Herman De Vries was born in Holland and due to his early training in woodworking, moved to the Dutch speaking and furniture making area of western Michigan around Grand Rapids. He worked for Stickley Brothers Company, Grand Rapids and left them in 1919 to set up a freelance design business. Before Stickley, De Vries worked for W.K. Cowen & Co and Marshall Field & Company and in the spring of 1936 for the H.T. Cushman Furniture Company he designed a “Modern Creations” line. In the 1930’s he designed for Sikes Furniture Company of Buffalo, New York. He is credited with two Modern bedroom sets in the November 1935 issue of Good Furniture & Decoration Magazine and his bedrooms appear in Arts & Decoration Magazine in March of 1935 and Fine Furniture Magazine of November 1936.