Asia Pacifi c Newsletter - Herman Miller · Asia Pacifi c Newsletter Coming Up > 05 ... a team of...

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Product & Design Highlights >

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A Year in Review

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A Year in Review 2011 | Reach Expo 2011, HK | Product & Design Highlights | Desirable Spaces | Coming Up

“A Happy Christmas and New Year to you all!”Jeremy HockingVice President, Herman Miller Asia Pacific

A Happy Christmas and New Year to you all!

2011 has been a fantastic year for Herman Miller across the whole Region.

I want to say a sincere thank you to all of our dealer and retailer partners for helping to make this a record year. My team and I know you have a choice about which manufacturers you want to work with – and we’re proud you’ve chosen Herman Miller!

I also want to thank the whole Herman Miller community for all their hard work which helped drive our wonderful results.

Together we have generated some real momentum – and when you add all that the POSH relationship means I think you can see that in many Countries we are now a real force to be reckoned with.

Take a few moments to review the highlights of the last year below – and then let’s use our holiday season to refuel for the challenges that 2012 will bring.

Jeremy

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“2011 was a year of firsts for Herman Miller Asia Pacific”

2011 was a year of firsts for the Herman Miller Asia Pacific region. In February we began the calendar year with the launch of our highly acclaimed SAYL chair. Celebrated designer, Yves Béhar toured the region, visiting and engaging with customers, staff and the media in Japan, Singapore and Sydney.

2011: A year in review


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The SAYLTM chair has been a huge success since its introduction, both in terms of sales and international acclaim picking up several awards across the globe. This includes taking Best in Category title at the Australian International Design Awards where it beat some heavyweight names in the field of design. Arras was also recognised with a Good Design Award at the Australian International Design Awards and Marc Fong, Head of Research and Development for the region was on hand to receive the award. SAYL has even made its way to Tibet, being used by China Unicom for the fitout of their Tibet branch.

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Arras, our gorgeous new take on the workspace of the future, has been adopted as the workspace of choice by many leading companies. One of the very early adopters of Arras was Stryker Global Technology Center in Gurgaon India, where 550 Arras workstations were installed in a beautiful fitout, completed by the addition of products from the POSH range.

In March, POSH unveiled their showroom in Taikoo Place, Hong Kong. PDM International were charged with helping POSH bring their vision to life – a multipurpose space that could respond to showcasing product, work for events, enhance the end user experience and be well received by the design community. Any visitor to the space can attest they have achieved their goals. The use of a full size shipping container in the space provides great visual impact and works to showcase the Herman Miller history and brand. Across the year, the showroom has played host to many successful events and at the inaugural REACH awards, it was acknowledged by receiving the Best Showroom Award for the region.


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May saw the successful Australian design exhibition, Saturday in Design, launched in the Singapore market. Herman Miller, InterfaceFLOR and co-sponsors XTRA and Contrac-Image collaborated with leading design firms to create new, out-of-this-world work environments at the Xtra showroom as part of The Project. The collaboration created a mesmerising experience – captivating visitors and staff alike. And by the middle of the year, the country competitions for Aeron Hockey were already heating up. India led the charge with over 50 games played across the country during the year. Winners from each country were counting down the days and practising regularly for the eagerly awaited Pan Asia Pacific Aeron Hockey Championships.

September was a busy month for the Herman Miller family, with the launch of REACH, a unique experience and exhibition combining our dealer conference with an educational opportunity and the opening of two exhibits. Designed as a way to develop a deeper engagement with the Asian design community it was a huge success (you can read more in our full wrap up below). In November we were delighted to have Setu, SAYL and Arras being recognized in the Design for Asia Awards and the team was on hand at the Gala Dinner during the Business of Design Week in Hong Kong to receive the awards.

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At the same time, a team of Herman Miller volunteers from across the globe descended on Ishinomaki, a city in Japan to support the community in the wake of the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in March. Project Japan was another step in our Make a Difference Campaign to help and support this massive relief effort. Two teams were deployed with the first focusing on producing furniture for the temporary houses in the city in collaboration with Japanese architects and product designers and the second group, led by Steve Frykholm running design workshops to help the people develop new skills in order to generate income. It was an intense couple of weeks for the volunteers but another important step in the rebuilding of lives and livelihoods of some of the affected people. And finally, to finish the year, in mid December we celebrated the 1st anniversary of our flagship store in Marunouchi, Japan. At our opening event, 1,400 people lined up around the block for a chance to peak inside our beautiful showroom designed by Torafu architects. Our first anniversary party was a chance to thank our loyal customers for their support over the past 12 months.


