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The Marshmallow Sofa, a unique piece of 20th century design

It's unique, considered by design aficionados to be an original piece of furniture as well as a work of art in its own right. More than 60 ...

Design MarketDecember 2016
It is unique, considered by design aficionados to be not only an original piece of furniture but also a work of art in its own right. More than 60 years after its creation, the Marshmallow Sofa continues to captivate design lovers. Created in 1954 by the designer Irving Harper, this "funny" seat is inseparable from 3 great names in post-war design: its creator, of course, the company Georges Nelson Associates, named after the famous American designer, and the publisher Herman Miller. Its existence gave rise to a controversy over its authorship, and it's worth setting the record straight. [caption id="attachment7465" align="aligncenter" width="650"]irving-harper Irving Harper, 1916-2015 © objectifixation.design[/caption] Literally known as the "Chamallow sofa" in reference to the famous marshmallow that has become an international trademark for Haribo, this 100% American sofa lives up to its name. Creative, playful and colourful, it brings a strong personality to even the most austere interiors, such as company lobbies. Here's a look back at the unusual history of this timeless piece of furniture. In 1947, 31-year-old designer Irving Harper designed the famous M in the logo of American furniture publisher Herman Miller. Harper already knew Georges Nelson, one of the fathers of post-war American design along with Charles and Ray Eames. Two years earlier, Nelson, a teacher, designer and author, had designed the first modular wall storage system, the precursor of system furniture. Impressed by the designer's avant-garde vision, Herman Miller founder D.J. De Pree persuaded Nelson to become his design director, prompting Nelson to found his first design agency, George Nelson and Associates. [caption id="attachment7466" align="aligncenter" width="372"]logo-herman-miller-1946 Irving Harper, creation of the Herman Miller logo in 1946. The famous M is adopted. © imjustcreative.com[/caption] [caption id="attachment7468*" align="aligncenter" width="470"]herman-miller-logo-1948 The Herman Miller logo designed by Irving Harper used in a 1948 advertisement.© imjustcreative.com[/caption] Georges Nelson was not only talented, he was also a people person. After his honorary appointment at Herman Miller, he convinced other leading design figures to develop their projects at the American manufacturer. Among the most famous were Isamu Noguchi (American-Japanese, 1904-1988), Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard (American, 1907-1993) and... Irving Harper. In 1947, Irving Harper joined Georges Nelson's team, initially as head of the brand's advertising design - which is why Herman Miler owed his famous M to him - and then as a specialist in interior design. One day in 1954, at Herman Miller's offices, George Nelson's team received boxes containing foam of different shapes and sizes. The foam manufacturers used to send samples to the furniture manufacturer. A box containing round white foam cushions caught Irving Harper's eye. Looking like white marshmallows, Irving Harper began to play with them when George Nelson, who was present at the time, suggested that he think of a structure to support these strange white cushions. The legend was born... Irving Harper, motivated, designed in one weekend a sofa made up of the famous white foam cushions, supported and linked together by a metal structure. The small circular cushions were placed at regular intervals on a discreet metal frame. In the end, Harper & Nelson decided to attach 18 of the foam cushions to the structure. D.J. De Pree approved the idea and the Herman Miller company began producing and marketing the famous sofa in 1956. Because foam rounds were still expensive at the time, and assembly took time, the furniture manufacturer positioned the Marshmallow Sofa as a luxury product. Unfortunately, Herman Miler only produced 186 models of the sofa between 1956 and 1961. It was a clear commercial failure. Herman Miller waited until the 1980s to reissue the historic sofa, with a 52-inch model, in its "Herman Miller Classics" range. [caption id="attachment7469" align="aligncenter" width="314"]marshmallow-sofa © vitra.com [/caption] [caption id="attachment7470" align="aligncenter" width="424"]herman-miller-marshmallow Nelson Marshmallow Sofa, Lounge seat. This is the model currently on sale in the Herman Miller catalogue, also available in red. Herman Miller, Inc.[/caption] The Marshmallow sofa was originally designed with uniformly coloured cushions, but Herman Miller soon realised the benefits of combining cushions in different colours. The result is an instantly recognisable look. Cleverly, the cushions can be detached for easy washing, and you can play around with the colours by swapping them. Another trick: you can add a connector made up of 6 cushions between two sofas. If you're keeping track, the new configuration gives you a sofa with a total of 42 cushions, since the original sofa has 18 cushions! An important detail when it comes to detecting an original from a counterfeit! [caption id="attachment7478" align="aligncenter" width="390"]marshmallow-connector The official dimensions of the Marshmallow Sofa. Below, the connector made up of 6 cushions. © vitra.com [/caption] The design of the seat is based on the "atomic" style, a symbolic representation of the components of an atom. For the record, Swiss design furniture manufacturer Vitra designed a one-off Marshmallow Sofa for the Atomium in Brussels, the city's famous landmark building whose architecture consists of a steel frame supporting nine interconnected spheres originally clad in aluminium. [caption id="attachment7471" align="aligncenter" width="548"]marshmallow-canape