home + garden

Innovative furniture maker Herman Miller, producer of several midcentury icons, is the subject of an exhibit opening Friday at the Goldstein Museum of Design. The University of Minnesota gallery is the first stop on a national tour for "Good Design: Stories From Herman Miller," which details how the company uses innovation and collaboration in its design process. The exhibit includes historical documents, models and prototypes, drawings, photos and oral histories, drawn largely from the Henry Ford in Dearborn, Mich., and from Herman Miller. It includes four case studies -- on ergonomics, the "action office," graphic communication and midcentury classics, or how good design explores, inquires, engages and endures. Also on display: original objects such as the Eames molded plywood and Aeron chairs and Marshmallow Sofa. John R. Berry is an exhibit curator; his book, "Herman Miller: The Purpose of Design," (Rizzoli Publishing, 2004) served as a basis for the show and is being reissued to coincide with the tour. The 6-8 p.m. opening reception is on the second-floor gallery of McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Av., St. Paul; the exhibit runs through Jan. 17. A related panel discussion is planned 6:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at McNeal Hall. Berry will join designer Jeff Weber, of Studio Weber + Associates, and Jeff Scherer, of Myer Scherer and Rockcastle Ltd., in a discussion of "Good Design Stories," the theory and practice of designing "to address the social problems of today's consumers." See goldstein.design.umn.edu for gallery times, details. KIM YEAGER

How do you set the stage for the holidays?

Whether you trim a tree, spin a dreidel or light Kwanzaa candles, Home & Garden would like to hear from you. Tell us about your favorite, most meaningful, funniest or most unusual holiday decoration. Send a brief description and photo, if possible, to: kim.palmer@star tribune.com. Or mail a description and snapshot to: Kim Palmer -- Newsroom, Star Tribune 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488.