George Nelson Furniture
American, 1908-1986
Architect, designer, and writer George Nelson was a central figure in the mid-century American modernist design movement; and his thoughts influenced not only the furniture we live with, but also how we live.
Nelson came to design via journalism and literature. Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Yale in 1931, he won the Prix de Rome fellowship, and spent his time in Europe writing magazine articles that helped bring stateside recognition to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Gio Ponti, Le Corbusier and other canonical modernist architects.
In the 1940s, Nelson wrote texts that suggested such now-commonplace ideas as open-plan houses, storage walls and family rooms. D.J. De Pree, the owner of the furniture maker Herman Miller, was so impressed by Nelson that in 1944 — following the sudden death of Gilbert Rohde, who had introduced the firm to modern design in the 1930s — he invited Nelson to join the company as its design director. There Nelson’s curatorial design talents came to the fore.
To Herman Miller he brought such eminent creators as Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi, and the textile and furniture designer Alexander Girard. Thanks to a clever contract, at the same time as he directed Herman Miller he formed a New York design company, George Nelson & Associates, that sold furniture designs to the Michigan firm. Nelson's studio also sold designs for clocks to the Howard Miller Clock Company, a manufacturer that was initially part of Herman Miller before it became an offshoot that was helmed by Howard Miller, D.J. De Pree's brother-in-law.
Nelson’s New York team of designers (who were rarely individually credited) would create such iconic pieces as the Marshmallow sofa, the Coconut chair, the Ball clock, the Bubble lamp series and the many cabinets and beds that comprise the sleek Thin-Edge line.
For dedicated collectors, as well as for interior designers who look beyond “the look,” there is a “cool factor” inherent to vintage pieces from George Nelson and others. Nelson was in on it from the start, and it’s valuable to have a piece that was there with him.
But still, as is evident from the offerings from dealers on 1stDibs, in any of the designs, in any iteration whose manufacture Nelson oversaw and encouraged, there are shining elements of lightness, elegance, sophistication — and a little bit of swagger. George Nelson felt confident in his ideas about design and didn’t mind letting the world know.
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Creator: George Nelson
Dealer: CONVERSO
George Nelson & Associates Beehive Pendant Lamp
By George Nelson, Nessen Lighting
Located in Chicago, IL
George Nelson & Associates Beehive Pendant Lamp: Designed by Lucia DeRespinis (1960) for George Nelson's office for Nessen Studio, Textured enameled metal hexagonal shaped pyramid wi...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Furniture
Materials
Metal
George Nelson for Herman Miller Steel Frame Desk and Dresser
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
George Nelson for Herman Miller Steel Frame Desk and Dresser, Model 4112 Desk and Model 4014 Dresser, Angled Steel White Frames with Walnut drawer ...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Furniture
Materials
Steel
Rare Pair of George Nelson Storage Units for Omni
By George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
Rare Pair of George Nelson Storage Units for Omni, One case features Four drawers in walnut and sliding door storage, and the other unit is mostly open for Display. They are finished...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Furniture
Materials
Metal
George Nelson for Herman Miller Platform Bench with Four Drawer Chest
By George Nelson, Herman Miller
Located in Chicago, IL
George Nelson for Herman Miller Platform bench with four drawer chest. 4690 Platform bench 68" in lenght painted black bench. and 4701 Four rawer chest with wire pulls. The case, not connected, can be moved to desired position on bench.
Case is the same depth as bench 18...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Furniture
Materials
Oak
George Nelson Prototype Domino Clock
By George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
Nelson office, designed by Irving Harper for Howard Miller.
This is the only clock and was never produced.
Purchased from Howard Miller Executive.
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Furniture
Materials
Wood
George Nelson Bench or Stool
By George Nelson, Herman Miller
Located in Chicago, IL
Nelson for Herman Miller bench or vanity stool, model 4698
Solid black lacquer legs with ergonomic curved seat reupholstered with great plains boucle.
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Furniture
Materials
Upholstery, Wood
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George Nelson Mid Century Ball Clock in Brass and Wood
By George Nelson
Located in Weesp, NL
Interestingly, while nearly all of the designs that came out of George’s studio were attributed to him, many were actually designed by him and his team. Some were even designed solely by someone else working at the studio.
Nelson famously recounted the story of how the Ball Clock came to life in an interview decades after it’s release:
“It was one of the really funny evenings. Noguchi came by, Bucky Fuller came by, and here was Irving, and here was I, and Noguchi - who can’t keep his hands off anything - he saw we were working on clocks and started making doodles. Then Bucky sort of brushed Isamu aside. He said, ‘This is a good way to do a clock’ and made some utterly absurd thing. Everybody was taking a crack at this, pushing each other aside and making scribbles. At some point we left – we were suddenly all tired, and we’d had a little bit too much to drink – and the next morning I came back, and here was this roll of paper, and Irving and I looked at it, and somewhere in this roll, there was a ball clock. I don’t know to this day who cooked it up.”
Nevertheless, whoever it was that came up with George Nelson’s designs, it’s almost certain that they would never have come to fruition if it wasn’t for George’s vision and forward-thinking approach.
Can you tell me more about his clocks?
George’s clocks were one of his most impressive bodies of work. In total, he and his team designed over 130 clocks in just three decades.
