Simple Storage Cabinet Proves to Be Mid-Century Gem

(P.S. It Sold for a Lot of Money!)  What’s in your grandmother’s living room? If there is a simple yellow bookshelf and storage unit, do not donate it or throw it away. It might be both valuable and rare. A newlywed couple’s purchase in the 1950s of a bright yellow, plastic-coated plywood storage unit for […]

Interest Still Strong in George Nelson Modern Furniture  

Modern American mid-century furniture continues to get high prices and attract collectors. A recent Wright auction in Chicago included the designs of George Nelson (1908–1986). A 1955 Comprehensive Storage System by Nelson brought the third highest price at $8,450. Nelson’s goal was to make storage efficient and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. That was […]

George Nelson

Furniture from the 1950s continues to be hot among both new and longtime collectors. And no designer says “fifties” like George Nelson (1908-1986), the design director at Herman Miller Furniture Co. from 1945 to 1972. His contract allowed him to work outside the Herman Miller Furniture Company, and in 1947 he opened his own design […]

George Nelson Furniture

Today original designs by George Nelson and Associates attract prices into the hundreds of thousands. A dozen pieces sold in a September 2015 sale at Wright Auctions in Chicago, where prices ranged from $1,875 for a walnut and chrome desk, to $17,500 for a green Marshmallow sofa. George Nelson (1908-1986) was the Director of Design […]

Marshmallow Sofa Creator Dies

Irving Harper, a pioneer of mid-20th-century design, died on August 4, 2015, at the age of 99. Harper worked for George Nelson & Associates on designs for Herman Miller Furniture Company from 1947 until 1963. His creations include the iconic Marshmallow Sofa (as well as the company’s red M logo), and the Ball Clock and […]

George Nelson’s Nifty ’50s Designs

Furniture from the 1950s continues to be hot among both new and longtime collectors. And no designer says “fifties” like George Nelson (1908-1986), the design director at Herman Miller Furniture Co. from 1945 to 1972. The Nelson pieces shown sold at two recent “modern” auctions, where prices for his furniture ranged from $1,250 for a […]

Midcentury Modern Furniture Marks

Midcentury modern furniture was developed in the 1930s and was influenced by the practical designs of the German Bauhaus group. By the 1950s, the machine-made, streamlined furniture was being mass-produced to meet strong postwar demand. Many new and innovative pieces were created by designers who are now well-known among collectors. The marks or labels on […]