Herman Miller and the Icons of Mid-Century Design Explained
Get to know the symbols of progress, prosperity and optimism of the 1950s and 1960s; symbols of good taste and sustainable design
Herman Miller is synonymous with ‘modern’ furniture. As the manufacturer of our most classic and influential 20th-century furniture, Herman Miller has produced and marketed the works of designers Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi and Alexander Girard, among many others. Their furniture, textiles and decorative arts represented a modern way of living for upper and middle class Americans in the optimistic and prosperous post-World War II era.
Whether you’re a collector of Herman Miller’s original pieces, purchase them (or their imitations) new, or are just an admirer of classic mid-century design, here is a selection of iconic pieces that will certainly make you swoon. Add these to your wish list!
Whether you’re a collector of Herman Miller’s original pieces, purchase them (or their imitations) new, or are just an admirer of classic mid-century design, here is a selection of iconic pieces that will certainly make you swoon. Add these to your wish list!
GEORGE NELSON: re-inventing the everyday
George Nelson drew on popular culture and abstract art to change the look and feel of American furniture. Instead of calling on traditional shapes that mimicked the human body, he introduced a new easygoing type of sitting.
Pictured: George Nelson Coconut Chair (1955). Nelson’s Coconut Chair is so-called because its shape evokes a coconut shell. Inviting, intriguing and comfortable, the Coconut Chair allows the user to assume a variety of seated positions, anticipating the more spontaneous lifestyle of the 1960s.
George Nelson drew on popular culture and abstract art to change the look and feel of American furniture. Instead of calling on traditional shapes that mimicked the human body, he introduced a new easygoing type of sitting.
Pictured: George Nelson Coconut Chair (1955). Nelson’s Coconut Chair is so-called because its shape evokes a coconut shell. Inviting, intriguing and comfortable, the Coconut Chair allows the user to assume a variety of seated positions, anticipating the more spontaneous lifestyle of the 1960s.
ISAMU NOGUCHI: dedicated to craftmanship
Japanese-American artist and craftsman Isamu Noguchi was famous for his sculptural works that meld art and furniture. Noguchi collaborated with a number of designers and institutions, including the Herman Miller company in the late 1940s – the most famous being his coffee table originally introduced in 1947 and reissued in 1984.
Pictured: Isamu Noguchi Coffee Table (1947). Noguchi admitted his coffee table is his favourite furniture design. It is a harmony of form and function, comprising one piece of free-flow glass and two balanced and interlocking pieces of walnut or cherry wood in biomorphic form.
Also pictured: Hans Wegner’s Shell Chair produced by Carl Hansen & Søn.
Japanese-American artist and craftsman Isamu Noguchi was famous for his sculptural works that meld art and furniture. Noguchi collaborated with a number of designers and institutions, including the Herman Miller company in the late 1940s – the most famous being his coffee table originally introduced in 1947 and reissued in 1984.
Pictured: Isamu Noguchi Coffee Table (1947). Noguchi admitted his coffee table is his favourite furniture design. It is a harmony of form and function, comprising one piece of free-flow glass and two balanced and interlocking pieces of walnut or cherry wood in biomorphic form.
Also pictured: Hans Wegner’s Shell Chair produced by Carl Hansen & Søn.
CHARLES AND RAY EAMES: creative inventors
The contributions that Charles and Ray Eames made to Herman Miller and to design in general in the 20th century is endless: furniture, decorative arts, architecture, film, technology, graphic design, set design, industrial products … the list goes on. Together, Charles – an architect – and Ray – an artist – were masters of industrial design. They sought to make the world more practical, more comfortable, more pleasurable and more visually interesting.
Pictured: Eames Walnut Stool (1960). Ray designed a series of occasional pieces to accompany the executive chairs designed by her husband Charles for the lobby of the Time-Life Building in New York City. She drew on her training as a sculptor to design the solid wooden stools that appear like abstract chess pieces. She later claimed they became her favourite seats.
The contributions that Charles and Ray Eames made to Herman Miller and to design in general in the 20th century is endless: furniture, decorative arts, architecture, film, technology, graphic design, set design, industrial products … the list goes on. Together, Charles – an architect – and Ray – an artist – were masters of industrial design. They sought to make the world more practical, more comfortable, more pleasurable and more visually interesting.
Pictured: Eames Walnut Stool (1960). Ray designed a series of occasional pieces to accompany the executive chairs designed by her husband Charles for the lobby of the Time-Life Building in New York City. She drew on her training as a sculptor to design the solid wooden stools that appear like abstract chess pieces. She later claimed they became her favourite seats.
