Herman Miller

Herman Miller is an American design and furniture brand best known for combining modernist design, ergonomics, workplace research, and large-scale manufacturing. The business traces its origins to Star Furniture Co., established in 1905 in Michigan. It became Michigan Star Furniture Co. in 1919 and was renamed Herman Miller Furniture Company in 1923 after Dirk Jan De Pree and his father-in-law, Herman Miller, acquired most of the company’s shares. The company’s name honored Miller, who was born Harm Mulder in the Netherlands. The company’s decisive transformation began during the Great Depression. Facing severe financial pressure, De Pree worked with modernist designer Gilbert Rohde, whose philosophy rejected the furniture industry’s dependence on historical reproduction and advocated products designed for contemporary life. Herman Miller acquired rights to Rohde’s designs under a royalty arrangement, and in 1942 entered the office-furniture market under his direction. After Rohde’s death in 1944, George Nelson became a major creative influence. Nelson helped establish a design network that included Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi, Alexander Girard, and other influential designers. Their work gave Herman Miller a distinctive identity built around experimentation, material innovation, and the idea that furniture should support changing patterns of living and working. The resulting portfolio included the Noguchi table, Eames Lounge Chair, Eames Aluminum Group chairs, Marshmallow sofa, Sling sofa, and other products that became important examples of twentieth-century furniture design. The company formally became Herman Miller, Inc. in 1960. Its office-research capabilities expanded through the Herman Miller Research Division, established in Ann Arbor in 1961. Under researcher Robert Propst, with design assistance from George Nelson’s studio, the company introduced Action Office in 1964. The later Action Office II system, developed in the late 1960s, provided the basis for the modern office cubicle and made Herman Miller an important participant in the development of open-plan workplaces. Herman Miller continued to combine design partnerships with workplace research. In 1981 it worked with Italian designer Clino Trini Castelli on the concept of Design Primario, which treated physical environments as coordinated systems rather than collections of individual objects. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the company expanded its ergonomic and technology-oriented offerings. Its Aeron chair, designed by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick and introduced in 1992, became one of the best-known office chairs in the world. Mirra, Embody, and later workplace products reinforced the brand’s association with posture support, adjustability, and intensive everyday use. The business also broadened its portfolio through acquisitions and brand development. It acquired Colebrook Bosson Saunders, an ergonomic workspace-accessories specialist, in 2010. In 2021 Herman Miller announced and completed its acquisition of Knoll in a transaction valued at approximately $1.8 billion. The combined company was renamed MillerKnoll, while Herman Miller continued as a consumer-facing and commercial brand within the broader group. MillerKnoll’s portfolio also includes Design Within Reach, Geiger, HAY, Maharam, Muuto, NaughtOne, DatesWeiser, Edelman Leather, Holly Hunt, and other design-oriented businesses. Herman Miller serves commercial offices, educational and healthcare environments, government customers, hospitality projects, and residential consumers. Its positioning rests on high-quality design, ergonomics, durability, configurable workplace systems, and sustainability. The company has promoted initiatives under the name Perfect Vision, including goals related to waste reduction, renewable electricity, low emissions, responsible materials, and environmentally preferable product design. Its Greenhouse manufacturing facility, designed wit…

