Inside the Herman Miller New York flagship

Global design manufacturer Herman Miller, Inc. announces the opening of its New York flagship, a singular location housing many of the company's brands under one roof. Located in the heart of Gramercy at 251 Park Avenue South, the flagship features textiles and coverings from Maharam, furnishings from Geiger, authentic modern design from Design Within Reach, and a full range of furnishings and tools from Herman Miller. The company's expanded presence will be reinforced at ground-level by the first permanent Herman Miller retail location in North America—slated to open late 2016.

"One of Herman Miller's core strengths has always been our ability to innovate and evolve as the world around us changes," said Chief Executive Officer Brian Walker. "The opening of the flagship marks a purposeful shift in our efforts to connect with consumers in a new and impactful way. Having a branded retail store in a major U.S. market will further cement Herman Miller as a premium lifestyle brand—and reinforce the totality of our efforts as a corporation."

The flagship's retail portion will position Herman Miller to grow revenues across all channels by capturing new market share, driving e-commerce, boosting third-party retail sales, and elevating brand awareness. Through the consolidated presence of the company's industry-leading brands, it will also offer a revamped platform to serve the existing New York tri-state customer base in new ways.

Company leaders point to the flagship as a physical manifestation of Herman Miller's strategic shift to an industry-plus-consumer brand. "The New York flagship represents the first time in our history that the variety and versatility of our total offering has come together in a single location, giving our customers a truly holistic experience," said Executive Creative Director Ben Watson. "Herman Miller and its family of brands are unique in the strength and breadth of their offer. By bringing to life this singular flagship experience, we hope to inspire all our visitors to imagine better places for working and living."

Visitors to floors two through four will experience Living Office, Herman Miller's human-centered approach to work and workplace. Designed utilizing Living Office's place-making framework, the showrooms serve as working offices to house Herman Miller, Inc.'s full corporate New York operations—including regional sales leadership, global marketing, brand design, and media and communications. The company expects it will be a dynamic global destination for the A&D community, clients, dealers, and consumers of modern design.

Incidentally, the address of 251 Park Avenue South has had prior association with the company. The building was designed by Neville & Bagge in 1909, and served as the home of George Nelson & Associates from 1962 to 1973—during the final decade of Nelson's tenure as Design Director for Herman Miller. It has housed the corporate offices of Maharam since 1992.

Herman Miller, Inc. occupies nearly 60,000 sq.-ft. of the 120,000 sq.-ft. building. The Herman Miller and Geiger Showrooms, located on floors two through five, are open now to customers and the A&D community by appointment. The public-facing ground level retail store will open later this year.

(Source: Herman Miller, Inc.)