Inventor Robert Propst of Herman Miller is largely credited with creating open office systems, i.e., office cubicles and office workstations. There are others who subtly contributed to this as well, Charles Eames to name one. These men changed the face of office workstations, office chairs, and modular workstations. Eames created tandem shell seating and multiple seating units for schools, to name just a few innovations. They were visionaries’ way ahead of their time. This is evidenced in the legacy of Herman Miller cubicles, office chairs, cubicle accessories that have emerged and the range of cubicle colors currently available for buying cubicles online.
These men changed the face of office workstations, office chairs, and modular workstations.
The 1960s was a fascinating and pivotal time for office furniture design and interiors. Think – Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency, a la ‘Mad Men.’ The pop art and culture movement was in full swing. Starting in the UK, namely London, in the very early sixties this time period revolutionized mass furniture marketing. The use of plastic was the major event of the decade. With a seemingly endless supply at low prices, it became the material of choice. The emergence of independent designers capitalizing on population growth in a good economy coupled with changed behavior made for cutting-edge home and office furnishings. Including inflatable structures and the folding chair, offices and were transformed into chic environments.