The Herman Miller Collection is not an entirely new concept or range of furniture. Instead it is a design approach or way of thinking about our collection, collated to provide a portfolio able to solve any furnishing brief. It was inspired by the forward thinking George Nelson, who in our 1952 catalog wrote of the importance of continuing the creation of a permanent collection “designed to meet fully the requirements for modern living” and we're excited to bring it to you today.

The Collection comprises of many of our classic pieces designed by Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson, to which we have added a range of contemporary pieces to complement the classics. The partners and designers we've chosen to include in the Collection include Geiger and Mattiazzi, who all share in our design values to create furniture that is as purposeful as it is beautiful. This ensures the Herman Miller Collection presents as a complete solution for designing any space from the boardroom to the backyard, providing a palette from which to select myriad of furnishings to suit any environment. We will continue to add pieces in the future that further enhance the 'requirements for modern living' as George Nelson so aptly put it. The images above and below include just some of the pieces that make up the collection. To view the complete Collection and learn more about it, visit our website. 

*Magis range available in Asia via business dealers only.

Posted by Lauren Evans

The above ads are from the late 1940's (above left) and 1954 (above right). They're a good example of the strength of a simple red, black and white colour scheme, which is very distinguishable throughout our early advertising. Herman Miller have always had a strong focus on the commercial workplace, as these ads clearly show.   

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are the well known designers behind the Osso Chair by Mattiazzi that has recently become part of the Herman Miller collection. For those of you who aren't familiar with the chair, here are five things that are good to know about Osso.

1. Mattiazzi's fine craftmanship and sophisticated machining skills were the inspiration behind the chair. Erwan says their aim was "…to let the sensuality of the wood express itself" and that “The chair invites people to touch or even caress it, as it is extremely sculpted and polished.”

2. The high-tech assembling system of geometrical wood panels allows a quite singular strength while preserving a design balance of the object. The chair is comprised of just eight pieces (see image below).

3. Erwan and Rowan were particularly impressed by Mattiazzi's environmental credentials. All the equipment used to manufacture the Osso chair is solar powered and the timber locally sourced, without the use of any chemical treatments.

4. Osso means bone in Italian. The chair is highly sculptural and polished like it's namesake.

5. A sophisticated palette of colours in various timbers complete Osso - it comes in black, blue, green, dark grey, pink, white, natural ash, natural maple, and natural oak.

Posted by Lauren Evans

The documentary Eames: The Architect and The Painter debuted in New Zealand last week (see our previous post) and to pay homage to the film our New Zealand dealer Matisse held a fabulous party which also marked the launch of their Eames inspired pop-up shop. Fans of the film will find all sorts of Herman Miller goodies available at the store which will stay open until the 29th April. New Zealand readers can head on down to 254 Broadway, Newmarket and snaffle up a little piece of Eames history for themselves.

That's the time it takes for us to build an Aeron Chair at our American based production line. FastCompany were so impressed by this that they recently profiled us as a model of modern American manufacturing and featured this video of the Aeron's production on their design blog. Aeron used to take 82 seconds to come off the line, today we're down to 17 due to the little changes we make to the assembly process every year. We're really proud to be recognised for the level of efficiency we've achieved as we work very hard at it. Check out their video to see for yourself.

David Rowland's 40/4 chair for Howe is a cult classic and referred to as the archetypal stackable chair. Since its debut in 1964 over 8 million have been sold and can be found furnishing everything from offices to schools and even cathedrals. It is also featured in most design museum collections around the world. We're pleased to announce that the 40/4 chair will now be available at Herman Miller stores throughout Asia and to mark the occasion we thought we'd share with you five facts about this remarkable little chair;

1. Designer David Rowland was inspired to create the chair after serving time in the air force in World War II and being forced to sit in "beastly, uncomfortable seats" on his many campaigns. Once the war was over, comfortable, ergonomic seating became his mission.

2. Rowland studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the same school which Charles and Ray Eames, Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia and Eero Saarinen attended.

3. The chairs name comes from its ability to be stacked quickly and neatly into piles of 40 chairs that come to a height of just 4 feet - thus 40/4.

