The jury selected Setu, which was designed by Studio 7.5, as the best example of sustainable design for its positive impact on business and broader society. As both wrestle with environmental demands, and as Herman Miller looked to support the ergonomic needs of mobile workers and their technology, Setu created a new benchmark for sustainability and comfort.

Always in good company, Setu appears with Method Laundry Detergent with Smartclean Technology and Nike Considered Footwear to round out the top three finalists in its category.

And it joins Herman Miller’s impressive list of previous Design of the Decade winners, including the Equa chair (80s) and the Aeron chair (90s).

It’s a great example of our commitment to problem-solving seating design and anticipating the needs of our society.

In its 29th year, the annual design competition honors design excellence in products, eco design, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research, and concepts. Sponsored by BusinessWeek and presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America, it received more than 1,600 award entries from over 15 countries.

Teneo provides a new paradigm for the filing and storage category. It combines the functional qualities of storage with the aesthetic qualities of furniture, and its systemic approach allows it to be a product platform that can evolve and adapt. All Teneo products are made from the same set of elements and share design features to provide a consistent look and create a unified aesthetic within an environment.

“Teneo storage furniture is an excellent example of a sophisticated and versatile modular storage system,” said juror Stefanie Kubanek, associate partner, Pentagram. “It’s simple, yet it combines high functionality and materiality with a playful and user-focused, sustainable design.”

By Marcia Davis