MASS PRODUCTION: plastics
The Eameses wanted to produce attractive, durable and affordable furniture for America’s middle class. Herman Miller gave them the opportunity to market their furniture to a mass audience, by employing industrial methods and processes to do so. Plastic and fibreglass – new at the time – would be two of the materials to play a key role in mass production.
Pictured: Eames Molded Plastic Armchair Rocker Base or RAR Rocker (1950). Beautiful, technologically advanced and innovative, the Eames Rocker is colourful, playful and comfortable as a single shell that envelops the user. Originally cast in fibreglass, Herman Miller switched production to a safer plastic when the environmental risks associated with fibreglass production became more widely understood. In 2004, Herman Miller reintroduced the chair in polypropylene.
The Eameses wanted to produce attractive, durable and affordable furniture for America’s middle class. Herman Miller gave them the opportunity to market their furniture to a mass audience, by employing industrial methods and processes to do so. Plastic and fibreglass – new at the time – would be two of the materials to play a key role in mass production.
Pictured: Eames Molded Plastic Armchair Rocker Base or RAR Rocker (1950). Beautiful, technologically advanced and innovative, the Eames Rocker is colourful, playful and comfortable as a single shell that envelops the user. Originally cast in fibreglass, Herman Miller switched production to a safer plastic when the environmental risks associated with fibreglass production became more widely understood. In 2004, Herman Miller reintroduced the chair in polypropylene.
INNOVATIVE PRODUCTION: plywood
The Eames’s innovative ability to bend plywood proved to be a breakthrough in furniture design. They developed the Kazam! machine that could mould thin sheets of lightweight veneer into three dimensions. These gently curved shapes established the foundation for the design of modern furniture.
Pictured: Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair Wood – LCW (1946). The LCW Chair started life as a single shell – similar to the Eames’s molded plastic chairs. However, the Eameses found it was not able to withstand the stresses of use and abandoned their idea. Instead, they developed a chair that had separate-moulded plywood panels for the back and seat, making a comfortable and durable chair that fits the contours of the body.
The Eames’s innovative ability to bend plywood proved to be a breakthrough in furniture design. They developed the Kazam! machine that could mould thin sheets of lightweight veneer into three dimensions. These gently curved shapes established the foundation for the design of modern furniture.
Pictured: Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair Wood – LCW (1946). The LCW Chair started life as a single shell – similar to the Eames’s molded plastic chairs. However, the Eameses found it was not able to withstand the stresses of use and abandoned their idea. Instead, they developed a chair that had separate-moulded plywood panels for the back and seat, making a comfortable and durable chair that fits the contours of the body.
DESIGN LONGEVITY: craftsmanship meets industrial production
With George Nelson at the helm of design at Herman Miller, the company placed great emphasis on incorporating craft ideals into the mass production of furniture for timeless design. This is evident in what is probably the most recognisable of Eames’s furniture: the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. It combines the details of craftsmanship with industrial materials and production.
Pictured: Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (1956); Mark Goetz’s Goetz Sofa. The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman has been in continuous production ever since it was first developed, combining Eames’s moulded plywood technology with upholstered leather. In recent decades, Mark Goetz employed similar craftsmanship and industrial production for his Goetz Sofa, utilising a moulded veneer as both a structural component and aesthetic element of the sofa.
With George Nelson at the helm of design at Herman Miller, the company placed great emphasis on incorporating craft ideals into the mass production of furniture for timeless design. This is evident in what is probably the most recognisable of Eames’s furniture: the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. It combines the details of craftsmanship with industrial materials and production.
Pictured: Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (1956); Mark Goetz’s Goetz Sofa. The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman has been in continuous production ever since it was first developed, combining Eames’s moulded plywood technology with upholstered leather. In recent decades, Mark Goetz employed similar craftsmanship and industrial production for his Goetz Sofa, utilising a moulded veneer as both a structural component and aesthetic element of the sofa.
OFFICE DESIGN: “A way of life”
Designer Robert Propst joined Herman Miller’s research division as president in 1960. In 1968 he introduced the unprecedented Action Office system, developed and designed for the way people truly work. Action Office comprised components that could be combined and recombined to become whatever an office needed to be over time.
Pictured: George Nelson Tambour Desk (1964); Eames House Bird. Nelson designed the Tambour Desk in concert with Propst’s Action Office I Series. Nelson’s retro roll-top desk had aluminium legs and rounded corners. Said Nelson at the time: “These are not desks and filing cabinets. These are a way of life.”
Designer Robert Propst joined Herman Miller’s research division as president in 1960. In 1968 he introduced the unprecedented Action Office system, developed and designed for the way people truly work. Action Office comprised components that could be combined and recombined to become whatever an office needed to be over time.
Pictured: George Nelson Tambour Desk (1964); Eames House Bird. Nelson designed the Tambour Desk in concert with Propst’s Action Office I Series. Nelson’s retro roll-top desk had aluminium legs and rounded corners. Said Nelson at the time: “These are not desks and filing cabinets. These are a way of life.”
