Barker Street: Presents Herman Miller Chiclet

An oldie but a goodie, Herman Miller has reissued the Modular Sofa Group – dubbed “Chiclet” – by Ray Wilkes.

Icons of post-modern furniture, the modular seating solution, was first introduced to the market 45 years ago. Yet, the minimalist design, popping colours and unique base of these seats, make them as on trend today as they were when they were first launched.

Sleek and simple yet intriguingly organic with their soft, rounded edges, the designs are the epitome of the minimalist ethos.

“The fact is, I like total simplicity,” explains Wilkes.

“It’s the philosophy of my life. An architect once told me that I was a true minimalist. And minimalism isn’t just straight lines – the most important thing is the form and the simplicity of making it.”

“Chiclet” was the result of this love and Wilkes’s experiments with a foam machine in the Herman Miller factory.

He tells us: “At first they were trying to apply the machine to Eames furniture, and then I was asked how it could be used.”

Knowing the machine and its capabilities, Wilkes came up with a soft-shaped design that was “all rounded, and it was possible to upholster them with Herman Miller’s two-way-stretch fabrics, seamed around the edge of the cushion – which would be very hard with traditional cloth”.

“The design is so basic it’s timeless,” Wilkes notes of the definitely post-modern, truly classic design of “Chiclet” – and it’s this design that has not only made it a hot-ticket item with vintage collectors but has also propelled it into the 21st century.

The scalable design has been relaunched as one-, two- and three-seater modular units in various colour ways, from full PoMo with bright solids to textiles from Maharam.