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Cherner Chair
Iconic Designs

Cherner Chair

About the Design

Boasting clean lines, gentle curves and organic material, 1958’s Cherner chair distinctly embraced the attributes of mid-century modern furniture, even though its author may not have been as prolific or well-known as his contemporaries.

New York City architect and designer Norman Cherner (1920–87) was fascinated by the principles of the Bauhaus movement and taught at Columbia University — where he’d previously been a student — and at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. He worked in various areas of design, including crafting storage systems and lighting, but the Cherner chair's inspiration came from his passion project: In the late 1940s, Cherner was building low-cost modular housing in upstate New York. He designed affordable furniture for these homes and wrote books such as Make Your Own Modern Furniture about his idea that good furniture should be available for all. The Cherner chair fits this philosophy, but the story begins with the Pretzel. 

In the early 1950s, a plywood chair called the Pretzel debuted in a Herman Miller showroom. It was conceived by John Pile, a designer in the studio of George Nelson, who was then Herman Miller’s design director. 

While beautiful, the Pretzel had structural problems and was expensive to make, so Herman Miller contracted Massachusetts manufacturer Plycraft to produce the chair. A dispute between the two companies and concerns over costs halted Pretzel production in 1957, so Plycraft president Paul Goldman got Cherner (a Nelson recommendation) to improve upon the design. The Cherner chair, in the sculptural swoop of its wing-like arms and sloping seat made of layers of laminated plywood, emphasized the distinctive properties of working with the material, not unlike the work of Charles and Ray Eames. The design became popular in 1958, but Cherner wouldn’t know: Goldman told him the chair was canceled while selling it under a different name.

Cherner sued Plycraft after he’d discovered he’d been lied to. When a judge ruled in his favor in 1961 — which forced Plycraft to pay Cherner royalties and bring the chair to market with proper credit — it was good timing. The chair appeared in Norman Rockwell’s new painting The Artist at Work, which ran on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in September of that year. Cherner’s elegant chair was famous, and it remained in production until 1972.

Today, the Cherner Chair Company, founded by Cherner’s sons Benjamin and Thomas, produces the Cherner chair based on Norman’s original drawings. It was reintroduced in 1999. In addition to manufacturing new cabinets and tables, the Cherner brothers have debuted various iterations of the Cherner chair — including with an upholstered seat, a painted seat and more — and have rescued their father’s other seductive seating designs as well.

Norman Cherner Chair

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Norman Cherner Armchair
By Norman Cherner, The Cherner Chair Company
Located in Berkeley, CA
Originally introduced in 1958, the iconic molded plywood armchair by Norman Cherner is found in collections worldwide. Reissued in exacting det...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary North American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Walnut

Bentwood Side Chair By Norman Cherner For Plycraft
By Plycraft, Norman Cherner
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid-century modern, ply bentwood, side chair by Norman Cherner for Plycraft in a dark walnut finish. This iconic mid-century modern chair that is striking from every angle can be use...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Bentwood, Plywood

Early Norman Cherner dining / desk / side chair in patent leather Plycraft Inc.
By Norman Cherner, Plycraft
Located in Buffalo, NY
Stunning Norman Cherner dining / desk / side chair in original green patent leather .manufactured by Plycraft Inc.. Amazing original condition. Retains original labels as well as in...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Patent Leather, Bentwood, Plywood

Lovely Pair of Norman Cherner Plycraft Pretzel Chairs, Mid-Century Modern
By Norman Cherner
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Lovely pair of labelled Norman Cherner Plycraft pretzel armchairs. This pair has a pickled white finish and bone colored faux leather in nice vintage condition.
Category

Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Faux Leather, Wood

Norman Cherner for Plycraft Bentwood chair with Yellow Vinyl cushion 1960s
By Norman Cherner
Located in Ocean Grove, NJ
Really cool Mid-Century Modern designer Norman Cherner for Plycraft Bent plywood chair with Yellow Vinyl (Naugahyde) cushion from the 1960s. This would have originally been used as ...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Naugahyde, Bentwood, Plywood

Desk Chair by Norman Cherner in Walnut Chrome Base Black Leather Seat & Back
By Norman Cherner
Located in Bedford Hills, NY
Beautiful Norman Cherner task chair in walnut with arm rests, chrome base, black leather seat and back rest.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs ...

