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.   

We had great fun searching through the Vintage Ad Browser website we recently discovered. With over 100,000 ads to choose from sorted into categories such as Beauty and Hygiene, Furniture and Cigarettes and Tobacco - there is something for everyone. We were pleased to find some vintage Herman Miller Ads in the mix, including the one above for a Herman Miller designed Vanity Wall from 1962 that begins with the heading "how to talk your wife out of a frou frou bedroom". We found some real crackers, such as this ad below circa 1970, for avocado green oak paneling (for women... finally!). What's more, many of them are for sale and also include their link to purchase them on ebay... happy browsing.

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

A snapshot of a Herman Miller showroom in San Francisco circa 1967. Check out that fabulous cabinetry! 

This poster from 1963 shows just how long we've been battling against those who trade on the hard work of others. Knock-offs were appearing over 40 years ago and we think this poster is quite poignant in light of recent debate about authentic furniture vs replica furniture. I wonder if any knock-offs, circa 1963 are still knocking 'round?  

Posted by Lauren Evans

The above offering is by design retailer Moss and it comes with some fine pedigree. The two lounge and ottomans are original vintage Eames in Brazilian rosewood veneer as specified by Charles and Ray themselves, but a timber we stopped using for the lounges in 1992, when it became listed on the endangered species list. Moss have upholstered them in the Maharam fabric 'Repeat Dot' by Hella Jongerius. Personally, I'm a great fan of Hella and Maharam, so crossed with Eames it's a happy combination for me (I'll take the one on the left please!). What are your thoughts on them?

Posted by Lauren Evans