Modern BassamFellows for Herman Miller Bolster Grey Club Armchair, a Pair

The work of BassamFellows introduces elegance and charm into just about any space. Founded by Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows, the celebrated design firm is focused on furniture and product design, architectural projects and branding. Authentic BassamFellows stools, armchairs and other seating pieces — typically made of oak, walnut or ash — are defined by the clean lines and alluring organic forms associated with the best of mid-century modernism.

BassamFellows is the result of a collaboration between Australian architect Craig Bassam and American entrepreneur Scott Fellows. Fellows, whose career included partnerships with the likes of Ferragamo and Corning Housewares, began to work with Bassam when it became clear that the pair shared similar creative visions as to the look, feel and quality of furniture and interior design. (The duo owns a Philip Johnson-designed home not far from the Glass House, a modernist marvel designed by Johnson in Connecticut.) 

BassamFellows became an immediate hit among designers and decorators at the 2003 Salone del Mobile in Milan with the debut of their quintessential Tractor stool, a sculptural stool designed by Craig that draws on Swiss metal tractor seats and is made from locally harvested solid wood.

Bassam serves as the company's chief designer, while Fellows operates as the company's creative director, bringing expertise in commerce and brand strategy to the table. Together, the team has created furniture in their “Craftsman Modern” style for clients such as Geiger and Herman Miller, and has developed working relationships with leading architects, branding professionals, artisans and designers all over the world.

Find BassamFellows stools, dining chairs and tables on 1stDibs.

No other business of its kind did more than the Herman Miller Furniture Company to introduce modern design into American homes. Working with legendary designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Alexander Girard, the Zeeland, Michigan-based firm fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style. In doing so, Herman Miller produced some of the most beautiful, iconic and, one can even say, noblest chairs, sofas, tables and other furniture ever.

Founded in 1923, Herman Miller was originally known for grand historicist bedroom suites: heavily ornamented wood furniture that appealed to a high-minded, wealthier clientele. The company — named for its chief financial backer — began to suffer in the early 1930s as the Great Depression hit, and D.J. De Pree, the company’s CEO, feared bankruptcy. In 1932, aid came in the form of Gilbert Rohde, a self-taught furniture designer who had traveled widely in Europe, absorbing details of the Art Deco movement and other modernist influences. After persuading De Pree that the growing middle class required smaller, lighter household furnishings, Rohde set a new course for Herman Miller, creating sleek chairs, tables and cabinetry that were the essence of the Streamline Moderne style.

Rohde died suddenly in 1944. The following year, De Pree turned to George Nelson, an architect who had written widely about modern furniture design. Under Nelson’s leadership, Herman Miller would embrace new technologies and materials and audacious biomorphic forms. 

Some of the pieces the company produced are now emblems of 20th century American design, including the Eames lounge chair and ottoman and Nelson’s Marshmallow sofa and Coconut chair. Such instantly recognizable furnishings have become timeless — staples of a modernist décor; striking, offbeat notes in traditional environments.

Find a range of vintage Herman Miller office chairs, desks, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.