herman miller collection past, present, + future
about About the Collection The Herman Miller Collection draws on George Nelson’s vision of “a permanent collection designed to meet fully the requirements for modern living.” This comprehensive portfolio offers a breadth and depth of products to furnish complete environments in a myriad of settings, both residential and contract, elegant and casual, across a range of prices.
Dining + Meeting Thoughtfully curated and carefully balanced, this range of Dining and Meeting offerings navigates the many moments of living when we gather around a table— recognizing that the purpose may easily shift from sharing food to sharing ideas, from the leisurely to the long, from the elegant to the casual.
Living + Lounge
Working + Storage
As the lines blur between how and where we work and live, people are redefining their perceptions of what a space can be. This reality, remarkably envisioned in 1952 by George Nelson as “a daytime living room where work can be done under less tension with fewer distractions,” is deftly addressed with Living and Lounge offerings.
Our Working and Storage offerings balance contemporary solutions with those introduced years before. Designs of today address the technology and flexibility needed to achieve goals now. Designs from the past offer a versatility that still gracefully meets modern challenges. Together, they solve problems. That they are elegant is simply a bonus.
Outdoor
collections
It’s natural for us to live and think and move beyond the indoors—a move made ever more possible with technology. Keeping in mind this desire toward more time spent in exterior spaces, we offer solutions for outdoors: furnishings crafted for work and play using the same design philosophy as our interior pieces and prepped to withstand the elements.
“a permanent collection designed to meet fully the requirements for modern living.” – George Nelson
Finding Balance Craftsmanship
Quality + Performance Materials
The enduring designs of the Herman Miller Collection strike a balance between seemingly contradictory ideas: aspiration and accessibility, sculpture and engineering, elegance and informality, beauty and comfort. Not the least of these is its delicate balance of craft and industrial processes. The Collection moves forward by utilizing the latest technologies and newest materials available. But it remains grounded in the quality and value produced by the craftsmanship, thoughtfulness, and individual human touches of the workers who assemble many of its pieces by hand. These details make a difference. And as Charles Eames said, “The details are not details. They make the product.”
Materials in the Collection amplify its design philosophy of elegant pragmatism and industrial craft. State-of-the-art Outdoor Weave builds on technology pioneered with the Aeron Chair’s Pellicle suspension fabric. Stone selections originate from North American quarries with ties to historic American design. MCL leather options find inspiration in the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman’s “warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.”Santos palisander and walnut veneer shells of that Lounge and Ottoman now have hand-oiled finish options that resemble the look of the original design. A re-edition of textiles by Alexander Girard has been reproduced faithfully in weave and color.
history Our Operation We operate through several focused businesses, brands, and distribution channels, including Herman Miller, Herman Miller Healthcare, Nemschoff, Geiger International, and independently owned dealerships. All of them work to design and build a better world around you.
Bridging the Past and Present Designers In his introduction to our 1952 catalog, George Nelson noted that the Collection “is strengthened by the participation of a group of designers who share Herman Miller’s particular attitudes.” With that in mind, the Herman Miller Collection presents updated archival offerings as well as new designs from today’s top talent—a bridge between Herman Miller’s past, present, and future. You’ll find designs from the 1950s by Charles and Ray Eames juxtaposed next to pieces by Bruce Burdick from the 1980s anchored effortlessly by furnishings from today by BassamFellows. Seen together, in every type of environment, you realize they speak the same language, and that they are built from the same set of timeless design principles that have guided Herman Miller from the start.
lounge seating Rolled Arm Club Chair “I am interested in the essence, the bones, in contrast to surface ornament...�
Sled Chair Ward Bennett's Sled chair draws the eye to its base. Tubular steel welded into an X shape and mounted on parallel rails makes a bold statement. Upholstered in nearly any textile or leather available, the Sled chair's seat and back cradle the sitter. Distinctive design and welcoming comfort are two reasons Sled has been around since 1966.
