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    Artist Name:

    George Nelson

    Nationality & Life Dates:

    American, 1908–1986

    Title:

    "Marshmallow" Settee

    Date:

    1956

    Medium:

    Chrome frame and fabric

    Dimensions:

    31 x 51 1/2 x 31 inches

    Credit Line:

    Purchase with funds from the Decorative Arts Endowment and the Decorative Arts Acquisition Trust

    Accession Number:

    1990.54
    Currently Not on View
    This sofa is one of manufacturer Herman Miller's most famous pieces. Iconic designer George Nelson and Irving Harper, a young designer working in Nelson's firm, were approached by an inventor with a durable and inexpensively produced plastic disc cushion. The designers arranged eighteen discs on a steel frame, and the Marshmallow sofa was born. The inventor's cushions turned out to be impractical, but Nelson and Harper were intrigued by the design and Herman Miller decided to manufacture the sofa in 1956, describing it in the catalogue: "Despite its astonishing appearance, this piece is very comfortable." Only a few hundred were made before it was discontinued in 1965.



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