4. It can can be linked in rigid rows of 4 to be assembled and disassembled easily in auditoriums and halls.

5. The 40/4 comes in many variations: a side chair, armchair, bar stool, lounge chair, swivel chair, chair with write pad and a chair for outdoor use.

Posted by Lauren Evans

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Mattiazzi Collection throughout Herman Miller Asia Pacific. Mattiazzi are a family owned Italian producer of contemporary timber furniture, renowned for its in-house production methods. By using sophisticated CNC tools, Mattiazzi has perfected the art of allowing wood to take the complex shapes associated with injection-moulded plastic. Operating such a machine is an art and Mattiazzi disproves the modern myth that mechanised manufacturing is not a craft. The complete Mattiazzi collection will be available though Herman Milller, including pieces designed by Studio Nitzan Cohen, Sam Hecht of Industrial Facility, and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Keep an eye out for our interviews with these fabulous designers whom we are thrilled will be joining the Herman Miller family.  

(image above, from left) He Said chair by Studio Nitzan Cohen, Branca by Sam Hecht/Industrial Facility and Osso by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Posted by Lauren Evans

Merchants of Virtue is a new book out about us, by independent author and journalist Bill Birchard. He explained why he chose to tell Herman Miller's story over at the HM discover blog;

“The people of Herman Miller showed something even the activists could not: Sustainability in a large, established business—a company making the ’stuff’ we all buy—is sustainable. …In good times and bad, the people at Herman Miller continue to ask new questions, test new ideas, and rethink and restructure the nature of the work to make their business more sustainable.”

The book looks closely our company and examines our commitment to sustainability throughout our history and how we have managed to make it a driving principle. It tells the story of the personalities, designers, products and ideas that all come together to ensure sustainability triumphs. Here's a sample of what's being said about the book;

"Herman Miller has shown extraordinary leadership as a catalyst for industry. Its sustainability strategies for architecture, buildings, and furniture set a standard we feel honored to have helped shape and spread to others. This book tells the story of how Herman Miller charted an innovative path, and shows the temerity of its people to stay on that path." --William McDonough, designer and co-author of Cradle to Cradle

“Bill Birchard’s excellent chronicle of the Herman Miller story brings to light some critical lessons for any company focused on embedding sustainability in it’s core strategy:  Never give in to compromise solutions; seek to shatter apparent trade-offs; draw from the wellspring of enduring corporate values; and challenge people in the company to take personal responsibility.  Perhaps most importantly, Merchants of Virtue shows us that the pursuit of corporate sustainability is not easy.  Like anything worth pursuing, only the creative and committed will succeed.”  —Stuart L. Hart, S. C. Johnson Chair in Sustainable Global Enterprise, Cornell University and Author of Capitalism at the Crossroads

We're proud Birchard chose to tell our story and very proud of the story he tells. You can read the first few pages of the kindle version of Merchants of Virtue at Amazon.

Herman Miller has a long association with museums and galleries. Some of you may not know that in 1988 we established the Herman Miller Consortium to share our historical furniture collection with a wider audience. This consortium collection is now held between 13 museums across the United States of America and comprises of over 750 pieces of furniture and a range of product documentation (such as the brochure above, from 1960). The good news for those of us outside of the States is that you can also browse through the collection and records online via The Herman Miller consortium online database. We thought it might be interesting to explore some museums that hold the consortium collction in the coming months as well as have a closer look at some of the ourstanding museums and galleries from around the Asia Pacific region. We hope you'll join us on our travels... stay tuned! 

Posted by Lauren Evans

For those interested in how things are made, there's a fantastic slide-show showing the step by step processes involved in making a Select Nelson Tray Table over at the Discover blog. The table is made from moulded plywood, a process Herman Miller helped to pioneer. The original tray table was designed by George Nelson in 1955 as a solution to smaller modern living spaces. It is collapsible and portable with the idea that it could brought out when entertaining guests and packed away again. Anyone purchasing it today may not want to hide it away in a cupboard, particularly the 2011 limited edition version, reworked as part of the Herman Miller Select range. It has a decorative timber inlay based on George Nelson's Flock of Butterflies clock, in walnut and santos palisander veneers and white ash. Visit the discover blog to tour the workshop and learn just what is involved in bringing it to life.

Posted by Lauren Evans