herman the designers of
MILLER
herman the designers of
MILLER
donald albrecht
herman the designers of
MILLER MIT Press
Fifth printing, 2 013 First MIT Press edition, © 2 010 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mech anical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. Design by Rachel Faye Kapicak. Set in Avenir LT and Memphis LT. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging– in– Publication Data Albrecht, Donald. The Designers of Herman Miller / Donald Albrecht. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0 – 76 43 –1119 –3 1 Miller, Her man. 2 Furniture-United States. 3 Designers-United States. I T itle. N K1412.E18K 57 2 010 74 5.4’4922 — d c 20 94 — 2 4920 CI P
tableofCONTENTS
3
acknowledgements
13
introduction
14
pa r t o n e
Designers of Mid-Century Classics 14
chapter 1
Charles and
Ray Eames
15
chapter 2
George Nelson
16
chapter 3
Isamu Noguchi
17
pa r t t w o
Designers of other Herman Miller
classics—past, present, and future
18
chapter 4
Gilbert Rohde
19
chapter 5
Alexander Girard
20
chapter 6
Robert Propst
21
chapter 7
Jack Kelley
22
chapter 8
Don Chadwick
23
chapter 9
Bill Stumpf
24
chapter 10
Tom Newhouse
25
chapter 11
Geoff Hollington
26
chapter 12
Bruce Burdick
27
chapter 13
Stephen Frykholm
11 28
chapter 14
Other Designers
Paul Laszio : Fritz Haller : Poul Kjaerholm
Verner Panton : Jorgen Rasmussen : Peter
Protzmann : Ray Wilkesz : Tom Edwards
29
conclusion
30
bibliography
36
index
12
herman miller furniture
INTRODUCTION I used to work at home on an uncomfort-
and a sturdy four-pronged pedestal with
able old chair, probably from a dining set,
wheels (I also discovered an ingenious
in front of a 1950s blonde wood desk that
keyboard stand called a Scooter). My
did not accommodate a computer and
husband Ramon looked at the chair, sat
keyboard. It is too difficult to part with
down, stood up, sat down again and said,
the desk, but I recently brought home
‘This is a wonderful desk chair.” Then he
an Eames Soft Pad Chair with polished
looked at it again and added, “It’s also
aluminum arms and frame, cushioned
beautiful. We could use it just as well in
leather upholstery, a seat with adjust-
the family room or even the living room.”
able height that tilts back and swivels,
(He probably forgot that the living room
eames wire chair Photo from He rman M i l l e r We b si t e
herman miller furniture
leslie pina
13
eames dining setting with eames chairs Ph o t o f r o m He r m a n M i l l e r We b si t e
16
charles&rayEAMES Much of the Eameses’ work stands in
Ray Eames belonged to a generation
the best tradition of the design reform
of designers who, before, during, and
movement (which argued for making
immediately after World War II, were
high-quality everyday objects available
determined to make the world a better
at reasonable prices), and also in the
place in which to live but were not
best tradition of modernism (which,
wedded to a narrow or solely stylistic
from the 1920s on, offered a vision of
definition of modernism. Without ever
harnessing new technologies, industrial
losing sight of their serious objectives,
production, and relevant design to the
the Eameses brought to their products
service of humankind). Charles and
a lightness of spirit that, to a degree,
eames molded plastic chair Photo from He rman M i l l e r We b si t e
charles and ray eames
pat kirkham
17
disguised their commitment and dedication. Their furniture, their films, and their exhibitions delighted the eye, the mind, and the spirit; they also worked well.
The Eameses’ work was often innovative, although they always insisted that
designers should innovate only as a last resort. 1 They reveled in the particular constraints of specific briefs and in the rationalistic search for the best possible solution to the problem at hand, yet they produced work that has been described as poetic. If, as Frank Lloyd Wright said, the poetry of architecture is that which touches the heart, 2 then it is not difficult to understand why Paul Schrader and others have referred to the work of the Eameses in that way. 3 It was not simply their liberal use of hearts and
18
flowers, their direct appeal to what they perceived as universal truths and the inner
1 charles eames / virginia stith , 1977. 2 frank lloyd wright , an autobiography ( london , 1977), p . 362. s 3 paul schrader , “ poetry of ideas ,� film quarterly , spring 1970, p . 10. see also blueprints for modern living , p . 52.
