Integrating armrests into the back of a chair like harness winkers on a horse bridle sounds much less amusing than it looks. While it remains to be seen whether the slanted blinders act as armrests or simply inhibit sideways arm movement, the Carma series (I, II, III, and IV)  by Casala is an elegant line of contract lounge chairs that fit perfectly into care centers or hospitality, lounge or café settings.

Carma I chair – Model 1111/00. Manufactured by Casala.

Casala’s Carma Chairs of Wood and Metal Create a Modern Escape in Contract Settings

Although they say to ‘never judge a book off its cover’, I was fond of the chair’s aesthetic from the get-go. To my surprise, I soon was completely smitten with chair, the website design, and the company of Casala altogether. After viewing the organized, almost editorial vibe of the Casala website and rummaging through their news section of detailed press releases and announcements, this company has all a designer blogger could ever dream of.

Carma II chair. Manufactured by Casala.

Before I get ahead of myself (though I probably just did) the editorial presentation of the Carma series uses a buttery tagline for each of the four Carma chairs. It’s very sweet of them to help us distinguish between the chairs by creating such taglines since the Carma series – to the untrained eye – is merely the same chair with slightly varied leg possibilities. The Carma I also answers to the “See-Through Visitor’s Chair”. It can be left in the solid wood, done fashionably in padded upholstery, or come in a wooden backrest that has large, circular cut-outs. Each option comes with a subtle steel-wire frame and a thin sleigh base.

Carma III chair. Manufactured by Casala.

The other chairs in the series by contract manufacturer Casala are described as: “Carma II: The Charismatic One”; “Carma III: With Steel Legs”; and “Carma IV: Contemporary Functionality”. The Carma II has a cantilever base, the Carma III has four, delicate legs that do not link together like the sleigh or cantilever bases of its predecessors, and the Carma IV chair has wooden legs that blend into its bodacious backrest and seat seamlessly. All of the Carma chairs can come perforated, with upholstery, or without upholstery and may come with the added extra of various glides.

Carma IV chair. Manufactured by Casala.

About the Manufacturer: The word used to describe the Culemborg-based contract manufacturing company is derived from the abbreviation of Carl Sasse of Lauenau. From The Netherlands, Casala is known for their international design-friendly nature that works in care centers, public spaces, offices, government buildings, education and at churches. “To us functionality means that user-convenience and design are already incorporated in the first drafts,” they state. “Stackable and linkable, means of transport, numeration or storage facilities are no coincidences, they are deliberately integrated in the design.”