JRuiter

Leo, Grand Rapids Chair

Contact: Dean Jeffery FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel: (248) 346.6497
Email: djeffery@grandrapidschair.com

GRAND RAPIDS CHAIR AND JOEY RUITER PUSH DESIGN LIMITS WITH LEO COLLECTION
Third collaboration between Grand Rapids Chair and Ruiter marks milestone in design and manufacturing
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Grand Rapids Chair Company, a Michigan based commercial and hospitality furniture manufacturer, and industrial designer and West Michigan native Joey Ruiter team up for the third consecutive time to create the bold and brash Leo collection. This collection pushes the design and engineering limits for both the Company and designer, signaling the forward thinking nature of the Company and furniture collections to come.
The collection will make its debut during NeoCon 2015 in the Grand Rapids Chair showroom, located at suite 394 of the Merchandise Mart. Leo is a stainless steel chair with distinct steel tubing, suited for indoor or outdoor eating spaces. The collection is available in an armchair or armless application as well as in a metal or wood dowel leg base.

Industrial designer Joey Ruiter knew he was going to make something unique with Leo. Ruiter simply describes Leo as “a twist on a classic form.”
Ruiter drew inspiration from the suspension on his 1962 Lincoln Continental. The four vertical lines in the back of the chair reflect the simple tubing of the car’s updated rear suspension. Ruiter noted, “I try to keep an unrestricted eye open, so inspiration is never limited in a particular category.” The designer also paid homage to the design aesthetics of the 1980’s: flamboyant, unashamed and unapologetic.
But Leo is more than just a funky chair; it’s a design statement for both Ruiter and Grand Rapids Chair Company. While Leo is certainly modern and eye-catching, it’s not meant to follow trends, but rather to influence. Leo leaves a memorable impression through a design based on contradiction and juxtaposition. The steel tubing is bold and delicate; the back of the chair features distinct steel bends, yet the soft curvature of the frame provides a much-needed aesthetic balance. Together, the two design extremes work in an unexpected way.
The seemingly simple design also tested engineering and manufacturing capabilities. The Grand Rapids Chair engineering team achieved the illusion of a seamless, continuous silhouette through complex multi-plane steel bending and tailored coped joints and welds.
Grand Rapids Chair Company Marketing Director, Jill Frey, detailed, “Leo, to us, represents our overall desire to bring unique, influential pieces to the market, our growth in our outdoor seating options and our continued relationship with West Michigan designers and talent. Leo is our representation of growth in development, design and manufacturing.”
The minimal silhouette offers a casual modernity, making it easy to picture Leo in a variety of dining spaces. Indoor options include wooden or metal dowel legs as well as upholstery, while outdoor uses all stainless steel.
The Leo collection will debut at the NeoCon 2015 showroom, and will be available late fall 2015.
About Grand Rapids Chair Company
Founded in 1997, Grand Rapids Chair Company is a family business that has grown into one of America’s leading providers of seating and tables for corporate, commercial and hospitality environments. The company has built its reputation by offering superior-quality products, peerless custom capabilities and quick lead times. Local manufacturing facilities enable the company to maximize quality control for its worldwide customer base and contribute to a finer quality of life for its employees and community.

Media Contact
For Grand Rapids Chair Company:
Dean Jeffery
(616) 292.5624
djeffery@grandrapidschair.com

Create a space within a space:
Residential appeal meets contract quality in new Sylvi modular lounge collection from izzy+

How do you create a fresh, personal space that feels and looks like you’re working at home … that also provides an enclosed sense of privacy … and does both, whether in a public hotel lobby or a corporate cafe?

Designer Joey Ruiter is smoothly reframing workspace that intuitively appeals to people who want a quick touch-down spot as well as a sense of solitude. His newest concept for izzy+ is the Sylvi modular lounge collection, an inviting take on modernist-style furniture that’s destined to flourish as a designer favorite.

Why? Because it’s suitable for any setting. Sylvi pairs perfectly with people working outside traditional office spaces, and it looks equally at home in upscale lobbies, break-out spaces and those in-between places where you just need to recharge and take a break. Perhaps its finest point, Sylvi offers residential-like comfort while holding its own under the wear-and-tear pressures of the corporate world.

“The sweet spot for Sylvi’s design is being something that you’d want to take home. It’s something covetable that wasn’t prescribed for a specific building or institution, but still works in those spaces,” says Ruiter. His ongoing exploration of second and third spaces with izzy+ includes the award-winning Dewey 6-top table and learning collection, as well as architectural elements like the Nemo bar and trellis – a hub for reflection, connection and collaboration.

Creative canvas
Sylvi has clean lines and a straight-forward design to inspire a range of modern looks with high fabric efficiency. “Sylvi is truly a creative canvas. Designers will really appreciate the simple form language that allows bold patterns to take center stage without the disruption of seams or conflicting forms and curves,” says Allison Roon, director of design for izzy+. “The upholstery can waterfall over the cushion edge without seams as well to maximize pattern matching and fabric yield.” 

Fun functionality
Embracing mobile technology, the metal frame hosts hidden USB and power plug-ins. This under-cushion channel also helps connect embedded tables, magazine rack and coat hook accessories. A wide range of rectilinear or angular shapes can be created with Sylvi, on a large or small scale.

Purposeful privacy
Attachable backer panels allow designers to create a space within a space with Sylvi. The slight tilt and exacting height of the laminated panels offer the optimal degree of open enclosure. You know you’re in a private space – and you have line of sight to the people and the activity surrounding you. No surprises!

Materials
The Sylvi sofa seat and back are made of cut urethane foam. The frame is a 1x1 inch square powder coated steel tube with welded construction, available in all izzy+ Flavors powder coat colors. Two formed steel sheet metal channels add strength, structure and stability to support the cushion, and also anchor accessories. With 1x1 inch steel tube base, each table is made of high pressure laminate with ABS edge banding. An embedded mechanical fastening system allows convenient, efficient knockdown shipping. SCS Indoor Advantage™ Gold and BIFMA level® 1 certification are pending.

Designer
The Sylvi lounge collection is designed for izzy+ by Joey Ruiter, a major influence on today’s human-centric workplace and learning design.

Media contact: Clare Wade | 616.550.7261 | clare.wade@izzyplus.com