Emeco Furniture
Emeco creates durable American furniture from recycled and responsibly selected materials. Founded in 1944 to produce aluminum chairs for the United States Navy, the Pennsylvania manufacturer now offers contemporary chairs, stools, tables, benches and outdoor furniture designed for residential and contract environments.
At Scott + Cooner, the Emeco collection brings together purposeful design, enduring construction and responsible manufacturing. Iconic designs such as the 1006 Navy Chair appear alongside furniture created with Philippe Starck, Jasper Morrison, Foster + Partners, Barber Osgerby, Naoto Fukasawa, Nendo and other leading international designers.
American Furniture Made to Last Since 1944
Emeco was established during World War II to fulfill a demanding commission from the United States Navy. The company was asked to create chairs that were lightweight, noncorrosive, fire-resistant and strong enough for use aboard ships and submarines.
The solution was the 1006 Navy Chair, made from salvaged aluminum through an intensive multistep process. Its durability was not an aesthetic claim but a practical necessity. The chair had to withstand hard use, changing conditions and the specialized requirements of naval environments.
That original focus on strength and longevity continues to guide Emeco. Furniture is still manufactured in Hanover, Pennsylvania, often using processes that combine handcraftsmanship with modern engineering. Designs are intentionally simple and useful so they can perform for decades rather than follow temporary trends.
The Original 1006 Navy Chair
Introduced in 1944, the 1006 Navy Chair remains Emeco’s most recognizable design. Its gently curved back, vertical supports and sculpted aluminum seat have become symbols of straightforward American industrial design.
Each aluminum chair is built by hand through a 77-step manufacturing process that includes forming, welding, heat treating, grinding, tempering, finishing and inspecting. These stages transform recycled aluminum into a lightweight chair with exceptional structural strength.
The 1006 Navy Chair is offered in hand-brushed and hand-polished finishes, along with related armchair and stool configurations. Its aluminum construction makes selected versions appropriate for indoor or outdoor use.
The design can feel industrial in a loft, understated in a contemporary dining room or elegantly utilitarian in a restaurant. Its ability to move among different settings demonstrates the lasting value of a form developed around function rather than fashion.
Recycled Aluminum Furniture
Recycled aluminum remains one of Emeco’s defining materials. Many of the company’s aluminum products contain approximately 80% recycled content while retaining the strength, corrosion resistance and long life that made the original Navy Chair successful.
Aluminum can be recycled repeatedly, and producing recycled aluminum requires considerably less energy than manufacturing the same amount of primary aluminum. Emeco combines this material advantage with construction intended to extend the usable life of each piece.
The company has applied its aluminum expertise to numerous collections, including 20-06 by Foster + Partners, 1 Inch by Jasper Morrison and the Navy Officer collection. Each design offers a different interpretation of lightweight strength while remaining connected to Emeco’s manufacturing heritage.
111 Navy Chair Made from Recycled Bottles
The 111 Navy Chair reinterprets the original Navy silhouette using recycled PET plastic. Developed through a collaboration between Emeco and Coca-Cola, every full-size chair incorporates material from at least 170 discarded plastic bottles.
The project demonstrates how an established furniture design can help create demand for post-consumer waste. The resulting chair preserves the recognizable vertical back and balanced proportions of the aluminum Navy Chair while introducing color and an all-weather material.
Made in the United States, the 111 Navy Chair is suited to kitchens, dining rooms, cafés, patios and other indoor or outdoor environments. Its combination of recycled content, durability and visual familiarity makes it an approachable expression of circular design.
Alfi by Jasper Morrison
The Alfi collection reflects the shared interest of Emeco and Jasper Morrison in objects whose most important qualities may not be immediately visible. The chairs and stools are intentionally quiet in appearance, allowing comfort, durability and responsible material choices to define their value.
Alfi seats are made from 100% recycled material and paired with solid ash frames sourced from responsibly managed forests. High- and low-back versions, armchairs, stools and benches support a range of dining, workplace and hospitality applications.
Alfi Aluminum replaces the wooden frame with recycled aluminum, increasing durability and making selected versions suitable for outdoor use and demanding high-traffic settings. The broader family also includes swivel and upholstered options.
The collection’s restrained form allows Alfi to work in residential interiors, restaurants, offices, educational environments and public spaces without becoming visually intrusive.
Broom by Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck’s Broom collection transforms industrial plastic waste and discarded wood fiber into practical stacking chairs and stools. The material combines leftover polypropylene with wood particles collected from manufacturing waste streams.
