Herman Miller Paso Doble Chair

The lithe, elegant motion of a toreador and his cape—the signature movement upon which the traditional Spanish paso doble dance is based—inspired Stefano Giovannoni’s seductive Paso Doble seating family. The Milan-based designer developed the group around the concept of material suspended between rigid structures, much like the sling suspension found on the Eames Aluminum Group chairs.

Giovannoni’s design employs sturdy, roll-formed aluminum rails and flexible polymer mesh to create the lightweight and stackable Paso Doble Chair, available with or without arms. As part of the Paso Doble group, this chair joins lounge chairs, as well as an ottoman and a stool, for a comprehensive indoor-outdoor line created by a designer known for his keen eye for structure, form, simplicity, and, of course, playfulness.

The Paso Doble Chair hides its strength and ability to stand up to the weather behind a sleek and sophisticated silhouette. Giovannoni, who trained as an architect, has an eye for—and interest in—structure and simplicity. He combined it with Magis Design's cutting-edge technical capability to produce this versatile and comfortable chair for your deck or patio. It looks especially nice paired with its leggier cousin, the Paso Doble Stool.

Design Story Logic and Intuition Stefano Giovannoni, the architect and designer who also created the Bombo Stool, says that one of his best qualities is "a good balance between logic and intuition." That balance surely served him well when he was working on the design for his Paso Doble seating family. He developed the Paso Doble's concept around the idea of suspending material between rigid structures—not unlike the way the sling of the Eames Aluminum Group chairs is suspended. In the Paso Doble line, the rigid structure is a roll-formed aluminum frame that can be manipulated easily into a variety of forms to create a dining chair, lounge chair, stool, chaise longue, and ottoman. Each piece has a distinctive inner and outer leg, both of which stem from the upper back, creating a long, lissome silhouette. Paso Doble's concept is based around the idea of suspending material between rigid structures Giovannoni is known for his keen eye for structure, form, and simplicity. And for his playfulness, which may account for his naming these lithe and elegant pieces for a lithe and elegant ballroom dance in which the male dancer is the matador and the woman is the cape.