"The simple joy of taking an idea into one's own hands and giving it proper form, that's exciting."
-George Nelson
Japan had a profound effect on George Nelson. During his first trip to Tokyo in 1951 and several more that decade, Nelson became fascinated with all things Japanese. That influence is evident in the 1952 design of his miniature chests. Reminiscent of tansu, cabinets with many small drawers used for storing a variety of items, the Nelson miniature chests provide wonderful little places to keep things. An interesting addition to nearly any room-whether at home or the office-these chests embody what Nelson appreciated most in Japanese design: "a sense of fitness in the relationship between hand, material, use, and shape." -George Nelson
Each drawer is hand-fitted by cabinetmakers to ensure proper alignment so the wood-on-wood glides work smoothly. Each model has a drawer with dividers to organize and store small items. True to the original design, the chest body and drawers come in walnut, white ash or teak wood and 4-star aluminum base. Drawers have metal knobs. Chest with pedestal has adjustable glides. Chest without pedestal has solid brass glides.
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Beautiful! Whimsical. Useful. Well made ... I worried a little bit about the knobs and screws, they are tiny and delicate. This is a recommendation: be extraordinarily careful in putting them on the drawers. Functionally, once in place the knobs work well.
This great mid century piece was always on my list. The drawers are small and fit 8.5x11 papers so well the sometimes I need to remove the whole drawer and flip it over to get the papers out but that’s a small issue since the drawers pull out so easily. The single drawer with the dividers inside is nice for small items although the items have to be pretty small for it to be used in it’s original configuration. The design is the best part with the build quality being second. Overall pleased.
I love Herman Miller for their design and quality and this piece is something I will own a very long time. I have the all walnut with black stand and black hardware and it is so awesome to look at in my bedroom. The only issue I had was that the handles (bagged inside a drawer for installation) were beat up and chipped when I opened the bag. I used some black spray paint to re-paint all of them, which was not that big a deal. Overall, super happy with this purchase.
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