Ward Bennett’s work has had a lasting impact on designers interested in achieving contemporary, understated luxury. His sensuous yet minimal Rolled Arm Sofa has universal appeal and can move from residential to commercial spaces with ease. Its generous, low-slung, architecturally scaled volumes and crisply mitered upholstery provide a graceful silhouette. Perched on recessed solid wood legs and produced in walnut or ash, Rolled Arm is available in three sofa sizes or as a club chair.
“Lightweight and in various sizes, the versatile seating shifts with ease to meet the evolving needs of a space”
sofas
Tuxedo Sofa
Wireframe Sofa Visually speaking of softness and volume contained within a formal frame, the Wireframe Sofa Group exemplifies a recurring theme for Sam Hecht and Kim Colin: contrasting tension. The design’s external structure is shaped from steel wire—a material long used in classic Herman Miller designs for its strength and durability. Held within the frame are contoured cushions, which find added comfort from a suspension technology first developed by Herman Miller for the healthcare industry.
Lightweight and in various sizes, the versatile seating shifts with ease to meet the evolving needs of a space—and the people that work and relax in it. Casual yet sophisticated, contemporary with a sense of longevity, Hecht and Colin’s design is thoughtful reflection of how we live today. Choices include white or black frame with multiple upholstery options in two- and three-seat sofa, and lounge and ottoman.
Designed to anchor lounge spaces without visually overpowering their surroundings, Tuxedo Sofas are precisely proportioned and exquisitely detailed. They are based on a modular grid that accommodates for designs ranging from a two-seat settee to an expansive corner sectional. The grid also allows for any Tuxedo Sofa to be easily coupled with other pieces in the Tuxedo range, including ottomans, benches, and lounge seating.
Cantilevered atop narrow steel legs that are available in a range of six metal finishes, the Tuxedo Sofa cuts a low and sleek profile thanks to the horizontal band formed by the back and (optional) arms. Its lightweight appearance is furthered by the crisply tailored upholstery that covers the slim, dual-density foam cushions. Each piece is available in a full range of upholstery with or without quilting.
stacking chairs Eames Molded Fiberglass Chair Thanks to a new proprietary process of producing fiberglass, Herman Miller is once again able to produce the Eames original 1950 Molded Fiberglass Chair safely by means of a less volatile, monomer-free “dry bind� process. Like the original shell chairs, our new fiberglass finish has the same covetable surface variation and tell-tale fiberglass striation that have attracted avid vintage collectors for decades. Available in both the arm and side chair formats in eight archival colors, the chairs can be configured with a choice of wire, dowel leg, stacking, rocker, and 4-leg bases. An array of trim, finely tailored Hopsak fabrics designed by Alexander Girard, Herman Miller’s Textile Director from 1952 to 1973, round out the collection of shell customization options, fully restoring the integrity of the original 1953 shell chair offerings. All chairs can be recycled through the Herman Miller Take Back Program. The process for making shells and the nature of fiberglass mean that each shell is unique and can possess traits such as tiny cavities in the surface, small points of lighter or darker color, or faint circular shadows where base attaches to shell.
Eames Aluminum Chair The lithe chairs of the Eames Aluminum Group have been a popular design since their introduction in 1958. And no wonder. The graceful silhouette sits equally well in all kinds of home and workplace interiors. And a wide range of material options lets you create the chair you want. Wherever you place them, these chairs make a statement of enduring design excellence. Aluminum Group chairs began as a challenge among legendary designers. Eero Saarinen and Alexander Girard were designing the Columbus, Indiana, home of industrialist J. Irwin Miller. They wanted a high-quality seating product for outdoor use and asked Charles and Ray Eames to develop one. Known for their honest use of materials, the Eameses constructed their chairs with cast aluminum and a seat frame meant to support a stretched synthetic mesh. The seat-back suspension was a major technical achievement and represented a departure from the concept of the chair as a solid shell. Those chairs became the Aluminum Group, which we began manufacturing in 1958. And while they have been in continuous demand, the line has changed and grown a lot over the years. The original mesh meant for outdoor use was discontinued, along with the 4-star base and painted arms on the early designs.
