of many.