One of the highlights of my time at NeoCon this week was the absolutely fantastic exhibit of the works of Alexander Girard, located in their 3rd floor showroom at the Merchandise Mart.

Alexander Girard was the Director of Design for Herman Miller's textile division from 1952 through 1973 and the exhibit includes pieces from throughout his tenure. From toys to tablecloths, his singular vision shines through.

The work shown is colorful, upbeat, energetic and all around wonderfully innocent, as design from those particular decades can be. But, where it got really interesting is as I looked around the rest of the showroom, beyond the "walls" of the open exhibit space. The showroom designers, in conjunction with the exhibit, have used many Girard designs in the contemporary workspaces throughout (as shown below) - from artwork, to screensavers to upholstered pieces - and it looks current and fresh.

I's say that is one of the marks of a true design visionary - to have your work feel "of the moment" at the same time as you are being honored for it years later, retrospectively.

Company: Herman Miller

Reporter & Image: Janel Laban
Go To: All Neocon on Apartment Therapy