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Office furniture company

Haworth Inc. is a privately held, family owned office furniture manufacturer headquartered in Holland, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1948 by G. W. Haworth, the company designs and manufactures seating, tables, movable walls, panels, storage, and wood casegoods. Haworth's furniture pieces, combined with interior design and technology, are intended to create a focus on “organic workspaces that help people perform their best.” Haworth employs 7,500 workers and has 650 dealerships in more than 120 countries.

Haworth's brand portfolio includes Italian design brands Poltrona Frau, Cassina, and Cappellini; technology software Bluescape; and outdoor furniture maker JANUS et Cie. The Haworth Health Environments brand offers healthcare furniture. Haworth also owns shares in BuzziSpace, a Belgium based company focusing on acoustic and collaborative workspace.

During the 1940s, while teaching Industrial Arts at Holland High School, G. W. Haworth started a woodworking shop as a hobby in his garage. His intention was to increase the income for his children's future college education by producing and selling special order wood products. As his reputation and orders grew, he expanded to a 4,800 square foot plant in Holland, Michigan and decided to turn his sideline into a full time business, launching Modern Products in 1948. In the 1950s, the focus of Modern Products shifted toward office environments in response to the development of modular office partitions, and the company changed its name to Modern Partitions. These panels could be snapped together and eliminated the client's need to pay electricians to wire office spaces. In the early 1980s, the company moved its headquarters to One Haworth Center in Holland, while showrooms were open or renovated in 18 North American cities and four international locations. Office seating was also added to the Haworth product offering being built in Holland, Michigan. By 1986, Haworth had become the third largest office furniture manufacturer in the U. S., with sales topping $300 million and a workforce of 2,600 employees. The business acquired 15 companies in Europe and North America, then built in Asia to expand its sales and dealer network. In 1995, the company's Ideation Group formed, applying user based research to concepts and products. In 1996, competitor Steelcase was found at fault in a patent infringement suit brought by Haworth in 1985. Steelcase was ordered to pay $211.5 million in damages and interest.

In 2000, Haworth passed the $2 billion mark in annual revenues. In 2008, Haworth's new corporate headquarters, a LEED NC Gold certified facility, opened to serve as a living lab. In 2009, Haworth became the first company in the industry to achieve zero waste to landfill in all U. S. manufacturing facilities. That same year, Dick Haworth stepped aside and his son, Matthew, then 40, became chairman. The company purchased Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau in 2014, gaining a majority stake in several Italian design brands including Cappellini, Cassina, and Poltrona Frau. In 2013, Bluescape was launched to support virtual work and visual collaboration. "We recognized that our deep insight into the physical workplace could be translated into user experience in a virtual workspace,” Dick Haworth said.

Franco Bianchi has served as CEO and president of the company since 2005. In 2009, Dick Haworth stepped aside and his son, Matthew, became chairman of the family owned business.

Haworth issued special bonuses to workers totaling more than $5 million for the company's 70th anniversary in 2018. Haworth became the first in the contract furniture industry to achieve zero waste to landfill in all U. S. manufacturing facilities in 2009. The company also donated 42 acres of wetland for restoration to Outdoor Discovery Center Macatawa Greenway's Project Clarity, an organized effort to improve the water quality of Holland's Lake Macatawa. Haworth maintains research partnerships with several global partners, including Fraunhofer Gesellschaft in Germany, University of Michigan, Western Michigan University and London's Royal College of Art. The company's Human Performance Lab studies the impact of visual distractions on workplace performance.

Popular Haworth products include its research backed ergonomic office chairs Fern, Zody, and Very, and Planes Height Adjustable tables. Haworth has partnered with numerous designers, including Patricia Urquiola, a Spanish architect and designer who has been a Haworth collaborator since 2013. Studio Urquiola designed Haworth's Chicago showroom for NeoCon 2013, 2014, and 2015, and gave the company's corporate headquarters a refresh in 2017. In June 2021, a nearly 2 year project to renovate the Haworth Hotel in Holland was completed. The renovation, funded jointly by Hope College and the Haworth family, was led by designer Patricia Urquiola. The newly remodeled building is intended to "foster interactions between Hope College staff and students, community members and Haworth guests." The headquarters site includes a .