HermanMiller-retailTokyo (Photo by Herman Miller)

Global office furniture manufacturer and designer Herman Miller, based in Zeeland, Michigan, plans to open a flagship retail store in New York City this fall. The new store will represent a shift in the company's philosophy, reaching beyond industry professionals directly to consumers.

Located in the trendy Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattten, the flagship store will be situated on the ground level of a building already housing a 60,000-square-foot showroom, and it will be company's first permanent retail space in the U.S. featuring 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.

Herman Miller acquired the Stamford, CT-based lighting and accessories designer Design Within Reach for $154 million in 2014.

"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'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.

Herman Miller, Inc. occupies nearly 60,000 square feet of the 120,000-square-foot 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.

The company opened its first-ever retail store in Tokyo, Japan in 2011.

Herman Miller is a globally recognized provider of furnishings and related technologies and services and employs over 7,000 people worldwide.

(Source: woodworkingnetwork.com  Author: Michaelle Bradford)