In 1981, Herman Miller started to work with the Italian designer Clino T. George Nelson's influence at Herman Miller gradually declined during the 1970s as new designers joined the company, including Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf, who in the 1990s developed the highly-successful Aeron chair. Herman Miller's line of Action Office products generated sales of over $5 billion as of 1998. In 1978, Action Office II was renamed simply 'Action Office'. Though the initial line, known as 'Action Office I', was not a success, it led Propst to develop the 'Action Office II' line, which introduced the office cubicle. This division developed the ' Action Office' line in 1964 under the supervision of Robert Propst and with the design assistance of George Nelson's New York design studio. In 1961, Herman Miller set up the Herman Miller Research Division, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hugh De Pree was succeeded by his brother Max De Pree, who held the position until 1990. He was succeeded by his son, Hugh De Pree, who served as CEO until the mid-1980s. ĭe Pree continued to serve as Herman Miller CEO until 1961, when he was forced by illness to step down. Beginning in the late 1940s, the period under Nelson's guidance saw Herman Miller produce some of the company's most recognizable pieces of furniture, including the Noguchi table, Eames Lounge Chair, Marshmallow sofa, Ball clock (actually produced by Howard Miller Clock Company), and the Sling sofa.

Over the next four decades Nelson influenced Herman Miller through both his personal designs and the designers that he recruited, including Isamu Noguchi, Charles and Ray Eames, and textile designer Alexander Girard. Rohde died in 1944 and was replaced by architect George Nelson, who joined the firm as director of design in 1945. Under Rohde's supervision, Herman Miller entered the contract office furniture market in 1942, with the introduction of the 'Modular Executive Office' Group (EOG). In 1941, the company opened a showroom in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, and another in New York City. In 1933, Herman Miller debuted a line of modern furniture at the Century of Progress exposition in Chicago, Illinois. De Pree acquired the rights to Rohde's modernist furniture designs in exchange for a 3 percent royalty on any furniture sold. Rohde convinced De Pree that the furniture industry's focus on historical reproduction furniture in lieu of new designs was not only out of touch with the consumer, but fundamentally dishonest in the practices used to make furniture pieces appear older and of higher quality than they were. With the coming of the Great Depression, the company faced bankruptcy until De Pree met Gilbert Rohde, an up-and-coming modernist designer.

The company reformed as Herman Miller, Inc. De Pree and his father-in-law, Herman Miller, purchased 51% of the company stock in 1923 and renamed it the Herman Miller Furniture Company. In 1919, it was renamed the Michigan Star Furniture Co. Initially the company produced furniture, especially bedroom suites, in historic revival styles. Herman Miller was founded in 1905 as the Star Furniture Co.

A typical distribution depot, in Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Eames power of ten