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Trade terms for professionals and design studios
Take the upholstery out of the question for a moment and every Light is the same object: round tube in high-strength steel, chromed or powder-coated. Luxy then gives that frame three different answers. The first is mesh, self-supporting and flame-retardant, on seat and back alike; of this series Luxy writes that it expresses the lightness of the collection to the fullest, and that mesh helps the chair breathe.
The second is a thin pad, half an inch of flame-retardant foam under what Luxy calls tailored work in fabric and leather; in Luxy's photographs the stitching runs straight across seat and back. The third is full padding, foamed at two different densities for seat and back and, in the same photographs, built up as separate cushions. Both padded series have removable covers: on an executive desk chair kept for years, that is the detail we would weigh first.
Luxy R&D drew Light, and the factory is in Lonigo (Vicenza). Each of the three takes a high back, on a swivel base with five spokes and arms, or a mid back, on that base or on a sled, where arms become optional. The mid back is the one that goes around a table, as chairs for a conference table. Beam benches for two to five use the mesh or the thin pad. La Mercanti shows the three side by side on the same frame before the upholstery is chosen.
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On one configuration, yes. Luxy lists a self-returning swivel gas lift as an accessory: the seat rotates 180° to the right and 180° to the left and then returns to the aligned position by itself. It is offered for the padded mid-back chair on the plate mechanism, the one without a lever. Around a conference table that has a visible effect, and this part is our reading, not Luxy's claim: when people leave, the chairs face the table again. La Mercanti asks who straightens the room today before proposing it.
Luxy draws the sled-base Light at 33 1/8 in overall and 23 1/4 in deep. Width depends on the arms: 22 7/8 in with them, 19 3/4 in armless. The seat sits at 17 3/4 in, or at 19 3/4 in on the fully padded series. The 3 1/8 in between the two widths repeats at every place along a table, so the choice of arms is really a choice about how many people fit on a side. Measure the clear run between the table legs first.
It is the lower of the two back heights. On the five-star base the mid-back Light stands 33 1/8 to 38 1/4 in overall, against 42 1/8 to 47 1/4 in for the high back, on the same 28 3/8 in footprint. It is also the version with the widest choice: Luxy builds it with arms or armless, with any of its three mechanisms, and it is the back offered on the sled base. For a buyer that makes it the natural pick wherever chairs are ordered in numbers, with the high back kept for the desk that calls for it.
They follow it by rule. Luxy fits Light with self-braking, rubber-tread casters 2 1/2 in across, and assigns the color: black on the colored bases, white on the white base, chromed on the chromed base. The gas column obeys the same logic, black on painted versions and chromed on the chrome one. So the caster color is settled the moment the base is. The one decision left is the floor: the standard caster is for hard floors, and the caster for carpet is supplied on request.
Luxy's instructions give two angles to check. Sit so that you use the whole surface of the seat, rest your forearm on the desk, and look at your elbow: it should be at about 90 degrees. Then look at your knee with both feet flat on the floor: about 90 degrees again. On the mid-back swivel Light the mesh seat travels from 16 1/2 to 21 5/8 in, which is the range you have to find that point. Luxy also recommends what it calls dynamic sitting: changing posture often through the day.
Chrome, powder coat, aluminum, fabric and leather each get a different treatment in Luxy's care notes. Five short routines, in the order you meet the materials on the chair.
Start with the chromed parts of a Light: the tube when it is ordered in chrome, and the casters and column that go with it. Luxy's note is short: a soft cloth and a neutral detergent. That is the whole instruction, and it is worth keeping to it rather than reaching for something stronger.
The ten paint colors are epoxy powder coatings. For these Luxy asks for a cloth that is only just dampened, followed by a dry one. The second pass is the part people skip, and it is written into the instructions. Plastic parts get a damp cloth as well, without rubbing hard.
Arms and five-star base are die-cast aluminum, and here the instructions change. Luxy allows only products made specifically for polishing metals and advises against chemical cleaners. It also states a fact worth knowing in advance: aluminum parts oxidize naturally where hands touch them. A change in the look of the arms over time is the material behaving as Luxy says it will.
For fabric Luxy prescribes a few drops of neutral detergent on a damp cloth that has been wrung out. Rub gently, then let it dry. The range also lists interchangeable covers for both padded series, for the high back and for the mid back, so a cover that is past cleaning is an item you can order.
Luxy describes leather as a natural product whose imperfections are part of its character. Stains are treated with a soft wool cloth. The other instruction is about placement: keep leather out of direct sunlight. If the chair will stand by a window wall, decide where the desk goes before deciding on leather.
