George Nelson DAF Swag Leg Chair 1950's
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George Nelson DAF Swag Leg Chair 1950's
About the Item
- Creator:George Nelson (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 29 in (73.66 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:c.1958
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Berkeley, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9144921229
George Nelson
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, as well as its competitor, the Howard Miller Clock Company. 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 these pages, 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.
- Set 4 George Nelson, 1st Year Production Daf Swag Leg Dining Chair / FiberglassBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in Buffalo, NYExtremely rare set of four swag legged dining chairs designed in 1958 by George Nelson for Herman Miller. Only produced in fiberglass for a few years, cream colored fiberglass on a s...Category
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- Coconut Chair by George Nelson for Vitra, 1950sBy Vitra, George NelsonLocated in Antwerp, BEIntroducing the Coconut Chair by George Nelson for Vitra, an iconic piece of modern design that combines comfort, elegance, an...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsChrome
- George Nelson Prototype DAF Chair for Herman MillerBy George NelsonLocated in Cincinnati, OHAn early per production prototype fiberglass arm shell or DAF chair designed by George Nelson. This chair came directly from a engineer working for the Herma...Category
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- Set of George Nelson Swag Leg Chairs by Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in Highland, INThe swag leg chair designs by the office of George Nelson were developed in response to his desire to create a chair with a beautiful "swagged" leg (one that tapers while it curves)....Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
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- Swag Leg Chair 1958 by George Nelson for Herman MillerBy George NelsonLocated in London, GBThe "swag leg chair" by George Nelson dates back to 1958 - but would still be a perfect fit in any science fiction movie today. the innovative design resulted from nelson's demands for the development of his swag leg group, which includes chairs, a secretary and various tables. the elegantly curved legs were to be made of steel and processed by machine. and although the chair naturally looks extremely casual and cool, this has nothing to do with the youthful spirit of the 21st century: "swag" here means the process of "swaging", in english "pressing" (metal pressing is still a widespread method of forming). The frame is actually a combination of the classic "four-legged friend" with the idea of a central axis. or, to put it more poetically by a contemporary: "like four tree roots growing out of the ground and uniting to form a strong trunk...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
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