Herman Miller began in 1905 as Star Furniture Co., a Michigan furniture maker. In 1919 it became Michigan Star Furniture Co. and, in 1923, was renamed Herman Miller Furniture Company after Dirk Jan De Pree and his father-in-law Herman Miller acquired most of the company’s shares. The early business primarily made traditional furniture, but the economic crisis of the 1930s forced a strategic reassessment. Designer Gilbert Rohde persuaded De Pree that furniture companies should stop imitating historical styles and instead create honest, modern products for contemporary customers. Herman Miller obtained rights to Rohde’s designs and entered the office-furniture field in 1942. Following Rohde’s death, George Nelson became a central design leader in 1945. Nelson’s influence helped bring the company into collaboration with Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi, Alexander Girard, and other designers. Their work produced a body of modern furniture that established Herman Miller’s reputation beyond Michigan manufacturing. The company incorporated as Herman Miller, Inc. in 1960 and created its Research Division in Ann Arbor in 1961. Research director Robert Propst developed Action Office with assistance from George Nelson’s studio. Although the first version was commercially unsuccessful, Action Office II introduced modular partitions and work surfaces that became the model for the office cubicle. This made Herman Miller a significant force in workplace planning as well as furniture design. During the following decades, Herman Miller expanded its research and design activities. It explored environmental design with Clino Trini Castelli, built relationships with designers and architects, and developed products for both commercial and residential use. The company’s 1980s and 1990s work in ergonomic seating culminated in the Aeron chair, designed by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick. Aeron became a signature product and a reference point for premium task seating. Mirra, Embody, and later chair families extended that design and research approach. Herman Miller also developed a strong environmental identity. Its Perfect Vision program set ambitious objectives concerning landfill waste, hazardous waste, air emissions, process-water discharge, renewable electricity, green building, and design for the environment. The Greenhouse facility, designed by William McDonough + Partners, embodied this strategy and received multiple architecture and environmental-design awards. The company also publicized material-reuse and waste-reduction experiments, including the use of sawdust and chicken manure in soil-making processes. The business broadened its capabilities through acquisitions, including Colebrook Bosson Saunders in 2010. In 2021 it completed the acquisition of Knoll for approximately $1.8 billion and reorganized the combined business as MillerKnoll. Herman Miller remains one of the group’s principal brands, while the wider portfolio includes residential, office, architectural, textile, lighting, and design brands. The brand’s current identity combines its modernist heritage with ergonomic workplace products, home furnishings, and research-led solutions for evolving work environments.

1. 2021Knoll acquisition completed

   The acquisition closes on July 19 and the combined public company becomes MillerKnoll.

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2. 2010Colebrook Bosson Saunders acquired

   Herman Miller expands into ergonomic workspace accessories through the acquisition of Colebrook Bosson Saunders.

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3. 1987Aeron chair design period begins

   Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick develop the design that becomes the Aeron chair, later launched in the early 1990s.

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4. 1968Action Office II establishes the cubicle model

   The second Action Office generation introduces the modular partitioned workstation concept associated with modern cubicles.

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5. 1964Action Office introduced

   The company develops the first Action Office line, beginning the research and product path that later produces the office cubicle.

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6. 1961Research Division established

   Herman Miller establishes a research division in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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7. 1960Incorporation as Herman Miller, Inc.

   The business adopts the Herman Miller, Inc. corporate form.

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8. 1942Entry into office furniture

   The company formally enters the office-furniture market under Gilbert Rohde’s supervision.

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9. 1923Herman Miller name adopted

   Dirk Jan De Pree and Herman Miller acquire most of the company’s shares, leading to the Herman Miller Furniture Company name.

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10. 1919Business renamed Michigan Star Furniture Co.

    The company adopts the Michigan Star Furniture Co. name under Dirk Jan De Pree’s leadership.

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11. 1905Star Furniture Co. is founded

    The company that would become Herman Miller begins operations in Michigan as Star Furniture Co.

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Premium, design-led and research-based furniture focused on ergonomics, modernist aesthetics, workplace performance, durability, and sustainability.

• Aeron ChairErgonomic office chair1992

  Designed by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick, the Aeron chair is a premium task chair associated with adjustable ergonomics, breathable suspension material, and a design that became emblematic of late twentieth-century technology workplaces. It is one of Herman Miller’s most recognizable products and a major expression of the company’s research-led approach to office seating.

• Eames Lounge Chair and OttomanResidential lounge furniture1956

  Charles and Ray Eames designed this molded-wood and upholstered lounge chair as a luxurious modern interpretation of a traditional club chair. Herman Miller’s production helped make the design a defining example of American modernism and an important part of the brand’s residential and collectible design portfolio.

