Herman Miller: Office Solutions

Herman Miller Logo

       Last Wednesday a Herman Miller Rep. came into my Interior Materials and Codes class and spoke about all the different office furniture Herman Miller has to offer. I learned a lot about all the different types of work chairs and office systems they have designed. Herman Miller work chairs are based on ergonomics. The movement in the chair is supposed to conform to the users back, so that they can move in all different directions. For example when the user leans behind the chair to grab paper from the printer the chair needs to accommodate that movement. The Herman Miller chairs allow that opposed to other office chairs that are stiff as a board and cause back pain. When designing a Herman Miller chair the designers pay a close attention to how the back functions and what they can do to protect it from being abused by the user. It's a great idea that they pay attention to the clients need because most company's do not.



Mirra Chair

      My favorite work chair is the Mirra chair because it looks so comfortable without even seating in it. The Mirra chair has a frame less backrest that is pierced with over 500 geometric shapes. The Triflex backrest helps accommodate a individuals size, posture, movement, and also helps keep your back aligned. The FlexFront seat makes sure there is no gap between the seat and the back of the chair. The Mirra chair helps give us flexibility and also helps keep out back in the proper position. The rep also spoke about systems furniture and my favorite was the My Study Environment because each person’s cubicle is enclosed with a translucent glass. The My Study Environment helps give each employee the privacy they deserve.



My Study Environment

       Herman Miller uses the “cradle to cradle” approach which helps their products become more sustainable. Cradle to cradle is when you take materials from a disassembled product and reuse them when designing a new product. This is a great way to not let certain materials go to waste if they are not ready to be thrown in a land fill. Herman Miller adopted the McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry Cradle Design Protocol. Before Herman Miller builds a new product they look at the chemicals used and whether they are safe for us and the environment. Do the materials provide recyclability when they need to be replaced with a new product. These all important characteristics to consider because how is this new product going to benefit us now and in the future. When a product is sustainable is helps protect our environment.

Sayl Chair

       The newest Herman Miller product is the Sayl Chair that just hit the market last week. The design of the chair was inspired by the principles of suspension bridges and in some way it does resemble a bridge. The main feature of the Sayl chair is it has a frame less back which helps a full range of movement be possible. The background mesh helps allow mobility and the Y form on the back of the chair supports all that mobility. The Sayl chair is not only has a lot of character to it, it helps keep your back aligned.

       The Resolve furnishing system is a great idea for an open office design because it is centered around the human body. It’s a very inviting and efficient work area where people can feel comfortable and connected with everyone. It makes you feel like you have your own space. The cool feature or Resolve is that the only thing holding it up is poles with screens attached to them. There are tons of screen images to choose from.  Some Quick Facts about Resolve is:

*weighs 1/3 less than a traditional workstation

*86% recyclable and contain 27% of recycled materials

*greenguard certified reduces chemical exposure and helps air quality

       All the information the Rep. share was very helpful and gave me an idea of what kind of office furniture Herman Miller has to offer. The information will help me when I have to select furniture for my project. The chair ergonomics is very interesting because their main goal to make the customer happy. It's true when selecting an office chair you want it to be comfortable and mobile and the Herman Miller office chairs definitely accommodate both functions.