A Brief History
The company began in 1923 when its founder, D.J. DePree, along
with his father-in-law, Herman Miller, and others purchased
the Star Furniture Company in Zeeland, Michigan. In the 1920s
Herman Miller manufactured traditional home furniture. That
direction changed in 1931 when DePree saw how contemporary furniture
design addressed real needs.
This problem-solving approach proved to be pivotal in Herman
Miller's history. During the three decades of his leadership,
D.J. DePree transformed Herman Miller from a small residential
furniture company to a recognized innovator in contemporary
home and office furniture design. DePree's commitment to integrity
in product quality and business relationships led him to cultivate
partnerships with some of the period's most outstanding designers:
Gilbert Rohde, George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander
Girard, and Isamu Noguchi. By the early 1950s, although still
a small company, Herman Miller had gained a worldwide following
for its modern furniture designs.
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