Herman Miller Design and Production Video

@Todd: Pretty interesting…

Handi

-- Jimmy "Handi" Warner, http://jwarner75.etsy.com, http://handisworkshop.blogspot.com

Hey Todd,

Charles and Ray Eames are two of my favorite American designers; they did amazing stuff back in the day. I own an Eames lounge chair and ottoman. Thanks for posting this!

Cheers,

-- Matthew Weatherly

thanks for the post … enjoyed watching the video

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Cool video. I was expecting to see some wood. Still I watched the entire thing. I wonder how much those chairs cost

-- I love the smell of sawdust in the morning....

That was too cool. Sounded like they might have used music from an old Twilight Zone episode.

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

Herman Miller, Design Within Reach, Bang & Olufsonsen, Ray & Charles Eames, BDI Furniture, Roche Bobois, and many others…

These are all manufacturers, designers, and distributors that I enjoy looking to for their designs.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Really interesting video. Thanks for the post.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

Interesting. I always enjoy learning how something is made.

-- Thos. Angle

Interesting. Tks.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

So 2 design students home for Easter recess asked if you had to do it all over again would you enter the industry differently,.................. the answer was, yeah, first try and land a job in the Herman Miller sample shop.

Thank you Todd.

I’ve just downloaded and watch it and it is great indeed. I share your love for all the designers you mention but B&O, too linear for me, I love curves.

Last week I had in my hands the coffee table book about the Eames Lounge Chair but I was reluctant to pay $40 for it without being able to open it and peek inside. Anyone has any advice on this one? It is still on sale for 10 days as the only bookstore of Kyoto that caters mostly to foreign books has declared bankruptcy and closes its doors on the 15th.

On the other hand, last winter I bought a coupe of books on chairs and tables respectively, very cheap and with, literally, thousands of designs, pictures and inside on the design process and history. Great quality and not expensive at all. Even if you don’t understand Japanese you can take advantage of them. Books are very cheap here so I don’t want to think about the time when we leave this country and I ship all that stuff. :o(

By the way, I have an oldie but goodie from when the Eames Lounge Chair was first introduced to the public. It includes an interview with both of them and a quick time lapse of the assembly. If you want it you just have to ask.

Maybe it should be time to start a forum dedicated to the design process here: both conceptual and practical, from the initial inspiration to the SketchUp struggling. What do you guys think? Should we ask Martin?

-- Jojo, shopless in Kyoto · http://twitter.com/kagushokunin

Interesting post, Todd. We tend to take pieces like this for granted with little thought about the effort that goes into their construction. It is nice to see how these type of chairs are made.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

That was a blast from the past! Cool seeing the design phase…I like that funky sliding wooden prototype device they used. It reminded me of the old movies we would watch in high school shop about how they designed car body’s with the hand drawn curves and clay models! Cool stuff Todd, thanks!

-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"

Great post Todd,

I consider myself very fortunate to work for a company that is part of Herman Miller.

-- Brian, Folsom, CA http://www.brianfullerdesigns.com

Hi Todd, Excellent post. Thanks for the mention!

-- Mitch, furnitude.blogspot.com

As a current Herman Miller employee, thanks! I’m always glad to hear people are loving our stuff.

-- Robb

Its like “How it Made” with scary music.

Thanks for the post, most enjoyable.

-- http://www.efcabineture.com/ You can be tired, or you can be broke, but you should never be tired and broke.

You wouldn’t love Herman Miller if you had to live with their ‘furniture’ your entire working career. We used to call then Human Mauler.

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

Steve,

I have no doubt that my perspective would be different if I had worked for them or any of the companies that I listed. But I understand them for what they are and that is mass produced furniture.

When I look at them I see versions of my own ideas based off of them as a starting point. I find the lines interesting but I am always aware of what these products are. Many of the pieces that I have sat in are not even comfortable, but I envision the piece with modified lines and materials.

I see the potential of a custom piece.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com