MUSCATINE, Iowa – June, 2007 – The HON Company has improved upon greatness. Its popular F3™ chair, representing three elements of comfort – Fit, Form and Function – is now available in a revolutionary new material called ilira® - stretch. This innovative material features a three-dimensional knit with an open-weave pattern, which allows for enhanced airflow, resulting in a more comfortable sitting experience. The HON Company is the exclusive U.S. furniture manufacturer to offer the unique ilira - stretch fabric in its product line.
“The F3 is one of our most popular seating lines, thanks to its inherent comfort, versatility and function. By adding ilira - stretch to the design, we’ve created a chair that offers the ultimate in workspace comfort,” said Brian Miller, vice president of seating for The HON Company. “The fact that we’re the first U.S. office furniture manufacturer to offer a chair with this remarkable fabric makes the newest member of the F3 family truly unique.”
The typical fabric used on traditional mesh-back chairs is either woven or knit. Because of its construction, woven mesh offers limited stretch, and its elasticity works in only one direction. As a result, surfaces are rigid and don’t lend themselves to unique design options. On the other end of the spectrum, a knit fabric, such as ilira - stretch, provides a pre-stretch process that gives the fabric resilience, yielding greater comfort when a user leans back into it. It conforms to each individual person who sits in it.
Ilira - stretch is produced with a warp-knitting technology that incorporates the best characteristics of knitting and weaving to give users:
• Soft, non-slippery material that’s multi-directional, which protects clothing from pilling and wear.
• Strong suspension for increased comfort and durability, adapting to different body shapes and sitting positions.
• Ability for long-term recovery that maintains high elasticity. Thanks to ilira - stretch, this chair will stand the test of time.
The best way to envision how the new F3 chair with ilira - stretch fabric supports users is to think about how it feels to lie in a hammock versus standing on a trampoline. The F3 ilira -stretch chair is like the hammock – ilira’s multi-directional stretch allows you to conform and sit in the chair instead of sitting on top of it.
“We were able to achieve a contemporary design, while still providing users with support and increased comfort,” Miller said. “ilira - stretch’s multiple directions of elasticity offer strong suspension and comfortable support.”
The F3’s design and function supports workstations, open-floor-plan offices and conference areas. The F3 seating line consists of a work chair with such unique features as one-time adjustments to seat height, depth and tension, as well as arm height and width. Stackable guest chairs come in arm chair or armless models with optional casters or gliders. All F3 seating features responsive seat motion and back flex that are independent of manual adjustment.
“One of the most innovative attributes of the F3 chair is that all of its mechanics are ‘built-in’ to the bottom of the seat,” notes Conrad Marini, designer of the entire F3 seating line. “This gives it a cleaner line, and when combined with the new ilira - stretch seat back, we have created a beautiful relationship between form and function.”
Additional benefits of the F3 ilira - stretch chair include its certification by the Indoor Advantage™ Gold standard for indoor air quality by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). Products achieving Indoor Advantage Gold meet the most rigorous criteria in the United States. SCS tests and certifies products for compliance with USGBC LEED EQ4.5 (furniture and seating), USGBC LEED EQ4.1 (paints and coverings) and USGBC EQ4.2 (adhesives and sealants).
The F3 seating line is available in the full line of The HON Company’s upholsteries. Ilira - stretch is available on the seatback only. All F3 chairs are backed by the limited lifetime warranty. It has been endorsed by the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA).
For more information or to contact a dealer about purchasing chairs from the F3 product line please visit www.HON.com.
About The HON Company
The HON Company is a leader in the design and manufacturing of workplace furniture including chairs, storage, panel systems, tables and desks. Headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, The HON Company has numerous manufacturing facilities strategically located throughout the United States, and markets its products through a nationwide network of dealers and retailers. The HON Company is an operating company of HNI Corporation (formerly HON INDUSTRIES). For more information, visit www.HON.com.
About Rathgeber
In business for 80 years, Rathgeber, family-owned German company, produces textiles primarily for the furniture, automotive and roller shutter industries throughout Europe and overseas. Through its new ilira® - stretch product, the company offers large product range forc hairs and other upholstered furniture, which delivers exceptional seating comfort. For more information, visit www.ilira.de.