Designer · USA · 1908–1986
George Nelson
George Nelson (1908–1986) – American architect and designer, design director at Herman Miller from 1947–1972.
We have no pieces designed by George Nelson available right now.
New pieces arrive every week. See what we have offered before below, or browse the shop.
About the designer
- Lifetime
- 1908–1986
- Country
- USA
George Nelson was born on 29 May 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut, and died on 5 March 1986 in New York City. He studied at Yale University (architecture – 1928, fine arts – 1931) and received the Prix de Rome.
From 1947–1972, he was design director at Herman Miller. In 1947, he founded George Nelson Associates, incorporated in 1955. He worked with, among others, Irving Harper, Eames, Harry Bertoia, Isamu Noguchi and Robert Propst, who was associated with the Action Office system.
The Marshmallow sofa (1956, Herman Miller) came from Nelson’s office; it was designed by Irving Harper, with the fabric developed by Alexander Girard. Production ended in 1965 after several hundred examples had been made, and one is held by SFMOMA. Nelson is credited with the Coconut armchair (1955) and the Thin Edge series (1956), as well as the Platform Bench and Bubble lamps. In 1984, he was a scholar in residence at Cooper-Hewitt, and in 2008 Vitra Design Museum mounted a retrospective of his work.
Key designs
-
Coconut Chair
armchair
-
Marshmallow
sofa from Nelson’s office, designed by Irving Harper; SFMOMA
-
Thin Edge
series