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15,000 visitors over three months, makes REACH a huge success for Herman Miller Asia Pacific.

While Herman Miller is widely recognised as a leader in the USA, for many years we had searched for a suitable platform in Asia Pacific to showcase our heritage and leadership. A chance meeting with the Hong Kong Design Institute presented a unique opportunity for us to explore this ambitious project.

“From the moment I visited this extraordinary building and met the team I knew that this is where Herman Miller should launch the first REACH Event in Asia. It’s an opportunity for our Asian audiences to explore the design world of Herman Miller. Herman Miller is little known in Asia but this is changing fast as more and more people come to experience our brand” said Jeremy Hocking, Vice President Herman Miller Asia Pacific.

“REACH is the first large exhibition of Herman Miller portfolio in Asia,” said Samantha Giam, project architect for REACH. “More than a tradeshow, it is a unique experience that served as a platform to develop a deeper engagement with the Asian design community. The success of this event is just the beginning - Our ambition is for REACH to be a biannual travelling design exhibit in Asia Pacific.”

“We are growing strong in Asia. Thanks to our partners and clients.”

REACH 2011 Hong Kong


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Curate – The world of Charles and Ray Eames

The centrepiece of REACH was the Essential Eames Exhibition - the first exhibition about the complete life and work of Charles and Ray Eames shown in Asia Pacific. Based on the book “An Eames Primer” by Eames Demetrios, the exhibition was segmented into various sections, corresponding to the chapters of the book. Visitors were first greeted by the walls of Charles and Ray’s life, where we explored the humble beginnings of Charles Eames through to his travels in Mexico with only 75 cents in his pocket and his tenure at Cranbrook as design lecturer. Ray’s wall explores her artistic endeavours, particularly in painting and textile design. Visitors then dive deep into the many facets of their work from architecture to film, toys, products and furniture.

As part of the opening festivities, on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th September, visitors to HKDI Gallery were treated to the very special opportunity of having Eames Demetrios, Principle of Eames Office and grandson of Charles and Ray Eames provide a guided tour of the exhibition. Essential Eames remained free and open to the public until December 2nd. The exhibition is now en route to Jakarta where it will be on display early in 2012 as part of a pop up exhibition (stay tuned for further details in the new year).


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Create – Retreat, Abak Arena and Arras enhanced

The Retreat Zone provided gorgeous settings for the home from the entry through to the home office. Guests wandered through modern interiors, from the popular “Mad Man” inspired “Gentleman’s club”, through the “Tatami” zone featuring the Low Wire-based Eames Tables, to the 6 metre Eames dining table and vignettes of aspirational careers.

Herman Miller Asia Research and Development Group, led by Marc Fong showcased several new products. Arras, first launched in 2009 continues to be a leading solution for the region –shown with new stacking “honeycomb” screens, binder bins with various material options as well as new LED lighting. Abak Arena, an exciting new product line due to launch mid 2012 was presented in dashing polished dark tones.

Stimulate thinking - Design Lectures

Guests were also given the opportunity to learn from masters in design as global leaders descended on HKDI to talk to a captive audience about their approach to design. Our special thanks goes to Don Goeman for sharing his knowledge and expertise in leading R&D at Herman Miller and to Steve Frykholm for his wonderful history of Herman Miller shown through poster design. Don Chadwick’s attendance provided a once in a lifetime opportunity for attendees to meet and hear from the co-designer of the iconic Aeron chair and diverse lectures from Phunk Studio, Eames Demetrios and Moira Moser rounded out the lecture series.


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Celebrate – 9 Nations Aeron Hockey Championship

The afternoon was full of excitement as the first ever Pan Asia Pacific Aeron Hockey Championships were played out. Many hard fought, hot and fast games ensured with Indonesia coming in third, India coming in second and the team from Australia taking the honours, each of whom received an Eames Lounge & Ottoman to take back home with them.

