Industrial Facility designs Herman Miller furniture to be relevant and lasting

Promotion: Industrial Facility has created several furniture designs for Herman Miller that aim to transform underutilised spaces into agile workspaces.

Clerkenwell-based Industrial Facility designers Sam Hecht and Kim Colin first collaborated with Herman Miller in 2007, designing furniture collections that "balance the need to live a full life with the desire to keep things simple".

A photograph of Clerkenwell-based Industrial Facility designers Sam Hecht and Kim Colin — Colin and Hecht have both been named prestigious Royal Designers for Industry (RDI). Photo credit: Noah Hecht

OE1 Workspace Collection includes multifunctional furniture pieces designed to help people evolve their space by evaluating what furniture is required at the moment while quickly making changes if needed. The collection was recently expanded to include pieces that aim to help organisations transform underutilised areas into flexible workspaces.

"With its multifunctional designs and mobile elements, OE1 helps organisations create agile, hard-working workspaces," said Hecht.

Woman sits at green enclosed desk — The OE1 Nook is a solo workstation that enables visual and acoustic privacy. Image courtesy of Herman Miller

The collection's OE1 Mobile Easels are designed for easy collaboration while the OE1 Agile Walls aim to let employees quickly create flexible areas to collaborate on group projects or quiet spaces for work requiring concentration.

The collection includes several table and desk products, such as the OE1 Project Table and the OE1 Nook, which allow organisations to provide employees with a wide range of spaces to support their needs as they change throughout the day.

Two tables of modern desks with computer monitors are positioned in a light-filled room with light wood floors. — Industrial Facility aims to design Herman Miller furniture to be relevant and lasting. Image courtesy of Herman Miller

New additions to the collection aim to make the set increasingly relevant for diverse organisations.

These include the height-adjustable OE1 Sit-Stand Table that has a residential appearance, which is "ideal for employees to feel comfortable and create their own space in most areas of the office", according to senior vice president of global product at Herman Miller, Malisa Bryant.

It also includes the OE1 Workbox for storing stationery and work tools and the OE1 Personal Hoodie, a "tabletop boundary" designed to reduce glare and distraction.

A laptop sits on a white square table with a circular base — The OE1 Workspace Collection aims to transform underutilised spaces into agile workspaces. Image courtesy of Industrial Facility

"Sam and Kim's passion for industrial design empowers organisations and individuals to find their own perfect blend of purpose, performance and expression," said Bryant.

"The enhancements to OE1 provide our customers with even more flexibility to adapt their floorplates as their needs change."

White desks in an open-plan office — New additions to the collection aim to make the set increasingly relevant for diverse organisations. Image courtesy of Herman Miller

Parts of the OE1 Workspace Collection – such as the tables – are ideally paired with Herman Miller's office seating solutions according to the brand, which includes the Lino Chair designed by Industrial Facility in 2018.

The Lino Chair has a contoured structure that is designed to provide balanced movement and a dynamic fit. The chairs are designed to be breathable and support the spine due to a variety of different thread tensions. The chairs are available in a wide range of colours to fit in various settings.

The designers also created the Herman Miller Civic Tables collection – a table range that comes in a range of heights, shapes and sizes, which can be used in a variety of settings, including work, home and hospitality.

The collection includes tables for conferences, meetings, cafes, lounges, collaborations and side tables, each available in a choice of colours, materials and shapes.

An aerial shot of Lino Chairs by Herman Miller — Lino Chairs have a contoured structure that aims to provide a balanced movement and dynamic fit. Photo credit: Gerhardt Kellermann. Courtesy Industrial Facility

Hecht and Colin say their eclectic style comes from the fact that Colin is from California and Hecht is from London.

"Each of us is from a different part of the world and we collaborate constantly about ideas, methods and opinions," said Colin. "Our work is never created in cultural isolation, and therefore our office behaves like a good, condensed international neighbourhood, which is efficient, energetic, and pleasurable."

An aerial shot of a rectilinear desk with a laptop — Civic Tables collection includes tables for conferences, meetings, cafes, lounges, collaborations and side tables. Photo credit: Gerhardt Kellermann. Courtesy Industrial Facility

Many of the studio's designs are part of museums' permanent collections, including the V&A Museum in London, the Pompidou Centre in Paris and MoMA in New York City.

Colin and Hecht have both been named prestigious Royal Designers for Industry (RDI). The studio's monograph entitled Industrial Facility was published by Phaidon Press in 2018 and catalogues its portfolio.

To view more of the studio's Herman Miller designs, visit their website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Herman Miller as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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