Marshmallow Sofa, special Vitra edition for the Atomium © vitra.com[/caption] The Marshmallow Sofa is a piece that revolutionised the history of design. Or how to transform a sofa into a three-dimensional object. It was innovative because, in its own way, it prefigured the "Pop Art" movement, which is why some consider it to be a work of art in its own right. Its creators called on new technologies, in particular the use of fibreglass - glass-reinforced plastic - to construct and assemble original shapes. Irving Harper and Georges Nelson also took on board the concern for purity so dear to the spirit of the Bauhaus. And yet, beyond its unusual appearance, which might lead you to believe that it is uncomfortable, it is not; the sofa is very comfortable. Finally, the famous rounds seem to float weightlessly, which is what makes this exceptional piece so charming. The Marshmallow Sofa boasts a distinctive style, an assembly of independent parts and colourful elements, in this case multicoloured cushions. It bears witness to an era, the 1950s, when there was great diversity in the use of materials and sculptural forms. The Marshmallow Sofa may well be a reference to an earlier creation by Georges Nelson: his series of domestic clocks begun in the late 1940s. Charles and Ray Eames, also designers employed by Herman Miller, developed this colourful 'burst' style with their famous Hang-It-All coat racks, also in the 50s. As with the Marshmallow Sofa, separate elements - in this case brightly coloured wooden balls on a metal frame - playfully replaced the classic coat hook. [caption id="attachment7472" align="aligncenter" width="374"]nelson clock Ball clocks, George Nelson, 1948-1960 © vitra.com[/caption] [caption id="attachment7475" align="aligncenter" width="394"]eames coat rack Multicoloured coat rack, Hang It All, Charles and Ray Eames, 1953. vitra.com[/caption] If the Marshmallow Sofa systematically names Georges Nelson as its designer, there is no doubt that its creator is Irving Harper. John Pile, a designer who worked for Georges Nelson and Associates, explains why. Although Georges Nelson's policy was to attribute the name of the designer who had actually created a piece of furniture in official publications, it was in fact the name of Georges Nelson and his company that systematically appeared on the pieces marketed. This is why Georges Nelson is too often wrongly associated as the sole creator of the famous seat. Irving Harper left Georges Nelson Associates in 1963 to found Harper+Georges with designer Philip Georges. Philipp Georges is best known for designing the interiors of prestigious American restaurants. Together, Harper and Georges were the resident designers of the now-defunct Braniff International airline. Retired in 1983, Irving Harper died last year at the venerable age of 99. [caption id="attachment7476" align="aligncenter" width="640"]design-avion Various Braniff International aircraft. Irving Harper and Philipp Georges worked with the company to design an original colour code. airlinebuzz.com[/caption] It is unique, considered by design aficionados to be an original piece of furniture as well as a work of art in its own right. More than 60 years after its creation, the Marshmallow Sofa continues to captivate design lovers. Created in 1954 by the designer Irving Harper, this "funny" seat is inseparable from 3 great names in post-war design: its creator, of course, the company Georges Nelson Associates, named after the famous American designer, and the publisher Herman Miller. Its existence gave rise to a controversy over its authorship, and it's worth setting the record straight. [caption id="attachment7465" align="aligncenter" width="650"]irving-harper Irving Harper, 1916-2015 © objectifixation.design[/caption] Literally known as the "Chamallow sofa" in reference to the famous marshmallow that has become an international trademark for Haribo, this 100% American sofa lives up to its name. Creative, playful and colourful, it brings a strong personality to even the most austere interiors, such as company lobbies. Here's a look back at the unusual history of this timeless piece of furniture. In 1947, 31-year-old designer Irving Harper designed the famous M in the logo of American furniture publisher Herman Miller. Harper already knew Georges Nelson, one of the fathers of post-war American design along with Charles and Ray Eames. Two years earlier, Nelson, a teacher, designer and author, had designed the first modular wall storage system, the precursor of system furniture. Impressed by the designer's avant-garde vision, Herman Miller founder D.J. De Pree persuaded Nelson to become his design director, prompting Nelson to found his first design agency, George Nelson and Associates. [caption id="attachment7466" align="aligncenter" width="372"]logo-herman-miller-1946 Irving Harper, creation of the Herman Miller logo in 1946. The famous M is adopted. © imjustcreative.com[/caption] [caption id="attachment7468" align="aligncenter" width="470"]herman-miller-logo-1948 The Herman Miller logo designed by Irving Harper used in a 1948 advertisement.