The resulting surface has a subtle texture and is available in a range of colors. Designed for indoor and outdoor use, Broom provides durable, easily maintained seating for dining areas, patios, cafés, workplaces and educational settings.
The collection’s name refers to the idea of sweeping up workshop remnants and giving them a useful new life. Broom makes this material story accessible through an uncomplicated, versatile chair designed to remain in service rather than be discarded.
On & On by Barber Osgerby
Designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, On & On explores circularity through both material and construction. The stacking chair is available with a recycled-plastic seat engineered to be recycled again by Emeco at the end of its useful life.
The chair’s round seat and compact frame create a distinctive stacked arrangement, allowing multiple chairs to occupy space efficiently. Versions with plywood or upholstered seats extend the collection into a broader range of residential and contract interiors.
On & On demonstrates that circular design can be visually refined and practically useful. Its simple components, stackability and material options make it well suited to dining, meeting, hospitality and flexible public spaces.
Run Tables and Benches
The Run collection by Sam Hecht and Kim Colin was designed to support gathering, working and sharing space. Its adaptable family includes dining and meeting tables, high tables, side tables, coffee tables, benches, shelving and daybeds.
Run is available in multiple lengths, heights and shapes, with material options for indoor and outdoor environments. Wood tabletops create a warmer residential or workplace expression, while aluminum configurations provide durability and easy maintenance for high-use or exterior settings.
The collection works naturally with Emeco chairs and stools, including the original Navy family. Its broad range allows designers to create coordinated dining areas, conference rooms, collaborative workplaces, hospitality terraces and communal settings.
Chairs and Stools by Leading Designers
Emeco collaborates with designers and architects whose work shares the company’s commitment to simplicity, usefulness and longevity. Rather than applying a signature style to every collection, Emeco uses each collaboration to explore how materials and manufacturing can solve a specific design problem.
Foster + Partners developed the 20-06 collection as a lighter, visually refined evolution of Emeco’s aluminum craftsmanship. Jasper Morrison has created several furniture families, including Alfi, 1 Inch, Utility and Navy Officer. Naoto Fukasawa designed the Za stool, while Nendo created the SU collection.
Other collaborators have included Frank Gehry, Konstantin Grcic, Michael Young and BMW Designworks. The resulting catalog offers a wide variety of forms while maintaining consistent standards for construction and long-term performance.
Indoor and Outdoor Furniture
Emeco chairs, stools and tables are designed for private homes as well as hospitality, workplace, education and institutional projects. Many collections include options for outdoor use, allowing the same restrained design language to continue across interior and exterior spaces.
Aluminum seating naturally resists corrosion, while selected recycled-plastic and wood-fiber products provide additional choices for terraces, patios and rooftop environments. Run tables are available in materials such as aluminum and outdoor-suitable wood for exterior dining and communal spaces.
Suitability, finishes and warranty coverage vary by model, so each product should be specified for its intended location and level of use.
Sustainability Through Longevity and Material Innovation
Emeco’s approach to sustainability begins with making fewer objects that last longer. Around 90% of the company’s current product range is made from recycled materials, including recycled aluminum, recycled PET and recycled wood-filled polypropylene.
The company also works with responsibly sourced wood, reclaimed cork and other carefully selected materials. Carbon information and end-of-life considerations are provided for a growing number of products, helping architects and designers make more informed specifications.
Several seating components can be returned to Emeco for recycling into new furniture of the same or a similar model. This approach supports a more circular product life while keeping useful material out of landfills and oceans.
Furniture for Residential and Contract Projects
Emeco furniture is engineered for demanding applications but remains comfortable and visually refined enough for residential interiors. In a home, its seating can furnish dining rooms, kitchens, workspaces and outdoor retreats. In professional environments, the collection supports restaurants, hotels, corporate campuses, museums, schools and other high-traffic spaces.
Stackability, easy maintenance and material durability make many Emeco designs especially practical for contract installations. The range of chairs, stools, benches and tables also allows consistent furniture families to be used across dining, meeting and communal areas.
Clean lines and timeless proportions help Emeco furniture work with many architectural styles, from industrial spaces and historic renovations to warm contemporary interiors.
Discover Emeco at Scott + Cooner
Explore Emeco at Scott + Cooner and discover American-made chairs, stools, tables and outdoor furniture created from recycled and responsibly sourced materials.
Our experienced team can help homeowners, architects and interior designers compare Emeco collections, evaluate indoor and outdoor options, and select appropriate materials, finishes and heights for residential or contract projects. Contact Scott + Cooner or visit one of our showrooms to learn more about the Emeco Navy Chair and the company’s complete furniture collection.