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george nelson™ platform bench with wood base

by George Nelson, from Herman Miller ®

george nelson™ platform bench with wood base

Design George Nelson™, 1946
Solid maple or walnut slats, ebonized wood legs
Made by Herman Miller

"The single common element in all man-made things is that they are designed."
-George Nelson

Introduced in 1946 the Nelson platform bench was part of George Nelson's first collection for Herman Miller and still stands as a benchmark of modern design. Like much of Nelson's work, the platform bench has clean, rectilinear lines, reflecting his architectural background and his insistence on what he calls "honest" design--that is, making an honest visual statement about an object's purpose.

The 1955 Herman Miller catalog states that the bench "has proved to be one of the most flexible and useful units in the collection." The bench was reintroduced in 1994.

Herman Miller founder D.J. DePree saw an article in a 1945 Life magazine featuring George Nelson's Storagewall unit, which was causing a sensation in the furniture industry. He was so impressed that he paid a visit to Nelson in New York and convinced him to be his director of design, which spurred Nelson to found his design firm, George Nelson & Associates. The warm personal and professional relationship between Nelson and DePree yielded a stunning range of products, from the playful Marshmallow Sofa to the first L-shaped desk, a precursor of today's workstation.

With the creation of many landmark designs and recipient to numerous prestigous awards, George Nelson was and is one of the most influential figures of modern design.

The Nelson wood base platform bench is available in three sizes with either solid maple or walnut slats and ebonized, finger-jointed wood legs. Nelson Bench is also offered with polished chrome legs. Please note: black non-marring rectangular glides are provided. The glides are invisible in the in-use position and have replaced the previously used metal leveling glides.

small: 48" w | 18.5" d | 14" h
medium: 60" w | 18.5" d | 14" h
large: 72" w | 18.5" d | 14" h

$1,695.00 + free shipping
(usually ships in 25-40 business days)
average rating: 5

George Nelson

George Nelson (1908–1986) was an American industrial designer, and one of the founders of American Modernism. While Director of Design for the Herman Miller furniture company, both Nelson, and his design studio, George Nelson Associates, Inc., designed much of the 20th century's most iconic modernist furniture. George Nelson attended Yale University, not originally intending to become an architect. He happened upon the architecture school while ducking into the building to get out of the rain, and was impressed by an exhibition inside. He graduated with a degree in architecture in 1928. During his final year at Yale, Nelson was hired by the architecture firm Adams and Prentice as a drafter.
Herman Miller was a West Michigan businessman who helped his son in law buy the Michigan Star Furniture Company in 1923. De Pree had been working at the company since he was hired in 1909 as a clerk. De Pree knew his father in law as a man of integrity so he decided to rename the company after him. By the middle of the 20th century the name Herman Miller had become synonymous with modern furniture. Working with legendary designers George Nelson and Charles & Ray Eames the company produced legendary classics of industrial design.

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george nelson™ platform bench with wood base

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