Materials

Chrome

Norman Cherner for Plycraft, Set of 8 Original Chairs with Labels, Walnut Veneer
By Norman Cherner, Plycraft
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Norman Cherner's 1958 'wasp-waisted' moulded plywood chair is an icon of mid-century furniture design. This set of eight original Norman Cherner dining chairs, was made by Plycra...
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Walnut, Plywood

Norman Cherner Pretzel Dining Side Arm Chair Made by Plycraft 1960's
By Plycraft, Norman Cherner
Located in Wayne, NJ
Norman Cherner pretzel dining chairs, made by Plycraft in the 1960's. If you are in the New Jersey , New York City Metro Area , ple...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Wood

Norman Cherner Mid-Century Modern Matching Side Chairs
By Norman Cherner, Plycraft
Located in Buffalo, NY
Iconic set of 3 vintage midcentury Norman Cherner chairs. They have normal age appropriate wear as they should given their age, almost 65 years old! Classic Modernist design. Extreme...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plywood

Pair of Norman Cherner Side Chairs
By Norman Cherner
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Pair of side chairs designed by Norman Cherner. U.S.A., Cherner, 1958. A pair of recent production side chairs in classic walnut laminate on moulded plywood...
Category

Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Walnut

Norman Cherner Bar Stool
By Norman Cherner, The Cherner Chair Company
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Norman Cherner bar stool from 2004. Beech plywood in stianed coral orange colour and chrom feet. Classic iconic design in the bar stool variation....
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Norman Cherner Pretzel Chairs in Leather and Wood Frame by Plycraft, Set of 4
By Norman Cherner
Located in Chicago, IL
Pretzel arm chairs by Norman Cherner for Plycraft in bleached white wood and ivory faux leather. Good original condition.
Category

20th Century Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Leather, Maple

Rare Set of Six (6) Bentwood Dining w/ Metal Bases Chairs by Norman Cherner
By Plycraft, Norman Cherner
Located in Deland, FL
As rare as they are visually stunning this extraordinary set of chairs, first designed by the iconic Norman Cherner in 1958, has recently undergone a comprehensive and transformative restoration offering a modern twist to the classic design. Considered a pioneer in molded plywood, Norman Cherner used this method to create a line of seating for Plycraft that led to his famous "Cherner Chair." This model chair is found in design collections throughout the world, including the Vitra Design Museum and the Cherner Chair is still regarded as one of the most dramatic designs utilizing the technology of molding plywood. The Cherner side chair utilizes a molded plywood seat with a unique construction of laminated walnut plywood in graduated thickness. The seats and backs are designed using a single shell connected by a slim and sturdy neck upholstered in new black vinyl nearly identical to the original material all set atop a set of slender, powder-coated metal legs. Stamped "October 31st, 1963" and retaining the original Plycraft tags these one of a kind dining chairs...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Walnut

Iconic Mid Century Cherner Plycraft Bent Ply Chair
By Plycraft, Norman Cherner
Located in New York, NY
Iconic Mid Century bent plywood chair designed by Norman Cherner for Plycraft with original Plycraft label, dated 1964. This example is...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Upholstery, Plywood

Norman Cherner Mid Century Chair
By Norman Cherner, The Cherner Chair Company
Located in Countryside, IL
Norman Cherner mid century chair The chair measures: 17 wide x 20.5 deep x 32 high, with a seat height and chair clearance of 18 inches All pieces of furniture can be had in ...
Category

Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Wood

Set of Norman Cherner Pretzel Dining Chairs, Made by Plycraft, USA, 1960s
By Plycraft, Norman Cherner
Located in London, GB
A set of four original Norman Cherner pretzel dining chairs, made by Plycraft, USA, in the 1960s. Bentwood frames. Priced for the s...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Wood

Pair of Vintage Norman Cherner Plycraft Wood Leather Chairs
By Norman Cherner
Located in Pasadena, TX
Pair of vintage Norman Cherner plycraft bent wood leather chairs Norman Cherner studied and taught at the Columbia University Fine Arts Department ...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Oak

Norman Cherner Rare Prototype Armchair for Plycraft
By Norman Cherner
Located in LAGUNA BEACH, CA
Rare Norman Cherner prototype armchair for Plycraft.
Category

Vintage 1960s American Armchairs

Materials

Rosewood

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More Norman Cherner Designs
Norman Cherner Chair
Norman Cherner Chair
Average Price
$4,054
Number Available
18
Norman Cherner Chair
Materials
Wood, Plywood
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Boasting clean lines, gentle curves and organic material, 1958’s Cherner chair distinctly embraced the attributes of mid-century modern furniture, even though its author may not have been as prolific or well-known as his contemporaries. New York City architect and designer Norman Cherner (1920–87) was fascinated by the principles of the Bauhaus movement and taught at Columbia University — where he’d previously been a student — and at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. He worked in various areas...
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