Freedom
Designed by Niels Diffrient
Described by The New York Times as "the gold standard in office seating", the Freedom chair redefines the concept of traditional task chairs. Designer Niels Diffrient aimed to design an office chair that automatically adapts to the user, allowing them to move freely from posture to posture. Diffrient’s unique approach removed complexities found in other chairs, such as cumbersome recline levers and back tension dials for a truly ergonomic task chair. As a result, he developed a recline mechanism that perfectly adjusts to the user, definitively reinventing modern task seating to be truly simple, functional, and beautiful.
About Freedom
With innovative recline with constant support and a pivoting backrest that automatically adjusts to the needs of the spine, the Freedom chair is exceptionally comfortable and promotes movement throughout the day. With refined and sculpted cushions that mimic the body’s natural contours and decrease pressure point loads for premium comfort. Like all Humanscale chairs, the Freedom chair was designed to look and function great after years of consistent use.
Self Adjusting Recline
Freedom eliminates the need for traditional recline mechanisms, which can be bulky and weigh up to 6.8kg (15 pounds). Instead, Freedom uses the sitter’s body weight and the laws of physics to perfectly and automatically adjust recline support for each individual.
Synchronous Armrests
Freedom's body-friendly armrests move up and down together, staying with the user during recline for continuous comfort and support. Unlike other chair designs, Freedom's armrests are attached to the back of the chair to ensure synchronous use.
Design Story
"My idea was that, instead of sitting down and reaching for a lot of controls, that you would sit on the chair, and it would automatically balance your weight against the force required to recline."
Niels Diffrient, Designer
Eager to create a truly ergonomic task chair that adjusted to the user automatically, Niels Diffrient created Freedom, which allows the sitter to change postures effortlessly. Replacing the traditional recline mechanism with a weight-sensitive one, Diffrient’s Freedom task chair revolutionised the way people sit.