“So futuristic that it was used on the sets of two Star Trek television series and the movie Lost in Space”
Stool One
So futuristic that it was used on the sets of two Star Trek television series and the movie Lost in Space, the original Bombo Stool changed the whole idea of how a stool could look. Stefano Giovannoni’s gorgeous design achieved immediate critical and commercial success. The stool’s base—in a choice of finishes and fixed or adjustable height—is the foundation for an injection-molded plastic seat. Available in a range of matte colors, the seat swivels 360 degrees. The Bombo Stool was so popular that Giovannoni developed two variations of the original. The Bombo Special Stool features a glossy-finish, rotational-molded plastic seat in a selection of bold colors. Or for another way to make a statement, choose the Al Bombo Stool with a seat of polished die-cast aluminum and a base of stainless steel. Both offer the same convenient footrest as the original.
Like Chair One, Stool One combines striking looks and real comfort. And it brings the same futuristic look into your environment. Three legs support the cantilevered seat. Available in two sizes—29.1 and 33.1 inches—Stool One is easily stackable. Available with three leg finishes—aluminum, polished aluminum, and anodized black. Stools with aluminum legs come with a red or white seat, and those with black legs with a black seat. Perfect for indoor and outdoor use.
stools
Bombo Stool
occasional tables
Noguchi Rudder Table An updated archival piece from 1949, the Noguchi Rudder Table is a sculptural and deceptively simple coffee table designed by Isamu Noguchi. It stands on two chrome hairpin legs and one in wood reminiscent of a ship’s rudder. Graceful and visually light, the table has Trivalent chrome steel legs that offer a pleasing contrast to the natural look of the rudder and top—available in walnut, ebony on maple, or white ash finish options.
Sculptural Delight The Noguchi Rudder Table is both surface and sculpture. Its asymmetrical yet balanced composition marries nature with industry, beauty with function. The shape of its veneered top and the combination of metal and wood legs are true to Noguchi’s original design. Two subtle metal hairpin legs suggest the top rests on the rudder-shaped leg, lending a visual lightness and grace to the whole.
Sled Base Storage
storage H Frame Credenzas With its exacting grid of open shelving, drawers, and cases, H Frame Credenzas offer an elegant solution to a variety of display and storage needs. Modular in design, H Frame Credenzas are bracketed by metal uprights and vary in width from one to four exquisitely proportioned units. A wide selection of finishes, cabinet or drawer configurations, and possible inserts allow H Frame Credenzas to serve a variety of uses and environments. Beautiful from all angles, H Frame Credenzas may even stand freely as low space dividers.
With its elegant grid of drawers, file drawers, and right- and left-opening cabinets, Sled Base Storage offers a refined solution to the question of storage. Modular in design, Sled Base Storage is available in widths that vary from single unit pedestals to credenzas of up to four units. A wide selection of finishes, cabinet or drawer configurations, and possible inserts allow Sled Base Storage to serve a variety of uses and environments. Single and double units are also available with casters for use as pedestals. With its exacting grid of open shelving, drawers, and cases, H
Frame Credenzas offer an elegant solution to a variety of display and storage needs. Modular in design, H Frame Credenzas are bracketed by metal uprights and vary in width from one to four exquisitely proportioned units. A wide selection of finishes, cabinet or drawer configurations, and possible inserts allow H Frame Credenzas to serve a variety of uses and environments. Beautiful from all angles, H Frame Credenzas may even stand freely.
Address: Herman Miller, Inc. 855 East Main Ave. Zeeland, MI 49464 Customer Service: E-mail: customercare@hermanmiller.com Subject: “Contact Us Form: Customer Service” Phone: 888 443 4357 Fax: 616 654 3085
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