Know Your Chairs: The Coconut Chair by George Nelson

This is definitely a chair you should know: let me introduce you to the delightful Coconut Chair.

One of the founders of Modernism, George Nelson (previously here and here) designed this chair for the Herman Miller company in 1955 based on the shape of a coconut shell cut into eight pieces. Nelson said he developed the chair “to give lounge seating comfort, together with great freedom of movement.” Modern, whimsical, functional, and timeless in its design...

The George Nelson Coconut Chair can still be purchased through Herman Miller and Vitra.

Happy designing!

Mid-Century Modern March: George Nelson Clocks

This whole month of March, I am going to be posting about classic Mid-Century Modern designs and designers.

I previously posted about George Nelson's classic Marshmallow Sofa here (designed by Irving Harper for Nelson's firm), but as one of the founders of Modernism, his firm also created another classic Mind-Century Modern design: the sunburst clock. Working with the already popular motif of a sunburst, starburst, atomic burst, or asterisk, Harper tapped into the zeitgeist with his clock shape. It was the Atomic and Space Age after all, and people were responding to a new, modern sensibility and a cutting edge way of living.

Take a look at the many iterations of the ubiquitous Mid-Century Modern wall clock by George Nelson Associates. If you were alive in the 50s and 60s, chances are you lived in a house with some version of this on the wall. The firm made over 150 clock designs alone including the ball clock, first image below, the eye clock, and the sunflower clock.

Find out more about George Nelson at:
http://www.georgenelson.org/

...and happy designing!

Know Your Sofas: Marshmallow Sofa

Designed and developed in the late 1950s and early 60s, the Marshmallow sofa came from the imagination of Irving Harper who was working for George Nelson Associates at the time. For many years, the sofa was attributed to Nelson himself, but it is now widely known that Harper was actually responsible.

It is a classic of Modernist design. Referencing Pop Art, the Atomistic style, and the Space Age (the latter two growing from the blossoming field in the 1950s of "better living through science"), its playful yet cool sense seems like it would be at home in a vintage James Bond film, or Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey"... or perhaps it would fit right in with your own mid-century lounge or living room!

The Marshmallow sofa is available from Herman Miller, here.

Happy designing!