In August, Herman Miller will launch the Herman Miller x Studio 7.5 Zeph, the latest office chair in its ongoing partnership with Berlin-based Studio 7.5. This time around, the designers of the Cosm Chair sought to create “a decent, honest, simple tool that would get the most important things right.” In practice, this translates to an updated take on the classic Eames Shell with one important difference: the Zeph’s new Kinematic Monoshell offers a natural recline.

The Zeph Chair’s shell and base are available in eight different colors and interchangeable 3D-Knit seat pads allow for some personalization of the chair. The seat pads easily slide directly into the shell, no tools are required, and can be swapped out for one of the other 20 textile color choices if your space needs a refresh. True to its straightforward design ethos, for now, the Zeph has only two truly meaningful configuration options: a fixed-arm and an armless version.

Studio 7.5 co-founder Burkhard Schmitz summarizes the Zeph nicely: it’s “an entry-level experience worthy of the Herman Miller name.” Critically, ‘entry-level’ should not be confused with ‘budget-friendly’, but when shopping for a chair from the makers of the Aeron, thrift isn’t really the point, is it? After you’re done agonizing over whether to go fixed-arm or armless, check out our choices for 2022’s best reading chairs for some seating options that are decidedly not entry-level.

For more like this, check out the Knoll Newson Task Chair.