About the Designer
George Nelson
George Nelson is regarded as one of the most important figures in American design. Active as an architect, a product and exhibition designer and a writer, he was a leading voice in the discourse on design and architecture over several decades.
Nelson became the Director of Design for Herman Miller in 1947, and held the position until 1972. Under Nelson's Directorship the Herman Miller product range grew to include some of the most iconic home furnishings of the 20th century. Designers Ray and Charles Eames, Harry Bertoia, Richard Schultz, Donald Knorr, and Isamu Noguchi all worked for Herman Miller under Nelson's supervision.
Along with his position as Design Director at Herman Miller, Nelson opened his own design office in 1947, George Nelson Associates, Inc., working together with such outstanding employees as Irving Harper, Ernest Farmer, Gordon Chadwick, George Tscherny and Don Ervin to create countless products and objects, some of which are now regarded as icons of mid-century modernism. His architectural work included numerous private residences. The Sherman Fairchild House (1941) attracted considerable attention, and his Experimental House exemplified his interest in prefabricated building and flexible floor plans.
