AN INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN KOOLE OF HERMAN MILLER
Herman Miller has long been at the forefront of modern furniture design. I was fortunate enough to be able to catch up with Susan Koole from Heman Miller's Zeeland, MI office to dicuss where the company's legacy began and where it is going in the 21st Century. Deeply rooted in classic modern ideals, Herman Miller is leveraging their rich design tradition to continue future innovations.
Bryan: Can you talk about how the rich history of Herman Miller informs what your organization does today?
Susan: When Gilbert Rohde brought “modern” furniture to Herman Miller in 1930, company founder D.J. DePree liked it for its honesty. It lacked the ornate decoration that covered the period reproduction pieces American furniture manufacturers were used to making and the American public was used to buying. DePree and Herman Miller (known then as Herman Miller Furniture Company) adopted modern design, and a partnership began between designers and a manufacturer that shaped design in the U.S. After Rohde died in 1944, George Nelson became director of design. He persuaded the company to hire the young and talented Charles Eames. These three designers (Rohde, Nelson & Eames) led Herman Miller to become a leader in design.
Nelson’s articulate views of design continue to influence our products. For example, in 1948, Nelson’s office designed and produced a catalog of Herman Miller’s modern designs, mostly products from Nelson and the Eameses. Perhaps the most lasting contribution to design and Herman Miller represented in this catalog derives from the five simple tenets that Nelson laid down describing Herman Miller’s philosophy of design, which we abide by today:
- What you make is important
- Design is an integral part of the business
- The product must be honest
- You decide what you will make
- There is a market for good design
Herman Miller’s unique brand of design goes, in the words of Nelson, “much deeper than styling and is far more likely to create trends than to follow them.”
Bryan: What key characteristic sets your company apart from other furniture manufacturers?
Susan: Problem-solving design sets us apart from other furniture manufacturers. If a problem and the resulting design calls for something new, we go after it. Particularly, Herman Miller’s decision to allow the designers we work with to innovate in materials and manufacturing processes has resulted in a wide range of designs and a history of ground breaking products.
Bryan: What is the process of developing new pieces and collections of furniture at Herman Miller?
Susan: Nelson defined design as a response to social change. Herman Miller’s research team is constantly evaluating the ways people work, learn, heal, and live, and as a result, asking: “What is the problem or need?” For example, by considering human health in the designs of our products, we often make some unusual connections. The study of long-term sitting among older people led Herman Miller researchers and designers to conclude that heat build-up was a problem; the Aeron chair’s Pellicle resulted. The effect of light and air on mood and productivity led the Resolve office system team to find new ways to use translucent materials. Height-adjustable work surfaces and strict reach criteria are all part of all our systems furniture.
The enormous and complex nature of ergonomic and anthropometric data today requires us to involve teams of experts in every design we undertake. Our goal is to make all of our designs—products, events, facilities, communications—useful and appealing to a wide range of people and human abilities as possible, especially given the demographic realities of the coming years (multiple generations in the workplace; an aging population in the U.S., and increasing cultural diversity worldwide).
Bryan: How do you balance legacy products (like the Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman) with new innovations? Is it difficult not to let either of them overshadow one another?
Susan: Key design traits of mid-century modern furniture include simplicity and honesty, both in the design and materials. It allows consumers to appreciate the design for what it is. These traits combine to form the red thread that connects our classic and current products. We balance these products based on the understanding that our classic designs serve as a foundation and inspiration for new innovations.
However, the increasing interest in our classic products initially led to the forming of Herman Miller for the Home in 1994. Herman Miller for the Home is an arm of the business that manages retail distribution of classic and more recent products, including, for example, the Eames Lounge and Ottoman and the Aeron chair.
Bryan: Can you describe what consumers can look forward to from Herman Miller in the 21st Century?
Susan: I’m not able to elaborate too much about future product introductions, but since Herman Miller views design as the best way to improve the lives of people and organizations, consumers can look forward to a variety of solutions that address life/work blend. This includes supporting individuals that work from home, mobile workers and those who understand and recognize quality design as a means to comfort and productivity.
For example, Herman Miller for the Home introduced Lifework Portfolio in 2008 at New York’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Lifework is a response to the wide and growing variety of home-based tasks and work styles. It includes several newly designed and classic desks and seating products. Look for more additions in the future, including the new Embody work chair.
Herman Miller for the Home also recently has launched the Herman Miller Select Program, which, beginning this year, will offer a limited-edition classic or new design for one year. The inaugural product is the Eames molded plywood lounge chair with cow hairhide—only 500 are available.
Whether classic or new, our products are designed to create a better world around our customers. Developing problem-solving solutions for their home or office, including work/lounge seating, filing and storage, work stations and desks, will always be our goal. pm
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Photos copyright Herman Miller & Alki1's Flickr Photostream
Bryan Kelly is a co-founder and contributor to PrairieMod. He lives in a super cool 1970's ranch in West Suburban Chicago. You can email him at bryan@prairiemod.com
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