Apartment Therapy Tech’s feature on this workspace posted on the office-space showcase site Where We Do What We Do got us spending a few more hours than expected touring home offices around the globe. Here are a few select settings that we especially appreciated. Read more
A look at all the places we’ve been throughout the last week.
1. “The Home Office – a Visual Guide” from The Globe and Mail
2. The New York Times‘ feature on photographer Julius Shulman, who was known for shooting the Eames House in Los Angeles (among many others).
3. Want to see more of the Eames house? Get a look inside with these videos at Mental Floss.
4. Inspired by this office in the woods found by Inthralld.
5. Lots of smart advice over at workfromhomewisdom.com.
6. The video of the Dragon Skin Pavilion of hi-tech bent wood at Co.Design.
7. “Why Eames Matters” at Maharam.
8. “Email Tips: 5 Ways to Get Action” at Inc.
9. Creative Director Garrett Murray’s review of the Mirra Chair — and his thoughts on our Embody Chair — on Maniacal Rage. (And don’t forget — you can now share your own reviews at the Herman Miller store.)
10. Another reminder: today is Arbor Day. Learn about it at arborday.org…then get outside and celebrate.
For the past eight years, Apartment Therapy has been conducting its “Small Cool” contest, which lets readers post photos of their compact spaces (1,000 square space or less) in order to earn a shot at the prestigious annual title. This year, thanks to Gregory Han of Apartment Therapy Tech, we’re noticing a few home offices featuring Herman Miller pieces (like the Eames Molded Plastic Side Chair with Wood Dowel Base in the Seattle home of contest entrants Lauren and Kyle). Take a look at some of the workspaces on our radar, then cast a vote for your favorite here. Read more
It’s the end of the week — so here’s another roundup of the posts (and apps) that have been filling up our last seven days.
1. This look at the offices of Ray and Charles Eames at OfficeSnapshots.com.
2. The 6 Things You Need To Look For in a Home Office Chair from Apartment Therapy (well said!).
3. Stylish laptop cases and bags at Design*Sponge.
4. A sneak peek of the forthcoming Domino special issue from Curbed.
5. We toured this home designed by architect Christopher Polly on Contemporist in Sydney….
6. …then headed southward to check out the peaceful Marion Bay House in Tasmania (via Habitus Living).
7. Charmed by this paperweight found by Ideas to Steal.
8. Getting around to reading “Get To Work By Meeting Procrastination Head-On” from Fast Company.
9. The Minds of Modern Mathematics iPad app in honor of Ray Eames’ centennial.
10. And as the makers of Eames molded plastic chairs, we have to agree with Dwell: Color makes people happy.
Sometimes the best way to stay happy is to stay flexible. Here’s six goodies that will bend to your will. Read more
This interview with Gabe Wing, who is a key member of our sustainable design team, marks the beginning of a green week here on Lifework. The company recently released our Better World Report at Greenbuild and it inspired me to look more closely at all things green here at Herman Miller. What do we mean by green? I think founder D.J. De Pree put it beautifully back in 1953 when he said “We will be a good steward of the environment.”
That commitment to good stewardship hit new heights in the late 90s with the work of Gabe Wing and Scott Charon. Under their watchful leadership Design for the Environment (DfE) protocol was born.
Studio 7.5′s Mirra Chair was the first piece to find itself under the bright lights of Wing and Charon’s new guidelines. Was that a smooth process? Bill Birchard in his book Merchants of Virtue tracks the development of the chair as it faced resistance from within the company by people under pressure to meet deadlines and budgets. Mirra’s initial design garnered a DfE score of 63 percent. After serious work and much heated debate it hit 80 percent on completion with 96 percent of the pieces that make up the chair being recyclable.
We’re also proud of the fact that we’ve reduced the shipping times for most Mirra models. When you order Mirra through the Herman Miller store most models will now be shipped within five days.
And while you’re waiting we’ll send you a copy of Birchard’s Merchant of Virtue so you can read some more (this is for store orders only). Birchard has written a really compelling book – and I know it’s about our company but I just finished the book and it certainly doesn’t sugar coat how hard it is to honor De Pree’s commitment to being good environmental stewards. It’s a frank look at what it takes to run a successful company that takes its environmental responsibility seriously.
Above: Gabe Wing, left and Scott Charon at Herman Miller headquarters.
We went to Wing to find out more about Mirra and the role it played in our ongoing commitment to sustainability.
1. The Mirra was the first design to be impacted by the environmental standards you were setting up back in 2003. What obstacles did you face getting the design to meet the new standards? The big obstacles were in obtaining detailed chemical formulations on all of the materials used in the chair down to 0.01%. This is like going to Coca-cola and asking for their secret recipe. It is easier now since our suppliers understand our design for the environment process but it was difficult in the beginning. Also we needed to develop alternatives to materials that we had used for decades like PVC used in arm pads.
2. Tell us about collaborating with Studio 7.5 who designed the chair. How did that process work? Working with Studio 7.5 was great. Very early on in the project, we shared our sustainable design protocol with them. We explained our focus on safe chemistry, designing for disassembly, recyclability and recycled content. They were already thinking in these terms. Working with our engineering team, they helped create what was called by Bill McDonough, “the most compete and thorough example of Cradle to Cradle design.” (Need to lookup actual quote. )
3. How did the work of Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart ( of MBDC) support and feed the work you were doing? C2C is one of the key tools we use as part of our sustainable design process. Working together with Bill and Michael, we embedded the principles of C2C into the development process that launched Mirra. We were struggling to find a replacement for PVC in the arm pads. The project team was dealing with a shrinking schedule and wanted to launch with PVC and fix it later. A visit from Bill inspired the team to find a solution which led to a material breakthrough and allowed the chair to launch on time.
4. You were brought on at Herman Miller to develop and launch Design for the Environment protocol. What was your background? I have a BS and an MS in chemical engineering. I spent the first 8 years of my career working in various roles in the plastics industry. I have been with HMI for 10 years, as part of our sustainable design team. My background in polymer science has been very helpful as we work with our suppliers to develop more sustainable materials.
5. Which chair do you sit in at work? I sit in an C-size Aeron chair at home and at work. I am fairly tall and find that I am just outside 95% size that Mirra was designed for.
Having a multi-functional home office is always a bonus, especially when it can be used as a guest room, living room, and also an office for two. This usually requires space, which is why Garrett Murray turned his master bedroom into a home office for two. The added square footage allowed him to make an expansive setup, for both himself and his wife.
The last time we mentioned Garrett Murray, a mobile app developer, and his setup, he was living in Brooklyn. It’s been about 7 months and he relocated in Los Angeles with his wife Stacey. The most intriguing part of their setup is that they decided to turn the master bedroom of their new place into a home office for two, allowing both husband and wife ample space to work in. Garrett’s Airia desk and Mirra chair now share space with his wife’s office setup. That combined with the tasteful decor, makes this an impressive home office, one that most likely everyone can enjoy.
For more details and shots of this space click here.
This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.
1. An homage to the George Nelson platform bench in Lego. Spotted on Craftzine.com.
2. An Eames molded plywood chair necklace via Esty shop Chocolate and Steel.
3. The Mirra chair reinvented for Eccellence.