• Noguchi TableResidential table1948

  Isamu Noguchi’s table uses a sculptural base and a substantial glass top to turn a functional occasional table into a piece of modernist design. The product illustrates Herman Miller’s long-standing practice of commercializing distinctive work by leading twentieth-century designers.

• Marshmallow SofaResidential seating1954

  Designed by Irving Harper, the Marshmallow sofa is recognized for its series of individual upholstered circular cushions arranged across a structural frame. Its playful geometry and Pop-era appearance made it one of Herman Miller’s notable modern furniture designs.

• Mirra ChairErgonomic office chair2003

  Developed by Studio 7.5, Mirra is a task chair designed around movement, adjustability, and support. Its flexible back and configurable components extended Herman Miller’s ergonomic seating strategy beyond the Aeron platform and helped position the brand for changing office environments.

• Action OfficeOffice system1964

  Action Office was a modular workplace system developed through Herman Miller’s research program under Robert Propst. The later Action Office II configuration used partitions and integrated work surfaces to support flexible layouts and became the historical basis for the office cubicle.

• Eames Aluminum Group ChairsOffice and lounge seating1958

  The Eames Aluminum Group uses a tensioned upholstery concept stretched across an aluminum frame. Charles and Ray Eames designed the family for office, conference, and lounge contexts, and its restrained construction remains representative of Herman Miller’s mid-century design heritage.

• 2004Perfect Vision

  Global

  Herman Miller established Perfect Vision as a sustainability framework addressing landfill disposal, hazardous waste, emissions, process water, renewable energy, green buildings, and environmentally preferable product design.

  Outcome. Became the company’s principal public sustainability framework.

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• 2023Response to internal town hall controversyOther

  A recording of CEO Andi Owen criticizing employee concerns about bonuses became widely circulated.

  What changed. The company defended the broader context of the meeting, while Owen apologized to employees.

  Aftermath. The episode generated public criticism and became associated with leadership and workplace-culture concerns.

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• 2021Acquisition of KnollM&A

  Herman Miller pursued a broader global design and workplace-furnishings platform.

  What changed. It announced and completed the acquisition of Knoll in a transaction reported at approximately $1.8 billion.

  Aftermath. The combined company adopted the MillerKnoll name, with Herman Miller continuing as a principal brand.

  Reported transaction value. $1.8 billion (Announced April 2021; completed July 19, 2021)

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• 2010Acquisition of Colebrook Bosson SaundersM&A

  Herman Miller sought to broaden its ergonomic workplace offering beyond chairs and core furniture.

  What changed. The company acquired Colebrook Bosson Saunders, a designer and manufacturer of ergonomic workspace accessories.

  Aftermath. The acquisition expanded Herman Miller’s workplace-technology and accessories portfolio.

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• 2023Andi Owen 'Pity City' controversyControversy

  A leaked recording from an internal town hall showed CEO Andi Owen responding sharply to employee concerns about bonus compensation. The remarks drew widespread criticism online; the company said the excerpt omitted the wider context of a longer meeting, and Owen later apologized.

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• 2008Suggested retail pricing antitrust settlementControversy

  Herman Miller settled an antitrust case brought by New York, Michigan, and Illinois concerning its suggested retail pricing policy. The settlement amount was reported as $750,000.

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• 2021Herman Miller agrees to acquire Knoll

  Herman Miller announced an approximately $1.8 billion acquisition of Knoll, creating a larger design and workplace-furnishings group.

  M&A
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• 2021Knoll acquisition closes and company becomes MillerKnoll

  The Knoll transaction closed on July 19, 2021, and the combined corporate group adopted the MillerKnoll name.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2010Herman Miller acquires Colebrook Bosson Saunders

  The company acquired the ergonomic furniture and workspace-accessories designer and manufacturer to expand its workplace portfolio.

  M&A
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1. Herman Miller
2. Herman Miller official website