Humanscale Revives a Niels Diffrient Design for a Hybrid Work/Lounge Chair

The Diffrient Lounge is a new type of chair that's been decades in the making. As the name suggests, it was conceived of by industrial designer Niels Diffrient, who passed away in 2013; more recently Humanscale decided to advance the design and put it into production, as the chair's conceit—a lounge chair that could be used both for relaxing, and for work—is newly relevant.

The most obvious way the chair can transition between work/relaxation modes is that the backrest and headrest are motorized, and can recline. It is, the company says, "engineered for the full spectrum of posture."

Most seating supports one position well. Diffrient Lounge supports all of them. The synchronized recline mechanism maintains the natural curvature of the spine from fully upright through full recline, delivering consistent ergonomic performance across a range of postures that no conventional lounge chair can match. This is what happens when decades of ergonomic research meet precision engineering.

Beyond that, a pivoting side table is available, and the chair comes with two integrated USB-C ports. There's also an optional Ottoman.

Perhaps most appealing is the aesthetic design. The chair doesn't resemble a task chair, but looks comfortable, inviting and cocoon-like.

I want one in my living room. But Humanscale envisions a larger market beyond that:

It introduces an entirely new planning typology: a high-performance individual workpoint that fits where conventional desking cannot. Executive offices. Wellness rooms. Airport lounges. Heads-down zones. Anywhere focused, supported work needs to happen.

Humanscale offers the chair with over 350 finish combinations, as well as the ability to supply your own material for the upholstery.

With the pivoting table, the chair starts in the five-figure range.