Two-seat Sofa designed by George Nelson. U.S.A., Herman Miller, 1960s.

Modular Sofa by George Nelson with a strong metal structure including chrome-plated feet. Two vintage red Mohair upholstered Seats with buttoned backrests and a square Formica side-table top. Sleek and beautiful!

George Nelson (1908 - 1986). Returning home from a stay in Rome in the 1930s, an idea struck him: He would travel Europe and interview leading modern architects, hoping to get the articles published in the U.S. He succeeded, and in the process introduced the U.S. design community to the European avant-garde. This set in motion a sequence of what he called “lucky”career breaks that were really the inevitable outcomes of his brilliance as a designer, teacher, and author.

The first break was being named an editor of Architectural Forum magazine. Working on a story there in 1942, he was looking at aerial photos of blighted cities when he developed the concept of the downtown pedestrian mall, which was unveiled in the Saturday Evening Post.

Soon after Nelson designed the Storagewall, the first modular storage system and a forerunner of systems furniture. The Storagewall was showcased in a 1945 Lifemagazine article, causing a sensation in the furniture industry. Herman Miller founder D.J. De Pree saw the article and 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.