Expand to Wisconsin Factory Herman Miller Inc., the company responsible for a plethora of mid-century furniture design standards, will have another Midwestern factory within the next two years. The Michigan based company in Zeeland has recently acquired a number of defunct furnishing plants, including Seattle-based Brandrud and Sheboygan based Nemschoff Inc. The company now plans to consolidate these two operations, moving into the Sheboygan factory and setting up operations there. This move has been met with great excitement in Wisconsin, and in a deal to forge a relationship between the state and the company Governor Jim Doyle has pledged to provide a $500,000 loan and almost $1 million in tax credits to aide the $2.5 million project. This information comes as a relief to a state that seems to be losing factory jobs daily and will be a fantastic addition to the design culture of Wisconsin. Herman Miller furniture is an absolute staple for sophisticated living. It seems that every light-filled loft and horizontal Palm Beach home showcases at least one of Herman Miller’s iconic designs.
From the “coconut chair” to the Eames lounge, the flawless style and streamlined image never fails to escape the mind of the best interior designers and astute homeowners. Herman Miller Inc. was started in 1923 by D.J. De Pree and named in honor of his father-in-law who was a prominent businessman. The company began by producing traditional furniture but eventually saw a new market developing in down-scaled living and applied itself to designing efficient, innovative pieces for both the home and office. Henry Miller is credited with numerous design and space-saving innovations including the office cubicle. Some of the most prominent art and design museums in the world including the Art Institute of Chicago, MoMA, the Whitney Museum and the Smithsonian Institution house Henry Miller Inc. furniture created by the world’s most famous designers. The objects range from the most recognizable bits of furniture to lights, catalogs, and desks. Despite its museum status, Herman Miller Inc. continues to produce fresh, new designs that fill offices, hospitals, and homes.
Instantly recognized but often overlooked, the Muskegon Museum of Art in Michigan will be bringing the famous designs to the public’s attention in a traveling exhibition entitled “Good Design: Stories from Herman Miller.” The show will present impeccably preserved examples of the marshmallow sofa, prototypes of the Embody chair, famous office furniture and countless lounge chairs. The exhibition’s aim is to present the inescapable influence that Herman Miller has had on the high-end furniture that is being produced today. Beyond the obvious influence on forms of furniture, the exhibition also insists that the approach of Herman Miller has served as an example of innovative design of all avenues. Considering the high demand for original pieces and recently produced ones of the same design it is no wonder the curator feels so strongly about Herman Miller’s Influence. MIR Appraisal and Herman Miller There is no need to violate the rules and risk exhibition violations at the Art Institute of Chicago in order to sit on one of these delightful pieces of furniture.
Simply make an appointment at MIR Appraisal Services Inc. located blocks north of the AIC on Michigan Avenue and take a seat on one of the many examples housed in our office in the Old Republic Building. Bring a piece of art, jewelry, porcelain, silver or memorabilia and relax in style while your heirloom is appraised. MIR Appraisal Services, Inc. 307 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 308 Geek deals: 15% off Herman Miller chairs, Vizio all-in-one PC discounted, more 11.20.2012 :: 5:21PM EST The modern workforce is becoming increasingly stationary. We sit in front of computers for hours upon hours each day, to the point that interruptions are a welcome relief. With so much time spent at a desk, the often over-looked work tool is the office chair. If you’ve ever had one of the 90s reject office chair tasks that are about as comfortable as a child’s high-chair, then you know the torture that a poor chair can bring a desk worker. There are many well-designed, ergonomic options out there, but perhaps none so well known as Herman Miller.
Best known for their Aeron, Herman Miller has a full line of chairs suitable for various preferences and office types, all of which are designed to be highly ergonomic. If the Aeron is the Cadillac of the office chair world, the Embody is the Rolls Royce. It takes ergonomic design to the next level with a 52-piece lumbar system and of course a highly adjustable design. The Embody comes in 13 colors and can be customized to meet your ever need. These are some of the most popular and most premium office chairs out there, which is why we rarely see sales and discounts on new models from a factory-authorized reseller like this. That makes this 15% off ALL Herman Miller chairs from Office Designs an especially hot offer. Browse through their collection, your back and derriere will thank you! 15% off all Herman Miller chairs: Embody starting at $934.15, Aeron at $534.65 + free shipping Our other top deals: Dell Inspiron 17R Core i5 17.3-inch Windows 8 laptop for $649.99 + free shipping
(normally $929.99 | use coupon 5J8MMN12$3H?ends Nov. 23 or sooner) Vizio CA27-A2 27-inch 1080p all-in-One PC with Core i7, SSD for $999.99 + free shipping (normally $1,349.99 | use instant savings | ends soon) LG 50PA5500 50-inch 1080p plasma HDTV for $549.99 + free shipping (normally $999.99 | use instant savings | ends Nov. 25 or sooner) subscribe to our newsletter: Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.IN 1950, after a decade of experiments, Charles and Ray Eames introduced a chair that looked and performed like no other. It was lightweight, flexible, comfortable and affordable—and all because it was plastic. In the past decade alone, some 500,000 Eames Molded Plastic Chairs have been sold globally, fulfilling Charles Eames’s ambition to make “the best for the most for the least.” (The price of the classic currently starts at $319.) Originally made of a fiberglass-reinforced polyester resin used for World War II shock helmets, the Eames chair was produced until 1989, when Herman Miller, the chair’s manufacturer for North America, discontinued it because of the material’s health threat to factory workers.