REACH was a great opportunity for our Herman Miller staff, dealers and customers to interact and be inspired by the brand and our products.For images and 360 degree views of REACH please visit: www.hermanmillerasia.com/reach


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“George Nelson was always ahead of time - his and ours”

Product & Design Highlights

Herman Miller Select 2011: The George Nelson Tray Table is given a fresh twist for a limited time.

Each year, Herman Miller releases a limited-edition piece, inspired by our design heritage under the Herman Miller Select range. Each release is unique and produced in small quantities. It may be a product we have brought back from the archives, a classic that has been re-interpreted or a newly designed objet d’art.

In 2011, Herman Miller Select presents the George Nelson tray table, which combines George Nelson’s trim 1961 tray table with a walnut and santos palisander inlay inspired by his 1955 Flock of Butterflies clock. This edition is updated in white ash and finished with a process that arrests the wood in it natural, freshly cut state resulting in a creamy white colour. Five-ply veneer construction, with inner plies of bay poplar, ensures the top remains stable through changes in humidity and years of use. A brushed stainless steel column and black umber steel legs support the tray top. The top is also available as a tray only. As with the original, the 2011 Select edition is presented in a special take-home container about the size of a pizza box.

George Nelson was always ahead of time—his and ours. From the practicality of Storagewall to the whimsy of a marshmallow sofa and coconut chair, Nelson was always looking ahead. The versatile and streamlined tray table, which looked nothing like the “occasional tables” present in most mid-century American homes, was another step he took in leading the way into modern design.For more information about the Herman Miller Select Programme and where you can buy this piece please visit www.hermanmillerasia.com.


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Eames Lounge and Ottoman in white ash.

Good news for collectors looking for special colour options, the classic Eames Lounge & Ottoman has been introduced in a new white ash colourway.

Perfect for today’s lighter, airy interiors, the chair and ottoman are offered in an all-white version—pearl MCL Leather and a white ash shell that complements the white leather. The ash veneer is finished with a process that arrests the wood in its natural, “freshly cut” state—a creamy white that will not turn yellow or golden over time.

The metal components of the chair have been updated to a white finish that highlights the polished aluminum accents on the base.

With individually upholstered cushions and 7-ply veneers this is another piece that will be treasured for generations to come.


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Company: Commonwealth Bank

Location: Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)

Project Scope: 56,000 square meters of commercial office fit out using activity-based working (ABW) principles at 10 square meter per person

Featured Products: 4140 Aeron® Chairs, 40 Embody® Chairs, 1284 Mirra® Chairs, 152 Eames Aluminium

Group, 2 x Nelson Tables


Desirable Spaces

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Coming Up


The Herman Miller Collection

Officially launched at this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach, we are eagerly awaiting the arrival in Asia Pacific of The Herman Miller Collection.

The Herman Miller team in the USA have been working diligently to bring us this exciting collection for some time, but the idea of the Herman Miller Collection is not entirely new. In his introduction to our 1952 catalog George Nelson wrote of “the continuing creation of a permanent collection designed to meet fully the requirements for modern living.” Nelson established a program and a philosophy for The Collection that allows us to continue it today.

To assemble The Collection the US team began with classic pieces from Herman Miller’s archives that have stood the test of time. These have been updated to meet contemporary standards of sustainability & durability and restored to their designer’s original intent. Further archival designs will be reintroduced as The Collection grows.

The US team then added complementary furnishings from our

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We then added complementary furnishings from our partners, to provide instant variety and depth to our offerings. Most importantly the team is developing new designs with today’s most talented designers. These pieces will stand as a living demonstration of our design philosophy and will provide a bridge between Herman Miller’s past, present and future.

The presentation at Art Basel Miami Beach included over 650 pieces. For the first time new pieces from George Nelson were presented including Thin Edge Casegoods and the Nelson Pedestal Stool. In the VIP dining area of the lounge, a stunning new version of the Eames Wood Shell chair that employs moulded plywood in place of the current coloured polypropylene was a standout. During 2012, The Herman Miller Collection will tour through Asia Pacific. Stay tuned for details.


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