charles and ray eames
19
setting with eames molded wood side chairs with wire bases P h oto 1960 by C h a rles Eames
from top left: grouping of chairs from the herman miller c o l l e c t i o n 19 5 2 c ata l o g Photo by Charles E a m e s Of f i c e
d e ta i l o f d i s p l ay s h o w i n g va r i e t i e s o f storage units produced
19 5 0 – 19 5 5
Photo 1952 by Charles E a m e s Of f i c e
eames desk, side view P h o t o f r o m He r m a n M i l l e r We b si t e
charles and r ay e a m e s P h o t o f r o m He r m a n M i l l e r We b si t e
20
admired by many. In this they achieved
ness and effectivity of their compositions and imagery that made many of their products
the modernist designer’s dream of enrich-
so memorable; as in a symphony, the whole was much more than the sum of the parts.
ing the lives of ordinary people with
quality objects produced by means of
In their passion to convey their enthusiasm to others, the Eameses “shaped
not only things but the way people think about
things.” 4
Their films, exhibitions, and
the most up-to-date technology.
multi screen presentations show them to have been at the forefront of new thinking
about the most effective and pleasurable ways of communicating knowledge to large
the Eameses’ work, including ideas
numbers of people. Their exhibitions and multiple-image shows, in particular, reached
drawn from the Arts and Crafts move-
large and largely appreciative audiences. Their design work was respected by the cog-
ment, from Frank Lloyd Wright, from
noscenti and, at the same time, popular in the sense of being seen, used, enjoyed, and
European modernism, from Japanese
4 walter mcquade , “ charles eames isn ’ t resting on his chair ,” fortune , february 1975, p . 98.
The multifarious influences on
charles and ray eames
humanity of people the world over, or even the power of their ideas and the exquisite-
21
architecture and design, from “primitiv-
furniture was more plastic in form.
ism,” from contemporary fine art, from
Their buildings and many of their furnit-
the “Romantic” interior, from Californian
ure pieces were minimalist, yet their films,
modernism, and from a belief in the
multi-screen presentations, exhibitions,
pleasures of work, have been traced. No
toys, and decorative arrangements of
matter what the sources, the end result
objects drew on addition, juxtaposition,
was invariably distinctive and informed
fragmentation, cross-cultural and extra-
by a concern with structure; for the Eame-
cultural reference, repetition, and excess.
ses, designing a chair, an exhibition, a
However, as Esther McCoy has pointed
film, or the front page of a newspaper
out, the interaction between the minimal-
was as much about structure as was
ist frames of the Eameses’ buildings and
designing a building. Despite this, there
their “varied and rich” contents was simi-
was not a single aesthetic formula that
lar to that between the structure and the
related to every area of their work; the
content of their films and exhibitions. 5
architecture, for instance, favored the
geometric forms of International Style
shift in postwar American taste toward
modernism, whereas a great deal of the
favoring organic over geometric forms,
p r e l i m i n a r y d r aw i n g f o r e a m e s g a n g i n g s ta c k i n g s h e l l c h a i r showing measurements and d e ta i l s , 19 5 5
Eames products were part of a
and they found success at a time when modernist design was broadening from a movement with aspirations toward the monolithic to a pluralism in which alternative aesthetics coexisted more or less happily. The Eameses eschewed exclusive insistence on a machine aesthetic, which they used only when and where it suited them. The Cranbrook experience was crucial to their joint work; it validated the eclecticism inherent in Charles’s earlier designs while extending his knowledge and understanding of International Style architecture and design, and it tempered Ray’s more purist modernism.
In Eero Saarinen and in Ray, Charles Eames found empathetic and immensely charles and ray eames
talented collaborators. The furniture he designed with Saarinen certainly proved seminal to the later work of the Eames Office, but it was with Ray that Charles produced some of the most visually interesting and technologically adventurous furniture of the mid twentieth century.
For every designer who was influenced by the Eameses in terms of style, there
were others who drew strength from their commitments to design as a problem-solving exercise, to quality at every level, and to engagement with a wide range of activities, issues, and commercial contexts. They became well known as designers and communi-
23
cators in the United States, in Western Europe, in Japan, and in India.
5 esther mccoy , “ charles and ray eames ,” design quarterly 98/99 (1974–75), p . 29. there is also a direct link between the design process of looking at a problem from the scale above and the scale below ( a process charles eames learned from eliel saarinen ) and the film
“ powers of ten .”
eventually everything connects
—
people , ideas ,
objects . the quality of the connections is the key to quality per se .
—
charles eames
24
group of unupholstered wire chairs with eiffel tower bases P h o t o 19 52 by C h a rles Eames
charles and ray eames
After World War II Japan paid great attention to American design, and from the early 1950s on the Eameses’ work was publicized there by Torao (“Tiger”) Saito of Japan Today. 6 In India they became near-celebrities after the release of the Eames Report, which considered the question of design in modern India in relation to small industries and the “rapid deterioration in the design and quality of consumer goods.” 7 Insofar as this report led to the establishment of the National Institute of Design, the Eameses had a direct impact on design education in India. 8 Their indirect influence was felt in many other countries through design teachers who took them and their methods as models.
