Recipe of the Week from Marigold Lodge: Pita Chips

Just in time for your holiday appetizer tray, here’s the recipe from Marigold Lodge for our delicious pita chips. Pita chips have become a Marigold tradition and accompany each meal served there.

Watch for another recipe from Marigold Lodge next week!

Marigold Lodge Pita Chips

1 package pita pocket bread
½ pound butter, melted
Lawry’s seasoned salt to taste

Cut pita pockets into wedges. Peel layers of pita apart.

Lay pita on a sheet pan, rough side up. Brush each piece with melted butter. Sprinkle each piece lightly with seasoned salt.

Bake pita at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a convection oven 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Note: For best results convection oven should be used for baking.

Finding a Way to Show You Care

In 24 cities across the U.S. and Canada, for the 13th year in a row, Herman Miller folks joined with architects, designers, and suppliers—from over 200 firms—to bring children a day of seasonal good cheer. They helped kids from local Boys and Girls Clubs have fun and make holiday gifts for their loved ones—everything from tree ornaments to sand vases to holiday placemats. It’s a great tradition, and one you might want to be a part of. Contact us to find out about a We Care event near you or look for other opportunities in your city. Happy holidays!

Best of Year Awards Put Herman Miller in the Spotlight

Last week’s Best of Year Awards—Interior Design magazine’s design competition recognizing superior interior design projects and products in all categories—highlighted three products from Herman Miller: the Envelop desk, the Setu chair, and the Embody chair.

Envelop won the Best of Year Award in the Furniture: Contract/Desking & Systems category, while Setu received the award for the Seating: Contract/Conference category. Embody was noted for its Merit Award in the Seating: Contract/Task category.

Check out the rest of the winners on the publication’s website.

Universal Design—Been There, Done That, Still Doing It

A few years ago I had foot surgery on both feet at the same time. For six weeks, I stumped around the house with the help of a walker. Climbing stairs, making a sandwich, getting the mail—everything took five times longer than it should have, i.e., five times longer than it took me when I was able bodied. It was a stark reminder that, no matter how healthy we are, sooner or later we’ll all experience physical limitations, whether because of surgery or illness or the natural effects of aging.

Universal design accounts for that eventuality by providing for the broadest range of ages, abilities, and work styles. While universal design came into its own when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, inclusiveness has always been part of Herman Miller’s approach to design. In 1968, Robert Propst designed the original Action Office system with universality in mind, and it’s still among the best at accommodating people of all abilities. 

If a product can be used with a closed fist, virtually anyone can use it. The sliding door design of Vivo’s overhead unit and its knob are good examples.

So are the arc drawer pulls on Meridian files and the joystick height-adjustment lever on the Embody chair.

Beyond the “closed fist” rule, universal design happens in the application of product in work surface heights and aisle widths, for example, says Marsha Skidmore, Director of Market Response Design & Development at Herman Miller. Herman Miller dealers can help customers plan for universal design in their facilities.

In the product development process, Herman Miller doesn’t mandate universal design, “We don’t have to because we always have taken inclusiveness into account. It’s just a part of our culture,” says Skidmore. “We never aim to make something that would exclude a group of people.”

Sky-High Energy Savings at the Empire State Building

The venerable New York landmark is set for a $20 million upgrade. The goal is to make it a model of sustainability. To help make that happen, the skyscraper will get advanced lighting controls from Convia/A Herman Miller Company. Those controls will contribute to an expected 40% reduction in energy use.

Inside Marigold Lodge

In September we shared with you the history of Marigold Lodge and how the home became a part of Herman Miller. We thought we’d show you more of the lodge—and the other buildings that share the property—since Marigold is such a special place to the Herman Miller community. Take a tour through our slide show to see what our guests experience when they visit.

The lodge has eight bedrooms on the second floor, including those of the Gold family. Throughout the home, pieces from the family’s collection decorate the space, including Herman Miller furniture made in the 1930s, before our founder, D.J. De Pree, met Gilbert Rohde.

Other accommodations are located in the Smokehouse (formerly the barbecue house), the Ice House, and the Carriage House. Altogether, Marigold has 21 guest rooms.

Marigold also offers meeting space in the Learning Center, which has four conference rooms, as well as touchdown spaces, group spaces, and a patio. And the Boathouse offers one conference room that easily accommodates a small group.

No matter what the season, Marigold is a treat to visit, whether you’re our guest from out of town or an employee of Herman Miller. Everyone receives a warm welcome in a beautiful environment.

Pets@Work

A recent survey by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) found that nearly one in five U.S. companies now allow pets at work. Many of these pet-friendly offices belong to small startups (my personal favorite, Small Dog Electronics, devotes a page on its website to employee and customer dogs) probably because with fewer employees it’s easier to reach consensus on issues like pet hair and squeak toys. But larger businesses are also signing on. 

Do you share an office with a furry friend? Send your stories and photos to Discover and we’ll highlight them in a future blog post.

What I Learned About the Library

First off, that’s not me at the easel. Happens to be a student in the library at North Carolina State University. It could have been me, though, because the other day I got the chance, along with the Herman Miller Education Solutions Group, to go to school on what’s next for the academic library.
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