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