MillerKnoll has announced the opening of its archives in Michigan, US, uniting the design legacies of Herman Miller and Knoll for the first time.

The 1115-square-metre, one-of-a-kind facility at the Design Yard headquarters in Zeeland houses more than a million objects, allowing designers to peruse microevolutions in furniture design over the past century up close.

A view of the open storage inside MillerKnoll Archives.

A living resource for designers and collaborators

More than just a collection, the archives feature three key areas for learning and inspiration: an exhibition space, open storage and a reading room. Architects, design partners, curators and academics can use these spaces to experience the brands’ influential legacy and spark ideas for future products and solutions.

“Bringing together the Herman Miller and Knoll archival collections has been an incredible privilege,” says MillerKnoll director of archives Amy Auscherman. “It has been the opportunity of a lifetime to collaborate across brands to unite our shared history, preserve our culture of innovation and ensure these important design legacies remain accessible for generations to come.”

Inaugural exhibition ‘Manufacturing Modern’ hails visionaries

The first exhibition features a selection of iconic designs by the visionaries who shaped both Knoll and Herman Miller, namely Florence Knoll, George Nelson, Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer. 

Action Office desks and prototype desks designed by Robert Propst for Herman Miller, early-1960s, displayed in front of archival graphic design and advertisements.

The objects and corresponding didactics showcase the fundamental beginnings of modernism in the early 20th century. They reinforce MillerKnoll’s position as a steward of unparalleled design legacy.

Open storage displays design evolution from 1920s to today 

More than 300 pieces of modern furniture are displayed on open racks, including original works from Knoll and Herman Miller and contemporary designs from other MillerKnoll brands like HAY, Geiger and NaughtOne. Standout pieces include the Knoll Womb® Chair, Gilbert Rohde designs and office furniture by Florence Knoll. 

Also on display are photographs by Charles and Ray Eames, advertisements by Herbert Matter and George Nelson, and posters by Lella and Massimo Vignelli. 

Florence Knoll office designs inside MillerKnoll Archives.

Reading room provides immersive experience 

Inside the reading room, designers can lose themselves in historic correspondence, photography, drawings and textiles. Significant materials include George Nelson memoranda, drawings for classic products including the Eames® Lounge Chair and Ottoman for Herman Miller and original ‘paste-ups’ by Florence Knoll. 

Product catalogues and fabric samples from the 1940s to 1950s.

A global destination for design inspiration and storytelling

This new resource cements MillerKnoll’s enduring leadership in promoting innovative, human-centred design. It also gives architecture and design professionals a valuable new platform to deepen client engagement and their ability to communicate the stories around their project specifications. 

“The debut of the MillerKnoll Archives invites our communities to experience design history and imagine its future in one dynamic space,” says chief creative and product officer Ben Watson. “The ability to not only understand how iconic designs came to be, but how design solutions evolved over time, is a never-ending source of inspiration.”

Aeron chair prototype, Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick, 1994. 

Discover more about the MillerKnoll Archives here, or contact your local MillerKnoll dealer to learn how the Design Yard experience can support your next project.

Lead image of the Manufacturing Modern Exhibition. Photography by Nicholas Calcott for MillerKnoll.