Since its launch in 2019, Paloma has been one of the most popular chairs in the Boss Design portfolio – a bestseller, year in, year out. The simplicity of the form, its gentle, organic lines and overall level of comfort make it easy to specify in a variety of settings, from the work place through to lux hospitality lounges. As its designer, that’s very gratifying.
But the popularity of this chair has brought a new challenge. Customers frequently request a version of Paloma with a high back for their boardrooms. Although you might think the answer would be to attach a taller back to the existing seat and base, that would throw its form out of balance. So, with Uma we aimed to create a new and original meeting chair based on Paloma’s design language.
Back to the drawing board
Essentially, I started with a concept, drawing boardroom chairs that would share Paloma’s sweeping curves but in a new luxurious form to suit the executive setting. Nothing was ruled out, and I explored versions with metal arms, but eventually gravitated back to a singular form for a sculpted look, coherent with Paloma and its sister products such as Amelia and Remi.
Sustainability is always woven into our design process, and our decision to manufacture the back and sides in a single component is an example of this. It also enabled us to apply the expertise we’ve built up over many years using moulded foam. As with Remi, Uma’s cushioning is made from Bio-PUR® – a more sustainable type of PU foam that uses no petrochemicals in its products, with a carbon footprint 75% lower than standard alternatives.
From sketches we went into CAD modelling, and following our iterative design process began building prototypes, considering and refining each shape, surface and line, conscious all the while of how Uma would be upholstered. Every detail was carefully honed as we progressed towards Uma’s enigmatic form. The arms and back are lithe, sleek, almost blade-like, belying its generous proportions and the next-level comfort of its sit.
Luxury level comfort
While chairs in this category are typically very firm, we’ve taken a super-soft approach made possible by innovative techniques and materials in the cushioning. When you sit into Uma, the back has a beautiful shape that flows with the spine, and where your lower back touches the chair we’ve inset a panel of softer foam to augment the comfort.
The seat is wider than Paloma’s, and the cushioning is much thicker than the back and arms suggest. Hollowing out its plywood base a little has afforded us an extra 15mm of foam. Further innovation has gone into the moulding of the seat and back component, with felt used to stiffen the foam at its edges while the middle remains soft and comfortable. That stiffness means Uma maintains its structure and enables our upholsterers to conceal the seams precisely along the perimeter of its form.
Regal yet flexible
While developing the Uma concept, now and then I would think of it as a throne – something that represents leadership, authority and even royalty. However, along with a smooth, sculpted look and feel, with Uma we’ve managed to preserve another of Paloma’s key attributes: its versatility. This is a design that easily adapts to a variety of applications.
Uma will look elegantly poised in the boardrooms of serious corporations. But its personality can be softened through colour and texture fabric so it can also serve as an everyday work chair when paired with tables or desking. For informal meeting, breakout or touchdown spaces, it can be specified more playfully with patterned fabrics or a two-tone look, with the outer and inner panels in different colours.
Available on either a four- or five-star base, Uma has a swivel, with height adjustment and a lockable tilt mechanism. Wherever it travels, Uma’s next-level comfort goes with it and no matter how long the meeting, it’s not the chair that makes people shift in their seats.
Looking at the bigger picture, Uma adds a unique new piece to our range, with soft, organic lines to complement the likes of Remi, Amelia and Paloma. Here in the studio, we’ve talked about 3D printing a chess set where each piece from pawn to queen is a different chair from the portfolio. If we did, I think Uma would be the perfect king – a comfortable throne for the executive boardroom, or a grand addition to a variety of other settings.
May 2025
Boss Design
Boss Design North America
High Point N.C. 27262
t. +1 336 889 9400
Boss Design UK
DY2 8SZ.
t. +44 (0) 1384 455570
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