be collection overview
You tweak. You adjust. You shiver. You sweat. You rummage. You futz. And here, at Herman Miller, we noticed. We are, after all, the company that introduced office systems, facility management and ergonomics to the world. We like to think we notice things that matter. And if you are up adjusting the thermostat, tweaking a screen or futzing with something, you aren't doing whatever it is you do best. That's a problem. That's where we come in.
The Be Collection from Herman Miller is about just being. One of our favorite designers, Bill Stumpf, said this: "The human body has some very narrow margins when it comes to being comfortable. If your shoe is uncomfortable, you're aware of it. So how you get people to a point of comfort is you make them unaware...and that's not easy to do."
The Be Collection offers essential ingredients for personalized comfort. The products range from the familiar to technological breakthroughs and palm-to-the-forehead "why didn't I think of thats." Designs to keep you comfortable, organized and connected. Elements to fine-tune your environment and get you in the zone—physically and mentally—for doing your thing. Being yourself. Being your best.
designer story
Uncomfortable people. Wasted energy. Clunky aesthetics. There have to be better ways to work.
Charles Eames said, "Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design."
The need is great in the realm of personalized comfort and so is the design opportunity. The Be Collection from Herman Miller is working with the likes of Yves Behar, Insight Product Development and Jeff Sokalski on innovative solutions to problems ranging from LED lighting breakthroughs to climate control and better organizational tools. And it's just the beginning. Think of any daily annoyance. Now imagine the power of design brought to bear in eliminating it. That's what we're talking about.
environmental story
Q: How many keyboard trays does it take to fill a landfill?
A: We don't know and we ain't about to find out.
The Be Collection from Herman Miller employs Herman Miller's Design for the Environment protocol (DfE) for material selection and product design.
For example, our keyboard tray is made from recyclable polyethylene. Most comparable keyboard trays are made from phenolic, which is a thermoset plastic that can't be recycled. And that has landfill all over it.
Burn less. Recycle more. Be green about it.