Design, Products
February 16, 2011
By Cerentha Harris
We’ve written about Discovering Design before – it’s a great collection of pictures, stories and video from the Herman Miller archives. I was particularly taken by the story behind Isamu Noguchi’s glass-topped table. I didn’t know he’d spent time in an internment camp or that there was an early version of the table that existed before George Nelson stumbled upon the design in Noguchi’s studio. Below you’ll find Noguchi’s words excerpted from his 1968 autobiography, A Sculptor’s World, which was rereleased in 2004.
“I went to Hawaii in 1939 to do an advertisement (with Georgia O’Keefe). As a result of this, I had met (T.H.) Robsjohn-Gibbings, the furniture designer, who had asked me to do a coffee table for him,” Noguchi remembered. “I designed a small model in plastic and heard no further before I went west.”
Noguchi with his wife Yoshiko (Shirley) Yamaguchi on the veranda of their house and his studio, Kita-Kamakura, Japan, ca. May–December 1952.
Noguchi was Japanese-American and going west refers to his internment in the Poston, Arizona, concentration camp during World War II. While he was interned, Noguchi said he was surprised to see a version of the small plastic model he had done for Robsjohn-Gibbings published as an advertisement for the English designer. “When, on my return, I remonstrated, he said anybody could make a three-legged table,” said Noguchi. “In revenge, I made my own variant of my own table.”
Noguchi and his wife standing outside Charles and Ray Eames’ house.
The “variant” Noguchi designed was used to illustrate an article, written by George Nelson, called “How to Make a Table.” Nelson had seen the table some months earlier at Noguchi’s studio. Dropping in to see his good friend, Nelson found him working on a piece he intended to give his sister for her birthday. Noguchi had cut a piece of scavenged glass for the top and made a base using two identical pieces of wood fitted together by a single pin. Nelson liked the organic shape. By 1947, the table became part of the Herman Miller product line. It reflects Noguchi’s belief that “everything is sculpture. Any material, any idea without hindrance born into space I consider sculpture.”
“To limit yourself to a particular style may make you an expert of that particular viewpoint or school, but I do not wish to belong to any school,” he said. “I am always learning, always discovering.”
The Noguchi Table with a cherry base.
Photo credits top to bottom: Noguchi at work via Vitra. Noguchi coffee table via Herman Miller Discovering Design. Noguchi and his wife via Unframe. Noguchi outside the Eames house via Architectural Ruminations.
Balance, Design, Products
January 10, 2011
By Cerentha Harris
This blog has been up and running for a year now and I remember so clearly when I started how excited I was to have access to all Herman Miller’s awesome archival material. One of the things I keep forgetting to remind the Lifework readers is that you have access to the work too. The Discovering Design page has lots of info on each designer, slideshows of their work and fascinating stories on the design process. I highly recommend you drop by the site and check it out.
Balance, Design
January 10, 2011
By Cerentha Harris
First impressions. They count. And at Herman Miller’s Design Yard in Holland, MI, you can count on a good one when you walk in the front door: A friendly and helpful concierge, lots to catch your eye and grab your interest, great aromas from the coffee bar, and comfortable furniture.
If you’re part of a customer tour of the Design Yard, it’s likely your first stop will be the Parlor, just a few steps from the front door. It’s a great room to relax in, unwind, and have a conversation with Herman Miller folks about your company, your needs, and what’s important to you.
“The Parlor sets the tone,” says Robert Hieftje, Herman Miller’s Customer Experience Senior Manager. “It’s a place of discovery a time of learning for us. After we talk and get to know each other, we’re able to personalize the rest of the customer’s experience at the Design Yard so it’s of most value to them.”
Furnished with a carefully selected mix of Herman Miller furniture, the room looks and feels like home. A wall of bookshelves holds not only books, but also artifacts from Herman Miller’s legacy: photos of the companies legendary designers like Nelson, Rhode, Girard, Stumpf, and the Eameses; examples of Herman Miller innovation; and a treasure trove of fun conversation pieces.
For example, there’s a beautiful wooden envelope from the Hall family of Hallmark Cardsfame, given in recognition of Herman Miller’s and Hallmark’s 40-years of working together.
Via Bill Holm at Discover.
Design, Products
December 3, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
It’s a big week for us on the small screen. Extreme Home Makeover has chosen a truckload of Herman Miller furniture for their program that airs Sunday. And today Ellen gave away 425 Setu chairs! It’s Day 2 of her 12 Days of Giving and I went to the set to see what all the fuss was about…and let me tell you there was a lot of fuss.
