Herman Miller, in collaboration with Danish design brand HAY, recently unveiled the Herman Miller x HAY Collection — a 21st-century reinterpretation of eight beloved Eames mid-century classics. Featuring new, inspired colour palettes and updated materials, the collection is a powerful combination of original, timeless design with a contemporary point of view. It also serves as a full-circle moment for HAY founders Rolf and Mette Hay — lifelong admirers of modern design, Herman Miller, and the Eameses.
‘Herman Miller is built on a legacy of risk taking and creative collaboration,’ says Ben Watson, President, Herman Miller. ‘With this collection, HAY thoughtfully reimagines Eames classics in a forward-thinking, first-of-its-kind collaboration. A unique vision of colour, the evolution of thoughtful materials, and a beautifully interconnected story of design partnership harnesses the enduring spirit of Herman Miller.’
In anticipation of HAY’s 20th anniversary later this year, Herman Miller approached Rolf and Mette with a flexible provocation: What could the two design brands do together that they could not create alone? The answer - a fresh take on the original colour palette and material ingenuity of the Eames furniture collection made by Herman Miller to deliver a group of pieces that are both obviously Eamesian — and uniquely HAY.
Driven by curiosity and play, Rolf and Mette’s philosophy, as well as their intimate design partnership, this new collection also aligns with their biggest influences, Charles and Ray Eames, whose unique synergy led to iconic status in modern design. Mette cites the Eameses’ playful, yet rigorous approach to design as the model for her and her husband Rolf’s own process. ‘They were very experimental in taking advantage of new technologies,’ says Rolf Hay. ‘And they were having fun.’ Like their predecessors, the Hays have always been motivated by the certainty that good design is for everyone — a founding principle behind HAY the brand.
Mette’s vision of colour in this collection pays homage to Ray Eames’s artistic eye and Girard’s world of boundary-pushing colours. The collection includes seven spirited colourways meant for endless interplay and combination, including colours like Toffee, Iron Red, and Powder Yellow. Complementing the main colour palette is a special edition of the Eames Sofa Compact upholstered in a circa-1955 colourway.
The collection’s innovative material palette was expanded elsewhere in the collection, including with the Eames Hang-It-All, which sports cast-glass balls in place of the original painted wood, representing a new play on colour, tactility, and utility. The Eames Wire Base Low Table and Universal Base Round Table, now with cast-glass tops, bring artistic craft and dimension to any space. As part of MillerKnoll’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact, the Moulded Plastic Shell Chairs, both with and without arms, contain 100% post-industrial recycled plastic available in the HAY-designed six-colour palette; and the Eames Wire Chairs are powder-coated for outdoor use with optional cushions upholstered in tone-on-tone outdoor fabric.
The collection is available in North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa now.
