Max and Esther De Pree House

Max De Pree, the son of Herman Miller’s founder D.J. De Pree, commissioned the Eameses to design a home for himself, his wife Esther, and their two young children in Zeeland, Michigan. Charles and Ray, in an effort to begin the design process, informally asked the De Pree family questions about their daily way of living at home. Two constraints became known during the planning stages: the climate of Zeeland was considerably colder than always-pleasant Southern California, and Mr. De Pree asked that the structure be constructed by local craftsmen—most of which were immigrants from Holland. These artisans gave special and skillful attention to the wood-constructed details of the home.