Nowadays, people spend less time sitting in the same chair and share it more often with other users. With this in mind, Vitra worked with the designer Erwan Bouroullec to develop Mynt: this versatile chair combines the appealing home-like aesthetic with a completely new seating experience. The understated, friendly design of Mynt invites people to take a seat, yet simultaneously stay in motion.
For decades, Vitra has been developing office chairs together with leading designers: Vitramat changed the entire genre in 1976 with the first synchronised mechanism, Figura brought the look of an upholstered armchair to the office in 1984, and in 1992 Axion introduced forward tilt. In 2011 this combined expertise resulted in the Grand Repos recliner with a weight mechanism concealed beneath the upholstery - and now culminates in Mynt.
Mynt is a chair that brings a new way of sitting to offices, public spaces and home interiors. In office settings, Mynt takes on the home-like appeal of a universal chair, while in domestic interiors, it provides the dynamism of an office chair - thus defying conventional categorisations. With Mynt's cross-functionality and versatile form, Erwan Bouroullec and Vitra have pioneered an innovative multipurpose solution for modern needs.
The core element is its patented mechanism, which is activated by body weight and tilts forwards or backwards depending on shifts in the sitter's position - with the seat moving independently of the backrest. 'Because it's unsynchronised, it responds to people's intuitive ability to explore the chair's options. They find a way to play with it, says Erwan Bouroullec. The movement resistance automatically adapts to the user's weight - only the height has to be adjusted. As with cycling, climbing stairs and countless other everyday pursuits, the body remains in a state of active balance when sitting on Mynt and constantly performs smaller and larger movements - and moving while sitting is provably healthy.
The slender mechanism is an integral part of Mynt's design and plays a key role in the chair's understated, home-like aesthetic. In Erwan's words: The movement has defined the aesthetics of the chair - its elegance and functional mechanism go hand in hand. The few other parts - seat, backrest and base - are optimised down to the last detail to suit their function and can be replaced individually as required, just like a bicycle. Mynt consists of up to 80% recycled materials and is 99% recyclable at the end of its product life. The seat and backrest are available in wood veneer or recycled polyamide made from 100% post-industrial sources and the variant with a four-star base can be switched between glides and castors - Mynt fulfils the relevant office standards with both versions. Upholstered covers are available for the seat and backrest. Thanks to zip fasteners, the two upholstery elements can be easily removed for cleaning or replacement - allowing Mynt to retain its fresh look and flexibly adapt to new needs.