Design Story: Cosm by Studio 7.5

The Cosm Chair, designed by the Berlin-based team Studio 7.5 (Carola Zwick, Roland Zwick, and Burkhard Schmitz), represents a breakthrough in ergonomic seating. With its pioneering Auto-Harmonic Tilt, seamless suspension, and sculptural aesthetic, Cosm redefines what it means to sit comfortably—no manual adjustments required.

For Studio 7.5, Cosm was nothing less than the pursuit of a “holy grail”

A chair that instantly provides personalised comfort for everybody, in every posture.

A Legacy of Ergonomic Experimentation

Long before Cosm, Studio 7.5 collaborated with Herman Miller on chairs like Mirra, Setu, and Mirra 2, each moving closer to the goal of natural balance and intuitive motion. As Roland Zwick explained:

“You should have a chair that allows you to change postures as easily as possible… so we wanted to build a chair that does that part for you.”

Just as transmissions in cars evolved from manual to automatic, Cosm takes seating into the automatic era. Its Auto-Harmonic Tilt adapts in real time, responding to posture and movement without forcing the sitter into a preset position.

Engineering a New Kind of Comfort

The journey to Cosm’s effortless comfort was years in the making. Studio 7.5 meticulously prototyped hundreds of parts, from 3D-printed tilt mechanisms to hand-shaped armrests, to refine every detail.

The Tilt Mechanism: A finely tuned gear system automatically adjusts tension, balancing recline based on the sitter’s vertical force.
Suspension Integration: To achieve seamless support, the team developed a system of tiny “teeth” that clip the suspension material into the frame. This ensures tautness, durability, and even pressure distribution across the body.
Industrial Craftsmanship: Every detail is intentionally visible and “readable,” so even non-engineers can intuitively understand how the chair supports them.

The Birth of the Leaf Arm

One of Cosm’s most distinctive features, the Leaf Arm, was born out of experimentation with foam, wood, and endless shaping. Nicknamed everything from “motorcycle seat” to “Dumbo ears” during development, the final design emerged as a soft yet firm cradle for one of the body’s most delicate areas: the elbow.

Leaf Arms are not only ergonomic but versatile, ideal for resting a phone, book, or tablet, while their slim profile ensures they never interfere with your desk.

Sculptural Unity in Design

Cosm was designed to appear as a single unified object, not a collection of parts. Its continuous suspension mesh flows seamlessly into the frame, while the innovative dipped-in-colour palette reinforces this unity by presenting the entire chair in one hue, top to bottom.

Studio 7.5 refer to this design philosophy as “industrial craftsmanship”: engineering precision paired with visual simplicity.

The result is a chair that looks as effortless as it feels.

Ahead of the Curve

For Studio 7.5, design is about “throwing something a little ahead of what you know, to help pull you forward.” Cosm embodies this philosophy, setting a new standard for ergonomic seating. With its blend of automatic performance, aesthetic cohesion, and long-term durability, it represents Herman Miller’s most refined chair to date.

Shop the Cosm Chair at Office Chairs UK

As an authorised Herman Miller retailer, we offer the full range of Cosm low-back, mid-back, and high-back chairs, with options for Leaf Arms, height-adjustable arms, fixed arms, or no arms.

Browse our collection below to experience the future of seating comfort.