The furniture was particularly influential. Beginning in 1950, the plywood and
plastic pieces received considerable publicity in leading Western European design magazines, such as Domus and Bauen und Wohnen, and department stores. 9 It inspired many designers, particularly in Italy, West Germany, France, Britain, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. 10
Eames furniture was manufactured and distributed by the Herman Miller Furni-
ture Company, or by firms under license to it, all over the world. The management of Herman Miller was horrified at the first imitations of the molded plastic shell furniture
(dining chair, wood) and ( l o u n g e c h a i r , w o o d ) pa i n t e d dcw
p ly w o o d P h o t o 19 81 b y B i l l S h a r p e
lcw molded
but soon realized that this did not stop
is widely acknowledged, not least by
the upward sweep of the sales curve of
those architects themselves. They,
the originals. More than 5 million of the
Michael and Patti Hopkins, and others
chairs were sold in the 25 years after they
have paid homage to the work of the
All over the world
Eameses, not only in the concepts and
people experienced these chairs and
structures of their buildings but also in
other pieces of Eames furniture in
their use of Eames furniture. 13
offices, schools, colleges, and homes.
media presentations, particularly those
The Eames House (their only
Their exhibitions, films, and multi-
widely known architectural work) was
prepared for World’s Fairs, were seen by
celebrated in Europe as proving that
great numbers of people. Several genera-
the purist, rationalist aesthetic of the
tions of Americans were introduced to
International Style could produce habit-
scientific and mathematical concepts
able
buildings. 12
The influence of the
through them—particularly the exhibi-
Eames House on modernist and “high-
tions. Charles’s “deep understanding of
tech” architects (particularly Norman and
the processes of science and technology”
Wendy Foster and Richard and Su Rogers)
greatly impressed some of the top
6 ray eames and elaine sewell jones , interviews with pat kirkham , 1983 and 1991 respectively
7 eames report , 1958. 8 charles last visited india in january 1978, shortly before his death , and spoke to staff and students at the nid . ray last visited the nid in december 1987, when she presented the first charles eames award
9 reyner banham , “ klarheit , ehrlichkeit , einfachkeit … and wit too !” in blueprints , pp . 184 –187.
charles and ray eames
were first
produced. 11
10 see holland in vorm , ed . g . staal and h . wolters ( haarlem , 1987), which illustrates furniture very derivative of that of the eameses by w . rietveld , u . gispen , f . kramer , and c . braakman . see also gingerich ,
“ conversation with charles eames ;’ p . 329; wilk , “ eames furniture : antecedents and progeny ,” and guy julier , “ radical modernism in contemporary spanish design ” in modernism in design , ed . p . greenhalgh ( london , 1990), p . 222.
27 11 gingerich , “ conversation with charles eames ,” p . 328.
12 banham , “ klarheit ,” pp . 184 –187. 13 for example , the hopkins house , in london ( michael and patti hopkins , 1975) and the sainsbury centre , in norwich ( norman and wendy foster , 1974 –1978).
d i s p l ay s how i n g va r i e t i e s o f storage units produced
1 9 5 0 – 19 5 5
experts in those fields.14 This and the role
fascinated with interactive media and
a similar manner.15 Today some of the
he and Ray played in demystifying and
“hyperreality.” It seems more than likely,
techniques once hailed as sophisticated16
popularizing the computer deserve
for example, that they would have been
seem somewhat passé and some of the
greater recognition than they have so far
involved in developing the communica-
ideas naive, but the films have aged
been given.
tions and educational potential of
better than many other short films of the
interactive video, which allows for the
period (both “artistic” and “informa-
criticized in their time for being over-
differential exploration of images and
tional” ones) because they have a strong
loaded with text, objects, and ideas
information.
aesthetic framework as well as offering
suggest that, had they been working in
intellectual and emotional stimulation.
the 1990s, the Eameses would have been
many admirers, some of whom worked in
The exhibitions that were most
In their day the Eameses’ films had
14 see bernard i . cohen , “ introduction to
Paul Schrader recognized their signifi-
15 schrader (“ poetry of ideas ,” p . 10) cites
the office of charles and ray eames ,” in
wheaton galantine ’ s treadle and bobbin
a computer perspective ( cambridge , mass .,
(1954) and don levy ’ s time is (1964) as directly
1990), p . 5.
influenced by eames films . “ powers of ten ” has directly influenced a range of films and advertisements , including peter greenaway ’ s dante (1988) and a british telecom television commercial (1989).
16 national film theatre , london , november 1975. charles eames spoke at the nft on november 10, 1975.
charles and ray eames
Photo 1952 by Char l e s Eame s Office
29
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