While it is widely accepted that Irving Harper was the lead designer for the Howard Miller Clock Company at George Nelson Associates, the collection arose after two insightful observations from George: one, that people no longer used the numbers to tell the time; and two, that since most people now used their wristwatch to tell the time, interior clocks were now free to become more decorative in nature.
The clocks were designed and released in batches of 8 and were initially only given numbers for names. The Sunflower Clock was simply ‘Clock 2261’, the Flock of Butterflies Clock was 'Clock 2226’, and so on.
The Ball was the first clock designed by George and his team and it was followed shortly after by the Star, Sunburst, Spindle, Asterisk, Turbine, Flock of Butterflies, Eye and others. The clocks were purposefully abstract and were designed to complement the modernist furniture emerging at the time.
As well as wall clocks, George’s studio also produced a series of desk clocks during that time, most notably the bubble-shaped Night Desk...
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George Nelson Modernica Mid-Century Bubble Pendant
By George Nelson
Located in New York, NY
George Nelson Modernica Mid-Century Modern "saucer" shape bubble pendant ceiling lamp, translucent white synthetic over a wire frame, Modernica ...
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George Nelson Stool for Herman Miller, USA, 1960s
By George Nelson, Herman Miller
Located in Berlin, DE
George Nelson Stool for Herman Miller, USA - 1960s in all original condition with the rare brown base
George Nelson (1908-1986) was an American industrial designer and architect who...
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George Nelson, Saucer Bubble Pendant, Steel, Plastic, USA, 1952
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in High Point, NC
An early "Saucer Bubble" Pendant light designed by George Nelson and produced by Herman Miller, USA, c. 1952.
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Previously Available Items
George Nelson & Associates CSS Wall System for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
George Nelson & Associates CSS (Comprehensive Shelving System) for Herman Miller:
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George Nelson Thin Edge Dresser
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
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George Nelson for Herman Miller Steelframe Case Group Nightstands
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
George Nelson for Herman Miller steelframe case group nightstands,
Model 4051 Angle iron steel Frame with wood drawer and shelf has oval chrome plated pulls.
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Pair of George Nelson Thin-Edge Nightstands for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of George Nelson thin edge nightstands for Herman Miller. Model 4700 Highly figured walnut veneer in oil rubbed finish features 2 pull...
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George Nelson Desk
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
Nelson for Herman Miller single three-drawer pedestal desk with over-desk letter tray. The letter tray floats above the desk top, 9.5" giving a total height of the desk at 38.75". T...
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George Nelson Five-Drawer Thin Edge Rosewood Dresser
By George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
George Nelson five drawer thin edge rosewood dresser, dynamic rich rosewood graining, features five drawers with porcelain pulls and aluminu...
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George Nelson Action Office Desk for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
George Nelson and Robert Propst action office desk for Herman Miller, oak tambour roll-top concealing multiple adjustable hanging file compartments ...
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George Nelson Sideboard for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
BCS sideboard. Black lacquered body, with "coral" front. Aluminum J pulls. Adjustable shelf with four pull out drawers.
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Pair of George Nelson Contract Benches
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
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George Nelson "L" Shaped Desk
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
George Nelson for Herman Miller desk with return. Laminated desk surface with walnut return storage case featuring 4 natural finish exposed easy access drawers with pigeon hole pulls...
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George Nelson Rare Thin Edge Desk
By George Nelson, Herman Miller
Located in Chicago, IL
Nelson for Herman Miller, three-drawer desk, model 5494. Deep figured rosewood graining with porcelain pulls and "Swag Legged" uprights. This is known as one of Nelson's most Avant G...
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Pair of George Nelson Steel Frame Dressers
By George Nelson, Herman Miller
Located in Chicago, IL
Nelson steel frame cases, solid oval rings as pulls with wooden drawers tongue and grove joinery, painted blue fronts, original white steel frames.
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George Nelson furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
George Nelson furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of George Nelson furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by George Nelson were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Drexel, Widdicomb Furniture Co., and John Widdicomb. Prices for George Nelson furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $155 and can go as high as $48,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,411.
Creators Similar to George Nelson
Questions About George Nelson Furniture
- What did George Nelson make?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022George Nelson was a furniture designer central to the mid-century modern design movement. His best-known creations are the marshmallow sofa, coconut chair, ball clock and bubble lamp series. His style included sleek, thin-edge lines on a variety of furniture still available today. Shop a range of George Nelson furniture designs on 1stDibs.
- Why is George Nelson famous?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022George Nelson was an American designer, and for a time the lead designer for the famed Herman Miller furniture company. Nelson is often referred to as the founder of American modernist design and often associated with his more inspired pieces such as the Coconut Chair, Marshmallow Sofa and the Ball Clock. Shop a collection of George Nelson furniture designs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Modern George Nelson clocks are made in Poland. The company Vitra Designs manufactures the timepieces based on the original designs of the American designer who lived from 1908 to 1986. On 1stDibs, you can shop a selection of George Nelson clocks.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022George Nelson Bubble Lamps are made of steel wires, which form a durable framework for the lamp. A plastic polymer material spread over the wires forms the shade which is translucent to give the lamp a soft glow. Inspired by Swedish lamps, these mid-century modern light fixtures are still made by the legendary furniture manufacturer Herman Miller today. Shop a range of George Nelson Bubble Lamps on 1stDibs.
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