George Nelson Short Dresser for Herman Miller
View Similar Items
George Nelson Short Dresser for Herman Miller
About the Item
- Creator:George Nelson (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 34 in (86.36 cm)Depth: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor structural damages. Scuffs present. Refer to pictures.
- Seller Location:Chula Vista, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9715823969
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.
Herman Miller
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 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. As you can see on 1stDibs, such instantly recognizable furnishings have become timeless — staples of a modernist décor; striking, offbeat notes in traditional environments.
- 1950s George Nelson Herman Miller Classic Walnut Dresser CabinetBy George Nelson, Herman MillerLocated in Chula Vista, CA1950s MCM Iconic Furniture Piece Walnut Cabinet Dresser classic sculptural aluminum pulls. (Very unusual to find these oversized pulls). Designed by Ge...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsAluminum
$3,500 Sale Price29% Off - 1950s Modern Gray Sofa George Nelson Herman Miller New UpholsteryBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in Chula Vista, CAAMBIANIC presents Modern Sofa by George Nelson for Herman Miller. Early label design 1950s 28 h x 91 w x 30 d Seat 15.5 Retains Herman Miller label. Sofa has chrome plated legs, pati...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- 1959 Early Modern Fiberglass Verner Panton S Chair for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Verner PantonLocated in Chula Vista, CAS Chair Vintage modern at its finest with iconic S chair designed by Verner Panton for Herman Miller. Designed in 1959. Production 1960s. Unmarked. Note fiberglass exposed. Vintage w...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
$850 Sale Price66% Off - 1950s Eames for Herman Miller Dax Fiberglass Shell Armchair ParchmentBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Chula Vista, CAGorgeous early production 1950s classic Eames for Herman Miller Dax Molded Fiberglass Shell Armchair parchment with black metal base 31 h x 24.5 w x 23.5 d Arm rest 25 Seat 18 Preow...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
$975 Sale Price35% Off - 1950s Modernism Exceptional Triple Dresser Frank Kyle MexicoBy Frank KyleLocated in Chula Vista, CA1950s Modernism Exceptional Triple Dresser Frank Kyle Mexico Mahogany Wood. Pagoda flair. 96 w x 19.75 d x 28.5 tall Drawers: 16.13 d x 29.13 w x 6.13 h Center drawer: 28.75 Or...Category
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsMahogany
- 1940s Starline Los Angeles Hollywood Cerused Oak Tall Highboy DresserBy Paul FranklLocated in Chula Vista, CA1940s Starline Los Angeles Hollywood cerused oak tall highboy dresser Tall dresser. Cerused Oak, circa late 1940s. Brass hardware. Maker label ...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- George Nelson for Herman Miller Chests/Dressers, a PairBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in Boynton Beach, FLA beautiful pair of dressers designed by George Nelson for Herman Miller. Finished in a spectacular combed oak veneer. One of the most lively, beautiful, vibrant veneers we’ve ever s...Category
Mid-20th Century Dressers
MaterialsOak
- George Nelson Rosewood Thin Edge Dresser for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in San Francisco, CAGeorge Nelson design rosewood "Thin Edge" chest or dresser for Herman Miller, U.S.A. Exceptional rosewood grain patterns throughout the case and drawer fronts with new spinning top a...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- George Nelson Rosewood Thin Edge Dresser for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in San Francisco, CAGeorge Nelson design "Thin Edge" dresser for Herman Miller Model 5221, U.S.A. Eight drawers that graduate in size from top to bottom and operate effortlessly. Polished aluminum spinn...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- George Nelson Rosewood Thin Edge Dresser for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in San Francisco, CAGeorge Nelson rosewood Thin Edge chest or dresser for Herman Miller, U.S.A. Exceptional rosewood grain patterns throughout just ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- George Nelson Rosewood Thin Edge Dresser for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in San Francisco, CAGeorge Nelson Thin Edge Group eight drawer dresser for Herman Miller. Made with high quality construction and detail in Brazilian rosewood and oak with drawer dividers to help with ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- George Nelson Rosewood Thin Edge Dresser for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in Los Angeles, CAAn eight-drawer double dresser from George Nelson’s Thin Edge collection for Herman Miller. Design features the slender rosewood case for which the series was named and a double stac...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.
Kule and Forsyth Give Iconic Furniture a Bold Makeover with Stripes
Maggie and Anne Genovese, of Forsyth, teamed up with fashion designer Nikki Kule to reimagine some classic pieces.