March 25, 2021
The future of the past is the present we aspire to…
One of our major influencers, furniture and product designer George Nelson’s forward thinking designs for Herman Miller as well as those created by his own practice, Nelson & Associates, created on of our favorites, the Nelson Modular Seating System that this model 0693 three seater sofa was a part of in 1954.
We came across these two refurbished model 0693 sofas this week while doing some research for a potential new project, that will require updating a classic “pluralist modern” Chicago apartment tower’s public spaces. “Pluralist modern” in this context refers to the decidedly midwestern modern influence of the more Cranbrook School of modern, with both Le Corbusier and Miesian influence that resulted in a ribbon windowed and more sculptural and textural expression of reductive modernism.
There was a wide array of products in the modular system including sofas, loveseats, chairs, armless seating, end tables and more; it was meant to fulfill the needs of any space large or small.
Rarely seen is this model 0693” sofa, the largest of the entire suite of seating products at 8 feet long. Less an obsession with nostalgic mid-century romanticism, and more a respect for clear, rigorous, forward thinking design, the marquardt+ team sees pieces like these as the original, still reflected as the influencer for many commercial seating collections today.
“George Nelson & Associates also created many landmark designs of products, showrooms, and exhibitions for a variety of companies and organizations. Nelson said that for a designer to deal creatively with human needs, “he must first make a radical, conscious break with all values he identifies as anti-human.” Designers also must constantly be aware of the consequences of their actions on people and society. In fact, he declared that “total design is nothing more or less than a process of relating everything to everything.” So he said that rather than specializing, designers must cultivate a broad base of knowledge and understanding. Nelson did so as few are able, and, with the help of well-timed zaps, he helped define modern, humane design.”
© 2021 Herman Miller, Inc.
