5.25.14 | Zeeland, MI | The Herman Miller Collection welcomed New York Design Week with a presentation of its latest designs, including a selection of new furniture and accessories, important reissues, and material additions to several of its most iconic designs. Among the highlights is a remarkable celebration of the vast scope and significant contribution of designer Alexander Girard, in a separate street front gallery featuring a range of  newly reissued designs and a public showcase exhibition, Alexander Girard: An Uncommon Vision.

The Herman Miller Collection’s primary product venue returned to the nearby High Line Room of the Standard Hotel, 848 Washington Street, May 18-19, with a focused presentation of an expanding array of choices in soft seating. 

Jack Schreur, Vice President, Herman Miller Collection and Retail, noted, “Our upholstered offer has grown dramatically, and our goal in the coming years is to continually develop this category with new pieces that offer great design with comfort, beauty, durability and value.” 

The Bolster, Bevel, and Tuxedo Sofa Groups from BassamFellows, as well as the new all black Eames Lounge and Ottoman and Upholstered Eames Shell Chairs, each address these needs. 

—New Sofas by BassamFellows (Available Fall, 2014)

• The Bolster Sofa marries plush comfort for lounging with ample support for sitting in a form quiet enough for traditional surroundings and essential enough for the most minimal, contemporary interiors. Long, slim seat cushions set atop minimal, steel legs give Bolster strong horizontal lines. These lines are made more prominent by Bolster’s plush back pillows, constructed of foam and fiber for supportive comfort. Available as club chair, settee, and three-seat sofa, along with corner and chaise lounge units and an ottoman, Bolster is appropriate for both residential and commercial use.

• The Bevel Sofa distills the idea of lounge seating into its essential form. Well-proportioned and fully upholstered, Bevel combines the support of an angular backrest with ample cushions to create a firm yet pliable seat, equally comfortable when lounging or sitting upright. As club chair, settee, sofa, or built into a landscape of seating that includes a chaise or corner unit and ottoman, Bevel has a clean, tailored look and compact, human-scaled dimensions that allow it to cross over between residential and commercial interiors with ease.

• The Tuxedo Classic has a compact scale similar to its namesake, the Tuxedo Component Lounge.  This new introduction presents a more anchored, traditional appearance with a substantial upholstered base and the use of round, solid wooden legs. Comfort is achieved with ergonomically shaped, dual-density foam cushions for support in both lounge and upright postures. Marrying the flexibility and functionality of sectional seating with the elegance of meticulous tailoring, Tuxedo Classic elements include club chair, settee, and sofa.

—Archival Soft Seating Reintroductions

• The Ebony on Ash Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, by Charles and Ray Eames was designed as a gift for film director Billy Wilder, with the goal of creating “the warm, receptive look of a well-used first-baseman’s mitt.”

The resulting design entered design history books almost immediately. Still produced using the same combination of handcraftsmanship and manufacturing technology employed when Herman Miller first began making the set, in 1956, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman are now available in an all-black version, with ebony veneer and black MCL Leather, and in a variety of other material options to suit any interior and every taste.

• Eames Upholstered Molded Fiberglass Shell Chair is being offered again thanks to a new proprietary process of producing fiberglass by means of a less volatile, monomer-free “dry bind” process. Like the original Shell Chairs, our new fiberglass finish has the same covetable surface variation and tell-tale fiberglass striations that have attracted avid vintage collectors for decades. The chair is available in eight vibrant colors, and can be upholstered in 17 different colors of Hopsak by Alexander Girard.

These new soft seating options are complemented by a wider range of Collection seating and occasional tables, including the newest introductions, Polygon Tables by Studio 7.5 and the highly anticipated Alexander Girard Ottomans (both available Fall, 2014).

Ben Watson, Herman Miller’s Executive Creative Director, stated, “We see the Collection as both our legacy and our responsibility, a labor of love and a statement of our commitment to design leadership for the next century.” He added, “We are committed to provide our customers, whether consumers or businesses, with products that are purposeful, beautiful, and enduring.”

All designs presented by the Herman Miller Collection during Design Week are or will be available through Herman Miller’s commercial North American dealers, with an edited but significant selection available through Herman Miller Authorized Retailers and the Herman Miller online store at www.hermanmiller.com/store.

Alexander Girard: An Uncommon Vision

To mark the release of the first collection of archival furniture and screen printed fabric panels by Alexander Girard, Herman Miller and Maharam are celebrating his life and work with a public installation in New York’s Meatpacking district. Alexander Girard: An Uncommon Vision is open to the public May 17-28, 446 West 14th Street.

Working closely with the Girard Studio, Herman Miller and Maharam emphasized they are honored to be authorized and authentic producers of Alexander Girard designs. In once again making available his remarkable range of furnishings, objects, screen-printed panels, and woven textiles, in collaboration with the Girard family, the partnership pledges to faithfully preserve and promote the design legacy and archive of Alexander Girard. The Herman Miller commitment to authenticity through authored, authorized design continues.

About The Herman Miller Collection

In 1948, George Nelson created the first Herman Miller Collection, with the goal of "a permanent collection designed to meet fully the requirements for modern living.”  He understood that the Collection would evolve as human behavior changed and new materials and manufacturing technologies emerged. Today’s modern living embraces the blending of life and work, with greater appreciation for contemporary design and mobile and ubiquitous technologies offering new freedom of choice in where and how people express their lifestyles and pursue their professions. The Herman Miller Collection welcomes and enriches this new era, as we endeavor to realize Nelson’s vision for the modern home, office, and public spaces.

About Herman Miller

Herman Miller’s inspiring designs, inventive technologies and strategic services help people do great things and organizations to perform at their best. Their award-winning products and services generated approximately $1.8 billion in revenue in fiscal 2013. Herman Miller designs are found in the permanent design collections of museums worldwide, while innovative business practices and a commitment to social responsibility have also helped establish Herman Miller as a recognized global leader. In 2013, Herman Miller was again included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. The company trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR.