Every year, late in the month of May, we celebrate the birthdays of George Nelson and Alexander Girard. Director of design and director of textiles, respectively, these two men established design as central to all aspects of the company. In many instances their works were the face of Herman Miller to the world. We owe them much.

“Old Sun” was designed in 1972 as part of the Environmental Enrichment program Girard created for Herman Miller.

Girard, who joined Herman Miller in 1950 as director of upholstery and the newly created textile division, furnished the Miller House with pieces from the Herman Miller Collection together with his custom textiles and carpets. The residence is also a sublime example of Alexander Girard’s mastery of the artful collage—combining furniture, fabrics, accessories, and art to create unified and joyful environments.

The Miller House has multiple outdoor living and dining areas created by an extended roof and a continuous travertine floor, blurring the distinction between indoors and outdoors. Girard, faced with furnishing these spaces, noted to Charles Eames the lack of high-quality outdoor furniture. Charles and Ray and the Eames Office responded by designing an innovative group of chairs with aluminum frames tautly supporting a continuous plane of plastic cloth.


Herman Miller began producing the Aluminum Group chairs in 1958, originally promoting the chairs as the “leisure group” or alternatively the “indoor-outdoor group.”  The Millers owned some of the first production models. It didn’t take long for the Aluminum Group to move inside exclusively, perhaps due to their lithe form. Now, that distinctive design returns to its place of origin with materials, finishes, and hardware fit for the Miller House terraces and all outdoors. A classic returns to its original environment.

Miller House and Garden is owned and cared for by the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Tours at Miller House and Garden are made possible through the Columbus Area Visitors Center.

In the mid-60s, Braniff International Airways, determined to mark “the end of the plain plane,” approached designer Alexander Girard to create an eye-catching visual identity for the company.

Having the opportunity to express himself on a truly grand scale, Girard left no aspect of the airline untouched. He designed Braniff’s logo, its boarding lounges, inflight stationary, ground equipment, and even the packages for its coffee and sugar. He had the entire fleet of airplanes painted hues ranging from deep grey to vermillion. “You can fly our airline seven times and never fly the same color twice,” boasted one Braniff executive.

In 1967, Girard designed a collection of furniture for use in Braniff’s lounges. Including chairs, sofas, and tables, the designs, while beautiful, were exorbitantly expensive to produce. As a result, Herman Miller only made the collection for two years.

In his effort to transform Braniff into “the most beautiful airline in the world” Girard initiated 17, 543 changes. His work received acclaim from both the press and public and certainly drew customers to the airline.

Unfortunately, Alexander Girard’s Braniff designs are no longer available today.

The Miller House opened its doors to the public for the first time yesterday, and Cerentha Harris, of Lifework fame, and I were among the first to set foot inside. The tour was a great opportunity to experience a rare synergy between three masters: Eero Saarinen, architecture; Alexander Girard, interior design; and Daniel Kiley, landscape design.

Guided by Girard’s careful eye, the interiors showcase some of the best in mid-century modern design, including many Herman Miller classics, as well as pieces created exclusively for the Miller family. From Xenia Miller’s collections on display to the personalized dining chair cushions, the interiors also wonderfully reflect the personality of family that called the house “home” for so many years.

Whether your interest is design or architecture, or you just appreciate cool things, a visit to the Miller House is a worthwhile trip.

Also, be sure to checkout Cerentha’s post on Lifework.

Known for his iconic textile patterns and colors, Alexander Girard brought a new dimension of modern design to Herman Miller in the fabrics he designed during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. One well-known design is “Daisy Face,” a screen-print created for the Action Office system in 1972.

In this video, hear what Bob Guerin, of Propp + Guerin Design, says about the three-dimensional “Daisy Face” sculpture outside Herman Miller’s Los Angeles showroom. It’s another way we’ve harmonized the details of design with the natural world.

Alexander Girard’s playful patterns and bright colors were a breath of fresh air into the otherwise stodgy and often colorless domestic world of post-war America.

Born in New York City and raised in Florence, “Sandro” Girard had, in the words of Hugh De Pree, “impeccable taste and incredible astuteness about space, color, and pattern.”  Nowhere is this more evident than in the fabrics Girard designed for Herman Miller in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Drawing inspiration from folk art — Girard’s personal collection reached some 100,000 items — he brought a dimension of taste and color to his work with Herman Miller and their other design leaders, George Nelson and Charles Eames. Today, Girard’s fabric designs are timeless expressions of charm, wit, and originality.

Girard contributed his collection to The Museum of International Folk Art, home to the world’s largest collection of folk art. The long-term exhibit, Multiple Visions: A Common Bond, which opened in 1982, is displayed in the Girard Wing and was designed by Girard himself. It showcases folk art, popular art, toys, and textiles from more than 100 nations.

To see another dimension of Girard’s “Daisy Face”, check out this video about the sculpture outside Herman Miller’s Los Angeles showroom.

By Marcia Davis