© imjustcreative.com[/caption] Georges Nelson was not only talented, he was also a people person. After his honorary appointment at Herman Miller, he convinced other leading design figures to develop their projects at the American manufacturer. Among the most famous were Isamu Noguchi (American-Japanese, 1904-1988), Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard (American, 1907-1993) and... Irving Harper. In 1947, Irving Harper joined Georges Nelson's team, initially as head of the brand's advertising design - which is why Herman Miler owed his famous M to him - and then as a specialist in interior design. One day in 1954, at Herman Miller's offices, George Nelson's team received boxes containing foam of different shapes and sizes. The foam manufacturers used to send samples to the furniture manufacturer. A box containing round white foam cushions caught Irving Harper's eye. Looking like white marshmallows, Irving Harper began to play with them when George Nelson, who was present at the time, suggested that he think of a structure to support these strange white cushions. The legend was born... Irving Harper, motivated, designed in one weekend a sofa made up of the famous white foam cushions, supported and linked together by a metal structure. The small circular cushions were placed at regular intervals on a discreet metal frame. In the end, Harper & Nelson decided to attach 18 of the foam cushions to the structure. D.J. De Pree approved the idea and the Herman Miller company began producing and marketing the famous sofa in 1956. Because foam rounds were still expensive at the time, and assembly took time, the furniture manufacturer positioned the Marshmallow Sofa as a luxury product. Unfortunately, Herman Miler only produced 186 models of the sofa between 1956 and 1961. It was a clear commercial failure. Herman Miller waited until the 1980s to reissue the historic sofa, with a 52-inch model, in its "Herman Miller Classics" range. [caption id="attachment7469" align="aligncenter" width="314"]marshmallow-sofa © vitra.com [/caption] [caption id="attachment7470" align="aligncenter" width="424"]herman-miller-marshmallow Nelson Marshmallow Sofa, Lounge seat. This is the model currently on sale in the Herman Miller catalogue, also available in red. Herman Miller, Inc.[/caption] The Marshmallow sofa was originally designed with uniformly coloured cushions, but Herman Miller soon realised the benefits of combining cushions in different colours. The result is an instantly recognisable look. Cleverly, the cushions can be detached for easy washing, and you can play around with the colours by swapping them. Another trick: you can add a connector made up of 6 cushions between two sofas. If you're keeping track, the new configuration gives you a sofa with a total of 42 cushions, since the original sofa has 18 cushions! An important detail when it comes to detecting an original from a counterfeit! [caption id="attachment7478" align="aligncenter" width="390"]marshmallow-connector The official dimensions of the Marshmallow Sofa. Below, the connector made up of 6 cushions. © vitra.com [/caption] The design of the seat is based on the "atomic" style, a symbolic representation of the components of an atom. For the record, Swiss design furniture manufacturer Vitra designed a one-off Marshmallow Sofa for the Atomium in Brussels, the city's famous landmark building whose architecture consists of a steel frame supporting nine interconnected spheres originally clad in aluminium. [caption id="attachment7471" align="aligncenter" width="548"]marshmallow-canape Marshmallow Sofa, special Vitra edition for the Atomium © vitra.com[/caption] The Marshmallow Sofa is a piece that revolutionised the history of design. Or how to transform a sofa into a three-dimensional object. It was innovative because, in its own way, it prefigured the "Pop Art" movement, which is why some consider it to be a work of art in its own right. Its creators called on new technologies, in particular the use of fibreglass - glass-reinforced plastic - to construct and assemble original shapes. Irving Harper and Georges Nelson also took on board the concern for purity so dear to the spirit of the Bauhaus. And yet, beyond its unusual appearance, which might lead you to believe that it is uncomfortable, it is not; the sofa is very comfortable. Finally, the famous rounds seem to float weightlessly, which is what makes this exceptional piece so charming. The Marshmallow Sofa boasts a distinctive style, an assembly of independent parts and colourful elements, in this case multicoloured cushions. It bears witness to an era, the 1950s, when there was great diversity in the use of materials and sculptural forms. The Marshmallow Sofa may well be a reference to an earlier creation by Georges Nelson: his series of domestic clocks begun in the late 1940s. Charles and Ray Eames, also designers employed by Herman Miller, developed this colourful 'burst' style with their famous Hang-It-All coat racks, also in the 50s. As with the Marshmallow Sofa, separate elements - in this case brightly coloured wooden balls on a metal frame - playfully replaced the classic coat hook. [caption id="attachment7472" align="aligncenter" width="374"]nelson clock Ball clocks, George Nelson, 1948-1960 © vitra.com[/caption] [caption id="attachment7475" align="aligncenter" width="394"]eames coat rack Multicoloured coat rack, Hang It All, Charles and Ray Eames, 1953. vitra.com[/caption] If the Marshmallow Sofa systematically names Georges Nelson as its designer, there is no doubt that its creator is Irving Harper. John Pile, a designer who worked for Georges Nelson and Associates, explains why. Although Georges Nelson's policy was to attribute the name of the designer who had actually created a piece of furniture in official publications, it was in fact the name of Georges Nelson and his company that systematically appeared on the pieces marketed. This is why Georges Nelson is too often wrongly associated as the sole creator of the famous seat. Irving Harper left Georges Nelson Associates in 1963 to found Harper+Georges with designer Philip Georges. Philipp Georges is best known for designing the interiors of prestigious American restaurants. Together, Harper and Georges were the resident designers of the now-defunct Braniff International airline. Retired in 1983, Irving Harper died last year at the venerable age of 99. [caption id="attachment7476*" align="aligncenter" width="640"]design-avion Various Braniff International aircraft. Irving Harper and Philipp Georges worked with the company to design an original colour code. © airlinebuzz.com[/caption] Written by François Boutard

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