Michigan Modern

If you haven’t visited it yet, the Henry Ford’s Herman Miller Consortium Collection web site is a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in Modern design. There you can browse a catalog of Herman Miller designs, and discover who designed it, when it was first produced, the Herman Miller product name (e.g. Bentwood Chair), where an example is on exhibit, and whom you should contact at that particular museum.

From the Henry Ford’s web site:

“Herman Miller, Inc., based in Zeeland, Michigan, began in 1923 as a manufacturer of residential furniture. Over the years, the company has become a leader in design and manufacture of modern furniture for both home and office. Many famous designers, from Charles and Ray Eames to George Nelson, have created furniture for the company, and they are famous for innovations in design and ergonomics such as “Marshmallow Sofa” and “Molded Plywood Chair.”

“In 1988, Herman Miller, Inc. established the Herman Miller Consortium to share the historical product collection that had been accumulating as part of Herman Miller’s corporate archives in Zeeland, Michigan. The consortium collection, now held by thirteen museums all over the country, contained about 750 pieces of furniture, as well as a large quantity of product literature. As the lead institution in the consortium, The Henry Ford maintains the record of the consortium holdings. The Herman Miller consortium online database now provides access to these records.”