Life^®

Although Knoll has emphasized and incorporated sustainable manufacturing processes since the 1970s, the 2002 introduction of Life® marked a new level of commitment to environmental responsibility.

Designed in collaboration with Formway Design, Life® represents a complete rethinking of how to approach sustainability through design. It’s not just about what materials are used, but how much material is used and how readily those materials can be separated and recycled. Almost all of the parts can be removed and updated, which combined with superior ergonomic comfort, make Life® quite possibly the last chair you will ever buy.

Founded in 1956, New Zealand-based Formway Design has been designing furniture for more than five decades. In 1979 the company redefined itself, developing a new identity and philosophy that focused on team-based design and extensive research. Formway’s designs are informed by insight gained through the observation and consideration of human behavior. Their user-centered approach marries a rigorous design process, an aesthetic sensitivity, and a passion for the environment.

Knoll and Formway first collaborated on the highly successful Life® chair, introduced in 2002, which is celebrated for its sophisticated design, intuitive adjustments, responsive ergonomics, and sustainable attributes. Building on these features, the two companies came together once again to develop the Generation chair, introduced in 2009. The progressive design features new materials and an elastic design that supports the physical and cognitive activities of the modern office worker.

Formway then developed a family of chairs inspired by Generation. MultiGeneration extends the comfort and freedom of movement to the multipurpose seating category and ReGeneration aims to do "more with less" — pairing down the form of Generation and minimizing materials and components without sacrificing key performance. Knoll and Formway's most recent release, Remix, delivers unexpected performance in a familiar form. It pairs upholstered comfort with an innovative Flex Net Matrix for active, all-day support.