The Herman Miller Company has withstood the test of time by being able to recognize new trends in customers' needs and genius in design.
Started in 1905 as The Star Furniture Company in Zeeland, Michigan they specialized in producing high quality bedroom suites, In 1909 the company was renamed the Michigan Star Furniture Company and hired 18-year old D.J. DePree as a clerk. In 1919 DePree was named President of the company. In 1923 DePree got his father-in-law, Herman Miller, to invest in the company and the name was changed to The Herman Miller Furniture Company. In 1927, DuPree purchased a clock company and named it the Herman Miller Clock Company - he later sold that company to his brother and it was re-named the Howard Miller Clock Company.
The company continued manufacturing reproductions of traditional furniture until 1930 when the Great Depression forced many businesses to close. Herman Miller, too, iwas facing bankruptcy!
Now comes one of my personal FAVORITE stories in the American Art Deco Furniture saga: DePree met Gilbert Rohde in Herman Miller Company's Grand Rapids Showroom and Rohde CONVINCED him to "...move away from traditional furniture and to focus on products better suited to the changing needs and life styles of Americans." In his definitive book on American Art Deco Furniture, Ric Emmett states: "In 1932 he (Gilbert Rohde) convinced D.J. DePree, president of the Herman Miller Furniture Company which was losing money and was shaken by the Great Depression, that a Rohde-designed bedroom suite could be the company's salvation. And it worked. By 1934 he was producing Modern furnitre for Herman Miller and continued with success until his death in 1944". This suite of furniture was the "3317 Modern Bedroom Group" which was exhibited at the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress Exposition. (see American Art Deco Furniture, Ric Emmett, 2015. Pages 144 - 147).
By 1939 DePree had opened a showroom in Chicago's Merchandise Mart and together with Rohde introduced Rohde's office designs: In 1942 the Executive Office Group was a great success. Modular furniture, great design insured the success of the company. Rohde's designs are legendary: The Paldao Group, the East India Laurel Group are all names well known by lovers of great design. In 1944 Gilbert Rohde died and DuPree had to find someone to take the place of design leadership at Herman Miller. George Nelson was hired. By 1946 Nelson had redesigned the Herman Miller Logo and also introduced his now famous "bench". Herman Miller moved much of their design and production into office furniture and products. When Charles and Ray Eames designed the molded plywood chairs, lounge chairs and room dividers they were manufactured by the Evans Products company but . , Herman MIller got exclusive distribtion rights. By 1950 Herman Miller adopted the "Scanlon Plan" in profit sharing with their designers.
Molded fiberglass chairs designed by the Eames' were introduced with great success. Eames storage units and wire based tables and chairs also came into being in 1950.
After this, under the leadership of DuPree and Nelson the company contiuned to grow and eventually entered the worldwide market with showrooms in Latin America, Europe, Indonesia, Canada, Africa and Japan. They produced and marketed designs by Isamu Noguchi, Ray and Charles Eames, Werner Panton and Robert Probst among many. Ray Eames died in 1988. I remember meeting her in the early 80's here in Coral Gables....I remember going to meet her in the 1980's. Isamu Noguchi came into our showroom at One Biscayne Plaza sometime in 1988 and conversed with Ric about a desk we had that had been attributed to him.
Many of Herman Miller's designs from the 50's and 60's were reintroduced between 1994 and 1999 when Herman Miller re-entered the residential furniture market. Environmentally conscious, Herman Miller has been in the forefront of "green" design and production. Not to name-drop, these are some of the powerhouse designers' names that Herman Miller has represented: Alexander Girard, Ayse Birsel, Bill Stumpf, Brian Alexander, Brian Kane, Bruce Burdick, Carol Catalano, Design Group Ittalia, Eero Aarnio, Gianfranco Zaccai, Isamu Noguchi, Jasper Morrison, Ross Littell, Joey Ruiter, Nitzan Cohen, Philippe Starck, Yves Behar among others! You will find some of these legendary designers' work on MODERNISM.COM. Please go to www.hermanmiller.com to read more about this great company which from the beginning has held dear de dignity of the people that helped make it great. *I have used information on the Herman Miller site about the company timeline. IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT THE BEGINNINGS OF AMERICAN ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN AND ITS LEADERS PLEASE PURCHASE A COPY OF RIC EMMETT'S AMERICAN ART DECO FURNITURE. www.americanartdecofurniturebook.com
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