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED: “Working art”
Much of Herman Miller’s iconic pieces can be found in museums across the world, highlighting the artistic and sculptural nature of the functional furniture he and his team produced. Whether it was organic craftsmanship, a machine aesthetic or industrial feel, Herman Miller products have been critically acclaimed for decades.
Pictured: Eames Storage Unit (1950); Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (1956); Eames Walnut Stool (1960). The Eames Storage Unit has been called “working art” since first exhibited in 1949 at the Detroit Institute of Arts museum. Post World War II hailed the beginnings of the consumer revolution in America – a time when people began buying masses of goods and consequently needed storage and display spaces for these goods. Eames’s Storage Unit responded to this need. Available in a variety of colours and materials (as a result of new postwar technologies), the storage unit is modular, customisable and easy to assemble.
Much of Herman Miller’s iconic pieces can be found in museums across the world, highlighting the artistic and sculptural nature of the functional furniture he and his team produced. Whether it was organic craftsmanship, a machine aesthetic or industrial feel, Herman Miller products have been critically acclaimed for decades.
Pictured: Eames Storage Unit (1950); Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (1956); Eames Walnut Stool (1960). The Eames Storage Unit has been called “working art” since first exhibited in 1949 at the Detroit Institute of Arts museum. Post World War II hailed the beginnings of the consumer revolution in America – a time when people began buying masses of goods and consequently needed storage and display spaces for these goods. Eames’s Storage Unit responded to this need. Available in a variety of colours and materials (as a result of new postwar technologies), the storage unit is modular, customisable and easy to assemble.
COLOUR AND SUSTAINABILITY
In 1952, Herman Miller hired Alexander Girard to headup the fabric and textile division. He designed more than 300 bold and colourful textiles; multiple collections of wallpaper, decorative prints and wall hangings; as well as furniture, decorative arts and useful objects. Girard’s style reflected his belief that design should bring beauty, fun and sensuality to our world.
Today, the manufacturing company is committed to sustainable business practices and producing eco-friendly furniture.
Pictured: Alexander Girard, ‘Black and White’, Environmental Enrichment Interior Panel (1971). Girard created 40 unique textile designs for Propst’s Action Office II Series. He designed the Environmental Enrichment panels to add warmth and colour to the office environment, as he incorporated both geometric patterns and his lifelong fascination with traditional folk art.
Also pictured: Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair for Fritz Hansen
TELL US
What’s your favourite Herman Miller piece and why? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
MORE
So Your Style Is: Mid-Century Modern
Bring Palm Springs Mid-Century Modernism Into Your Home
USA Houzz: Mad About Mid-Century Furniture In Tiny Houston Haven
In 1952, Herman Miller hired Alexander Girard to headup the fabric and textile division. He designed more than 300 bold and colourful textiles; multiple collections of wallpaper, decorative prints and wall hangings; as well as furniture, decorative arts and useful objects. Girard’s style reflected his belief that design should bring beauty, fun and sensuality to our world.
Today, the manufacturing company is committed to sustainable business practices and producing eco-friendly furniture.
Pictured: Alexander Girard, ‘Black and White’, Environmental Enrichment Interior Panel (1971). Girard created 40 unique textile designs for Propst’s Action Office II Series. He designed the Environmental Enrichment panels to add warmth and colour to the office environment, as he incorporated both geometric patterns and his lifelong fascination with traditional folk art.
Also pictured: Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair for Fritz Hansen
TELL US
What’s your favourite Herman Miller piece and why? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
MORE
So Your Style Is: Mid-Century Modern
Bring Palm Springs Mid-Century Modernism Into Your Home
USA Houzz: Mad About Mid-Century Furniture In Tiny Houston Haven
Sponsored
Founded in 1905, the Herman Miller company began life as the Star Furniture in Michigan, USA. The company initially produced high-quality furniture in historic revival styles, but the onset of the Great Depression forced the firm to explore new avenues for generating business. Gilbert Rohde – a designer renowned for his Art Deco work – joined the ranks and initiated a line of modern furniture. Rohde died in 1944 and the following year architect and designer George Nelson joined the company as director of design. His influence over the next four decades proved to be immense, with both his own personal design contributions, as well as those of the talented designers he recruited.
Pictured: George Nelson and Irving Harper’s Marshmallow Sofa (1956). Herman Miller originally produced the Marshmallow Sofa in bright, saturated colours, in fabric, vinyl and leather. Made from innovative and durable soft plastic discs arranged on a steel frame, the method of production meant it could be produced inexpensively while the bright colours were a symbol of optimism and prosperity in the post-World War II era.