Office-furniture designers love to talk about their products as if they were competing in floor exercises at the Olympics. We hear about "flexible desks!" and partitions designed for "ultimate mobility!" All of which is clever marketing aimed at convincing us that a truly athletic open workplace -- an office that perfectly fits the free-flowing way people work today -- is just around the corner.
Herman Miller, the multi-billion-dollar high-end furniture giant famous for its $800 Aeron chairs, is stepping into a brand new market: the affordable one. The new Sayl chair is available for the low, low price of $399.
That's relatively close to the price of a chair at Staples -- and you won't find anything with such notable design credentials near that price point in the task-chair market.
Architect and designer Marc Thorpe discusses the place of an american designer in the global scene, why modernism failed to catch on in America, and the positive influence of Apple on the current state of design. Marc is the founder of the Third Eye Studio in New York, and his Miura collection was selected for Bernhardt Design's Global Edition.