In 2000, the chair was brought back in polypropylene, which bore no risk and had the advantage of being recyclable. In 2014, Herman Miller released a safe, recyclable fiberglass version. Few chairs are more versatile: The collection includes models with and without arms in a variety of colors, with bases of wood or metal that sit squarely or rock. Or more influential: The Eames classic has seen many offspring over the years, and the category continues to thrive. Among the descendants shown at the international furniture fair in Milan in April were chairs by Jasper Morrison, for the American company Emeco; Alfredo Häberli, for the Italian company Alias; and Simon Legald, for the Danish company Normann Copenhagen. The market for plastic chairs is insatiable, interior designers say, because of their many virtues. you can wipe them. You can put them in any room,” said New York-based Vicente Wolf, whose clients have included Twyla Tharp, Egon von Furstenberg and Clive Davis. The protean material can be easily contoured for comfort or visual drama, Mr. Wolf added, and he appreciates the color range.
He is partial to bright, sinuous Panton chairs, which are effectively $310 pieces of sculpture. Ghislaine Viñas, a fellow New York designer known for colorful interiors, said a plastic chair “is hip, it’s not precious, and if you’re tired of it inside, you can move it outside.” Ms. Viñas also noted that world-class designers frequently create the chairs, so if you want relatively inexpensive furniture by, say, Ron Arad or Philippe Starck, here’s your chance. She singled out Mr. Arad’s Tom Vac chair ($455) and Mr. Starck’s Toy chair ($972 for four) among her favorites. The price range for molded plastic chairs is considerable, from less than $10 for a patio chair at Home Depot to almost $1,500 for Neri&Hu’s new Sedan chair for ClassiCon. What sets them apart? $128 for two Championed by: Brian Patrick Flynn, a television producer and interior designer. “There’s something to be said about a versatile, durable chair with classic, modern lines that’s certain to withstand the test of time,” he said.
How it compares to the classic: The visual inspiration is more Arne Jacobsen than Charles and Ray Eames, but the design still telegraphs midcentury modern. Value proposition: You can arrange four around the dining table for the price of a single Eames chair. Born: 2012, for German schoolchildren. Mr. Grcic designed PRO after research found fidgeting helps learning. Restless students can sit sideways or straddle the back. Championed by: The Design Museum in London, which named it 2014 Design of the Year in the fashion category. (It beat Prada’s spring/summer collection.) How it compares to the classic: A conceptual departure. Eames chairs were meant to be so comfy you wouldn’t squirm. But the Eameses understood kids and might have approved. Value proposition: PRO is lightweight, which reduces shipping costs. Flötotto, +49- 5241-9405-542 Born: 2010, with later editions. Mr. Morrison named the chair after the homicidal supercomputer in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 “2001: A Space Odyssey” because he liked the film’s “incredible set design.”
Championed by: The architecture studios SANAA and Imrey Culbert, which put it in the café of their glass-block Louvre-Lens Museum, in France. How it compares to the classic: Even more versatile. Fifteen different bases support diverse models—armchairs, barstools, rolling desk chairs, etc. Value proposition: Mr. Morrison plus Vitra equals design and production rigor—a lot of quality for your money. Vitra, 212-463-5750 Born: 2014. The name alludes to the fins connecting the seat and base. Neuland, the German studio that designed Sharky, also did a commodious chair called Elephant. Championed by: The German Design Council, which named it winner of the 2015 Interior Innovation Award. How it compares to the classic: Fancier. A lacquered polyurethane seat shell is coupled with a base of solid beech, solid oak or aluminum. Kvadrat fabric upholstery is an option. Value proposition: Luxe materials and killer looks don’t come cheap. Inspired by the human-powered conveyance favored by the wealthy, Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, in Shanghai, separated the polyurethane foam shell from the solid-wood support so the seat looks suspended.