Hasta La Ideas

Bruce Burdick expandable Table, Konstantin Grcic’s Magis Stool_One

With a storied century-long history, Herman Miller has pushed the boundaries of American furniture manufacturing since its founding in 1905 in Michigan. As one of the first companies to manufacture modern furniture, the concept of human-centered design has always been at the heart of the company. As Design Director George Nelson envisioned in 1952, Herman Miller’s permanent collection should be, “designed to meet fully the requirements of modern living.”

Today, George Nelson’s vision for modern living has become a reality with the launch of the Herman Miller Collection. Combing through the century-deep catalog of furnishings for home, office and exterior spaces, the Herman Miller Collection reintroduces familiar classics and forgotten masters to a new generation of design lovers and collectors.

I can’t help but look at what’s on a bookshelf. What three artists do Eames collectors love? Hockney, Picasso and Miró.

To mark the occassion, the company has staged a 2-month retail Pop-Up in New York City’s SoHo. The shop is the first pop-up shop in the company’s history. I loved the newly upholstered Eames Molded Plywood chairs found in a vignette near a low-slung Ward Bennett ash-framed and leather Scissor Chair. Out of the archives, George Nelson’s modular storage cabinets large and small are on display; Ward Bennett’s H-Frame Credenzas have chrome finishes that timelessly belie their age. Quietly in the mix were three new additions to the Herman Miller family: Leon Ransmeier’s AGL table, Industrial Facility’s wire-framed basket Sofa and Konstantin Grcic’s Medici chair for Mattiazzi (distributed by Herman Miller.)

Industrial Facility’s Sofa prototype

Industrial Facility’s Sofa Group is a thoughtful and contemporary addition to the category. With our transient modern lifestyle, the Sofa is lightweight, and versatile—a wire-frame basket is stuffed with a series of free-floating, individual cushions—allowing for ease of transport and maintenance. Additionally, the base of the frame employs a suspension technology that was previously used in Herman Miller’s Nala Harmonic Tilt medical chair.

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