We were kept out of the audience – it wouldn’t look good if I took a seat from a ‘real’ audience member now would it!
So I watched from the green room as Ellen had Hilary Swank guess a mystery word.
Once she’d guessed it (it was gummy bears) the audience were rewarded with a Setu chair. You can watch the show here.
It was such a thrill to be part of all that energy and well-wishing. Ellen gave away over $3000 worth of gifts to each audience member. And the audience was ecstatic. In the line to get to our cars after the show the woman in front of me turned around, wide-eyed and said “There wasn’t a second of down time. Where does she get all her energy?” I didn’t have an answer. But I knew that we were just the first show. Ellen was taping Monday’s show right after ours. Two shows back-to-back on Thursdays. Makes for an intense work week but one that gives you a bit of down time on a Friday!
Balance, Design, Products
December 1, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
We are really excited to be part of this Sunday’s episode of Extreme Makeover. As you can see from these photos we trucked in quite a bit of furniture! You’ll have to wait til Sunday to see how it all comes together but we can tell you to keep your eye out for the Eames walnut stool, Yves Behar’s Leaf light and the Nelson platform bench (there’s actually a long list – which you can check out here. I don’t think you’ll have trouble spotting!) I’m fascinated to see how they have folded our pieces into what looks like a pretty traditional house.
And if you see anything you like we’ve collected all the pieces that appeared on the show here.
Design, Products, Technology
October 18, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
This week we’ve joined many of our authorized retailers‘ online and bricks and mortar stores and opened our own virtual doors. We are inviting you to come and explore Herman Miller’s own official store. From a home office angle there’s a ton of great designs to choose from with the content broken up by rooms (just choose the ‘Working‘ tab in the Shop by Room category). Also make sure you check out the Care and Maintenance section – it’s a feature we think you’ll like. How do you clean chrome? Or wood veneer? Or laminate? All the info is there now at your fingertips.
Let us know what you think about the new site. It’s always good to hear from you.
Design, Products, Technology
September 27, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
We continue our interview series with the artists behind the Design for You painted Eames rockers. Here’s Christopher Lee, a graphic artist with a penchant for toys and organized chaos.
How long have you worked in your current studio? And where is it? I left my job last October to work as a full-time freelance illustrator. My studio is the second bedroom in the townhouse that I rent.
Describe your style? How would you define your aesthetic? I experiment with a lot of different styles and don’t really feel bound by just one. My favorite style to work in usually mixes handmade textural qualities, muted color palettes, simple characters and type. I would describe my aesthetic as minimal but with whimsical undertones.
As an artist how do you keep your space organized? I’m thinking here of the physical space but also your computer. Are there any particular programs you find really useful? I shove all of my paperwork under the rug! I actually wish I had more formal places for things. My closet is fairly messy but all of my pens, paper, packing supplies and other various things I use on a daily basis are close at hand. Actually my whole office is organized chaos because I like to fill my space with as much inspiration as possible. It’s a little messy in that regard but I have a whole house that I can keep clean. In regards to my computer, I find FontExplorer X Pro invaluable for organizing my fonts. I’ve tried other programs in the past, but this one takes the cake for me.
Tell me about the experience of painting the Eames chair? How much prep did you have to do? What inspired the final design? Painting the Eames chair presented a bunch of different challenges for me. This was the first time I’ve ever painted anything. That was was probably the biggest hurdle for me to get over. I sketched the piece first and then brought it into Illustrator where I planned the colors and finalized the composition. I printed out the illustration and started mixing colors and writing down the ratios so that when it came time to painting the actual chair I could focus on just the painting part. I was inspired by the idea of a shepherd in nature. An entity of sorts that guides and oversees all that is living.
What inspires you? I really dig the mid-century modern furniture and architecture. There was just so much design history during that period. I’m also a fan of this DIY “Etsy” movement that is influencing a lot of things these days. My girlfriend is always a constant inspiration along with our Boston Terrier, Ponzu.
What would you change about your workspace if you could? I wish I had more space. Everything is pretty cozy at the moment.
What do you most love about your space? I love my vintage 80’s/early 90’s toy collection. The corner that my desk is situated in is my own little nostalgic retreat. If I’m feeling stressed all I have to do is glance at something and I’m transported back to 1989.
Design, Products
September 24, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
With all the prizes now unlocked in our Design for You competition all you need to do is enter your email to be eligible to win. There are still 5 designs to win plus the painted Eames rockers. And, as a little – or rather big – extra we’ve also included an Aeron chair. The way to win that chair is to get your friends and family to sign up. The one with the most signatures will win the chair. You can read all about it here. Good luck!
