Two years after Herman Miller and Knoll joined forces under the MillerKnoll brand, we look back to the interconnected beginnings of modernism’s most prominent designers.
Feature in partnership with
MillerKnoll
2 min read
A MillerKnoll collaboration space
Herman Miller and Knoll have long been leaders in the world of design, both sharing similar human-centred values and an iconic design heritage. A merger created the newly named MillerKnoll in 2021, now a collective of dynamic brands that come together to ‘design for the world we live in’, from office furniture to living spaces.
With shared goals and a shared vision, the merger isn’t the first time Herman Miller and Knoll’s DNA has been intertwined. It began at Cranbrook Academy of Art in the early 20th century, where Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia and the Eames’ (who met and married on campus) became colleagues, collaborators and lifelong friends. Individually, they crafted some of the most important designs that defined an era and still resonate today: the beginnings of mid-century modernism.
An educational community founded in 1932 by philanthropist George Booth, The Cranbrook Academy of Art opened as the Bauhaus closed, amid the oppression of Nazi Germany. Cranbrook arose as the ‘American Bauhaus’ and offered a vision centred on independent mixed media experimentation and critiques from practising designers rather than academics. This foundation and collaboration defined the two brands’ long history of innovation, with Knoll crafting the standard for the modern workplace and Herman Miller going on to introduce pioneering, health-positive furniture, such as the Aeron chair designed by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick. Nearly 100 years later, it seems inevitable that the two companies would come together today.
For the newly formed MillerKnoll, it was imperative that each brand in the collective stand alone, with its own unique voice and identity – all astutely chosen to complement each other. “MillerKnoll is the overarching organisation and even though our brands have a shared DNA of great design, all have a distinct identity,” comments Nikos Liapis, MillerKnoll Regional Director for the UK & Ireland. “We want to maintain the individualism and character of our brands to serve a wide variety of our customers with the best and most diverse design solutions, and continue creating beautiful and distinctive designs.”
The group now aims to offer a variety of expertise all under one roof – responding to the different needs of the market, from workplace to hospitality. Herman Miller and Knoll still sit under the umbrella as individual brands, joined by the likes of ergonomic experts Colebrook Bosson Saunders and popular furniture names HAY, Muuto and NaughtOne, to name a few. “Our industry – and the world in general – is changing rapidly,” says Liapis. “In coming together as MillerKnoll, we define and lead this transformation like we have led others throughout our history. Together, we are even better suited to anticipate and shape the future through problem-solving design.”
Indeed, thought-leadership and sustainability continue to be essential drivers for MillerKnoll, recently transitioning to 100% renewable hydro and wind energy at its largest facilities and incorporating ocean-bound plastic in some of its most celebrated pieces (including the Aeron chair from Herman Miller). “Our brands are united by a belief that, through design, we can create a better world,” Liapis adds. “Our care shows up in everything we do – from the spaces and products we make to the ways we think and actions we take.”
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