E for Elegance: Selvio E by Züco

Swivel chairs don’t always have it easy with design lovers. Especially in the home office, where ergonomics and comfort can no longer be conveyed through visual expressions of functionality. More and more offices are taking on a relaxed, home-like atmosphere that makes many task chairs look like a foreign body. One chair has arrived just in time: the Selvio swivel chair presented by Züco in 2019 – with clean lines, high-quality materials and a finely balanced relationship between form and function.

This is no accident: the Swiss seating furniture manufacturer is backed by exactly one hundred years of experience. Starting out as an upholstered furniture company, it has developed into a brand for contract and office furniture of the highest standard. Züco has now been part of the Dauphin HumanDesign Group for over twenty years, but has always kept its home base in Rebstein in the canton of St. Gallen.

The Selvio chair collection was created by the designer and trained carpenter Rüdiger Schaack from the German town of Fürth. For Züco, he has optimised the swivel chair once more – namely in terms of price, and for good reason. Anyone who has ever searched for an ergonomic desk chair that looks good without being too expensive knows how difficult that is. That’s why Schaack’s chair is now also available in a more attractively priced version. The company calls it the ‘entry point into the functional luxury of sitting’. Launched under the name Selvio E, the swivel chair including armrests costs from just under 600 euros net, making it around a quarter cheaper than the Selvio task model, which also remains available.

It goes without saying that this does not involve any concessions in terms of comfort. Instead, the swivel chair has been reduced to the essential ergonomic functions. The standard version of Selvio E, for example, does without the seat tilt adjustment and lumbar support. In contrast to the original model, the gas spring is not enclosed in a sleeve. Furthermore, the standard base of Selvio E is made of plastic, but can also be chosen in polished aluminium.

From a purely visual point of view, the design thus remains practically identical, characterised by the same elegant lines and slender silhouette. Rüdiger Schaack explains: ‘There are individual requirements for the design of a chair depending on the brand, the area of use, the specific features and functions, and the market segment. My goal is to harmonise these individual specifications with the design.’ Goal achieved, you could say.

Of course, Selvio E also maintains exceptional design freedom. The easiest way to customise the chair down to the final detail is via Züco’s online configurator. There you can choose between a mesh and a fully upholstered backrest. Selvio E is available with or without a headrest, and with a choice of two different armrests. The upholstery fabrics offer great variety, for example in Trevira CS, polyester or pure new wool in a wide range of fabric patterns and colour options. Those with a taste for elegance can also choose between a full-grain, non-embossed thick leather with outstanding softness and a silky texture – or a full-grain, non-embossed pure aniline leather with a natural milled grain.

‘The high-quality workmanship, elegant and dynamic lines, and charming details result in a product of remarkable clarity and style,’ as summed up by Rüdiger Schaack. His design signature has now become part of the Züco brand. What is the source of inspiration? ‘The ideas come from everywhere. Even everyday life offers situations and moments where you can be inspired,’ explains Schaack. ‘Most of the time these are small details that don’t seem special at first, but nevertheless trigger something in you. With interdisciplinary themes such as fashion, photography, art and architecture, you also very often find interesting approaches.’ The characteristic double S-curve of the backrest, for example, is presumably modelled on car design.

Selvio E from Züco is undoubtedly predestined for the new working world, whether at home or in casual, home-like offices. However, the company then points out a small caveat with regard to the available cover fabrics: ‘There is no choice when it comes to the materials used. We always choose the best.’

© Architonic