Table Bench by George Nelson, 1947

George Nelson was one of the most powerful forces behind the development
of this century's American design aesthetic. As a thinker, writer, organizer
and designer, Nelson commandeered a string of influential positions and
brought about a widespread and clear-sighted reevaluation of how furniture
was marketed and how using space well and thoughtfully could ameliorate
modern living. In the 1952 Herman Miller catalogue he wrote that the pieces
exhibited should be, "a permanent collection...in the sense that it will not be
scrapped for each market or for each new 'trend.'" As almost every contributing
designer and design has become a popular icon for the look of that period and
is still showing up on the interior landscape today, it becomes apparent that
Nelson achieved his goal. A Connecticut native, Nelson studied architecture at
Yale, graduating in 1931. He left in 1932 to study in Rome and travel through
Europe for several years, at which point he was introduced to the artists of the
International Style like Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. After the trip Nelson
wrote that he became "a convinced modernist...there was no point whatever in
trying to beat the ancients at their own game." Back in America he began
writing for the magazine Pencil Points and quickly moved into the position of
Associate Editor at Architectural Forum (1935-1943), and on to Consultant
Editor (1944-1949). His writing, engaging and conversational, dealt with the
relevant design problems of smaller postwar houses and the changing face of
the professional office which was trying to adopt some of the cozier attributes
of the home. Over the years he published a number of books including
Tomorrow's House (1945), Problems of Design (1957) and How To See (1977).
In the late 1940s Nelson came up with two popular innovations: the "Grass of
Main Street," which evolved into today's pedestrian mall, and the "Storagewall"
system. This was a plan for integrating storage systems into the structure of
the home, as in room dividers, or built directly into the walls. This project got
the attention of the Herman Miller Company who hired Nelson as their Design
Director. His effect on the company was extraordinary. His keen eye for modern
design led to his bringing on people like Charles Eames and Isamu Noguchi to
round out an impressive team of designers and consultants. The company
catalogues that he put together had an immeasurably positive and lasting
impact on their public image and his introduction of a unified company
philosophy-- including simple tenets like "The product must be honest," and
"What you make is important"-- made Herman Miller seem like a company
built on unshakable integrity. During this period Nelson was also designing
objects and furniture that contributed to the energy of innovation, even though
they were not all sold by the company. Some of his best known pieces are the
1950 "Ball Clock," inspired by representations of the atom, the 1952 "Bubble
Lamp" and the 1965 "Marshmallow" sofa, a grid of brightly colored upholstered
circles. The Herman Miller catalogues are full of other pieces that he created,
and of interiors that he put together. He also designed the company's
showrooms in Chicago, New York and Washington. Additionally, Nelson worked
as an exhibition designer on several projects. Among these were the Chrysler
and the Irish pavilions at the 1964 New York World's Fair and, in 1976, a show
called "USA '76" for the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration.