Emeco

Heritage

Emeco was founded in 1944 in Hanover, Pennsylvania, when Wilton Carlyle Dinges created the Electrical Machine and Equipment Company and employed local steel workers. A US Navy commission for a chair that could survive life aboard warships and submarines produced the company's first chair, the 1006 Navy Chair®, made from scrap aluminum through a 77-step process and tested to last 150 years.

Philosophy

Emeco's principle is "Begin with what's left over, turn it into what will last." It builds furniture from recycled materials, with recycled aluminum as its core material, by hand and for longevity — products are guaranteed for life. Since 2020 the company measures and declares the carbon footprint of its products, aiming to minimise its impact rather than offset it.

Iconic Works

Beyond the 1006 Navy Chair®, Gregg Buchbinder, who took over in 1998, opened Emeco to designers: the Hudson Chair with Philippe Starck (2000) was the first new Emeco design in over fifty years, followed by work with Frank Gehry, Norman Foster and Ettore Sottsass. The 111 Navy Chair (2010), made with Coca-Cola from 111 recycled PET bottles, started a decade of material exploration including Starck's Broom, Nendo's SU stools and Navy Wood.

Today

Emeco still builds its furniture in Hanover with the same craft process. In 2022 it opened Emeco House in Venice Beach, California, a converted 1940s sewing shop, and in 2024 it marked 80 years with the exhibition "Emeco to Emeco" at Triennale Milano, designed by Jasper Morrison.