No other business of its kind did more than the Herman Miller Furniture Company to introduce modern design into American homes. Working with legendary designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Alexander Girard, the Zeeland, Michigan-based firm fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call Mid-Century Modern style. In doing so, Herman Miller produced some of the most beautiful, iconic and, one can even say, noblest furniture of the past seven decades. Founded in 1923, Herman Miller was originally known for grand historicist bedroom suites: heavily ornamented wood furniture that appealed to a high-minded, wealthier clientele. The company—named for its chief financial backer—began to suffer in the early 1930s as the Great Depression hit, and D. J. De Pree, the company’s CEO, feared bankruptcy. In 1932, aid came in the form of Gilbert Rohde, a self-taught furniture designer who had traveled widely in Europe, absorbing details of the Art Deco movement and other modernist influences.
After persuading De Pree that the growing middle-class required smaller, lighter household furnishings, Rohde set a new course for Herman Miller, creating sleek chairs, tables and cabinetry that were the essence of the Streamline Moderne style. Rohde died suddenly in 1944. The following year, De Pree turned to George Nelson, an architect who had written widely about modern furniture design. Under Nelson’s leadership, Herman Miller would embrace new technologies and materials and audacious biomorphic forms. Some of the pieces the company produced are now emblems of 20th century American design, including the Eames lounge chair and ottoman and Nelson’s Marshmallow sofa and Coconut chair. As you can see on these pages, such instantly recognizable furnishings have become timeless—staples of a modernist décor; striking, offbeat notes in traditional environments. Featured WorkVisit nowFeatured ArticleRead more Antiques Roadshow: Leslie Keno appraises a 1957 Herman Miller Eames Shell Chair
Check out Leslie Keno’s appraisal of this 1957 Herman Miller Eames shell chair, in Kansas City ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.Top MidcenturyMidcentury DesignersModern DesignersVintage HermanHerman MillerRoundedCentury ModernThe TopForwardWe’ve rounded up some of the top #midcentury designers to help you distinguish their work.Herman Miller Consortium Collection This website showcases several hundred pieces of furniture, held by thirteen museums, that were designed for Herman Miller Inc. over the years by famous designers like George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames. Also includes product literature for the chairs, sofas, ottomans, storage units, etc. Start with the browse page to get a sense of the collection, and be sure to also check out the designer biographies page. Visit this site nowAuction Date: Soonest First Auction Date: Furthest First Number of Bids: Fewest First Number of Bids: Most First Buy Now: Recently Added Buy Now Price: High to Low Buy Now Price: Low to High
Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman February 22, 2017, 10:00 AM EST Eames LCW Lounge Chairs for Herman Miller Black Eames Shell Chairs on H Bases for Herman Miller Pair of Charles Eames for Herman Miller Bucket Swivel Chair Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair Rocker Base Click on image to zoom Designers: Charles and Ray EamesThe Molded Fiberglass Armchair Rocker Base is exemplary of the Eameses’ iterative process and their desire to make “the best for the most for the least.” With each new finish and configuration, Charles and Ray pushed the boundaries of what the shell chair can be, whether it’s in an office lounge or the corner of your living room. Made of 100 percent recyclable polypropylene, this plastic rocking chair’s subtle matte texture offers a soft tactility and notable durability, and it is available in an array of colors and numerous upholstery options. Configure Your Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair Rocker Base Add to Wish List
Thanks to a new, proprietary process of producing fiberglass-reinforced plastic, Herman Miller is once again able to produce the original 1950 Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair safely by means of a less volatile, monomer-free "dry bind" process. Like the original shell chairs, our new, fiberglass finish has the same covetable surface variation and telltale fiberglass striation that have attracted avid vintage collectors for decades.The process for making shells and the nature of fiberglass mean that each shell is unique and can possess traits such as tiny cavities in the surface, small points of lighter or darker color, or faint circular shadows where base attaches to shell. Fulfilling the goals of every modern designer. Like the countless fiberglass shells that have been beloved by avid Eames collectors and design enthusiasts for years, we expect our newly formulated Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair Rocker Base to endure for generations to come. However, in the off chance your Molded Fiberglass Shell is compromised, Herman Miller's Take Back program offers an environmentally sound means for recycling it.
The Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair Chair is available in a spectrum of archival colors and numerous upholstery options straight from the Alexander Girard Archive. A "Preform" that Performs To create preforms for the new Eames Molded Fiberglass Arm and Side Chairs, a "dry binder process" is used. With this technique, fiberglass strands, some of which melt at a lower temperature, are blown by a robot onto a screen in the shape of the chair shell. Heat is then applied, and enough strands melt so that the preform's shape remains intact, avoiding the harmful "wet glue" process used in traditional fiberglass fabrication. By employing technology used mainly in the automotive and manufacturing industries, this new fiberglass resin boasts many environmental improvements. Monomer-free and processed without VOC (volatile organic compounds) or HAP (hazardous air pollutants) emissions, these resins eliminate the need for thermal oxidizers. Compared to the fiberglass resins used in the Eameses' original design, the new resin results in a safer work environment for employees.