I’d like to see someone try and work this into their desk set up. The Private Rocker designed by Kyle Fleet, a student at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan, is the ultimate ’stay away from me fellow workers’ piece of furniture shielding you from the open plan nonsense that surrounds you. Part of the ‘Rest and Concentration in the Workplace’ project, this piece came from research which suggested workers are more productive if given access to some form of private space. What goes on behind the private rocker is your business but let’s be honest, this has post lunch nap written all over it.

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NYC recently saw the opening of the Herman Miller Pop Up Shop in SoHo. The 6,000 sq foot space will display the new Herman Miller Collection, pieces from midcentury designers such as Alexander Girard as well as classic Miller furniture alongside information on their design and history. Here PSFK talk to Ben Watson, Executive Creative Director with Herman Miller. The store will be open until July 1 so head down while you can.

Fastcodesign wins on all counts with their factory look at the making of a Herman Miller Aeron chair – the factory kicks one out every 17 seconds. The imagery is strong and shows that American manufacturing is still the strongest in the world as efficient as ever. Using technology and tools brought in from our friends overseas, this Herman Miller factory shows that Stateside, we are still building great things.

Many more looks from the Herman Miller Aeron chair assembly line on the following page…

A nice bit of stop motion action. Designer Sarah Illenberger hails from Munich and studied her craft at Chelsea College of Art and Central St Martin’s in London. Her medium is just about anything she can get her hands on; embroidery, food, light…the running theme however is a sense of humour and a refusal to take design seriously. With clients such as Audi, Hermes and COS (for whom Sarah created a Selectism window), a light-hearted touch has obviously paid off. In this short video series we see classic midcentury chairs from Eames, Herman Miller, Eero Saarinen throw some moves. More at Ignant.

Nowness displays the personal photo collection of designer Alexander Girard. Featuring family and friends on their travels, these vacation snaps have clearly been taken with a creative eye.

Born in NYC, raised in Florence, Alexander travelled extensively throughout his life, picking up ideas and inspiration for his own work and adding to his vast collection of folk art now housed at the Museum of International Folk Art in New Mexico. Girard’s textile work for Herman Miller has become legendary in these mid century obsessed times. Having collaborated with the likes of the Eames’ and Georg Jensen, he stands alongside them in the 20 century hall of design fame.

More looks after the click.

Our friends at Notcot point us at this very quick walk-through  from the House Industries Eames LTR exhibiton over at Herman Miller Japan.

Moco turns us onto this new desk design from Herman Miller: Bill Stumpf, designer of the iconic Aeron Chair, works again on a new desk system for Herman Miller. The Envelope Desk is molded from urethane on the front section which  ”tilts up to 7 degrees in order to maintain sightline with a computer monitor or laptop,” while the rear remains horizontal. The idea from Herman Miller is that the users, desk, and chair, should move to complement one another in terms of position and comfort. We have to agree.

More looks after the click.

The classic Eames chair drops in a new non-limited “white ash” colorway. That is good news for the collectors that are looking for those special color options from Herman Miller. This one is accessible to all, as long as you can handle the $5780 price. Well worth it, we say. Some specs: “The cushions are individually upholstered. The veneers are 7-ply. The hardware fastens the cushions to the shells without marring the appearance of the wood… Both pieces are 29 percent recyclable, it’s more likely that you’ll pass these heirloom pieces on to another generation.” Truth.

More looks after the click.

Herman Miller has released a new limited Asia edition of the iconic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. This version comes in all black, featuring black plywood framing and black premium leather. The chair is delivered along with a limited edition vintage poster of the chair. Both the framed print and the chair are limited to 100 pieces.

Take a further look after the jump.

Curated turns us onto this:

“Reports from Japan break the news that Herman Miller will be re-releasing a fine series of cabinets and storage pieces. The case series, designed by George Nelson, will appear later this month in Japan.”

See more over at Curated.