Miniature Nelson Marshmallow Sofa
miniature Marshmallow sofa
The playful Marshmallow sofa is a landmark of modern design that's still turning heads and making people smile. George Nelson and Irving Harper, a young designer working in Nelson's design firm, were approached by an inventor who had created an injection plastic disc that he insisted could be produced inexpensively and would be durable.
The designers took a look and arranged a series of 18 giant (250-mm) circular cushions onto a near invisible steel frame, which was the origin of the Marshmallow sofa. The inventor's cushions turned out to be impractical, but Nelson and Harper were intrigued by the design they had created so casually, and Herman Miller decided to manufacture the sofa.
The designers took a look and arranged a series of 18 giant (250-mm) circular cushions onto a near invisible steel frame, which was the origin of the Marshmallow sofa. The inventor's cushions turned out to be impractical, but Nelson and Harper were intrigued by the design they had created so casually, and Herman Miller decided to manufacture the sofa.
miniature Marshmallow sofa
As in their Ball clock before it, Nelson and Harper exploded the sofa's parts into separate elements. By joining separate elements and making them appear to float on air, Nelson and Harper achieved the sofa's unique appearance and eye-catching appeal, which led the way into the pop art style of the 1960s.
miniature Marshmallow sofa
The Marshmallow Sofa is widely recognized as a brilliant idea that was ahead of its time both aesthetically and technically, which may explain why only a couple hundred were originally constructed; after a 34-year hiatus, in 1999 the sofa was reintroduced by Herman Miller.
Materials include painted steel tubing, aluminium with vinyl-covered latex foam-filled circular cushions. Manufacturers of the full-scale (1:1) Marshmallow sofa - Herman Miller Furniture Company, Zeeland, Michigan www.hermanmiller.com and Vitra AG, Basel. www.vitra.com
Materials include painted steel tubing, aluminium with vinyl-covered latex foam-filled circular cushions. Manufacturers of the full-scale (1:1) Marshmallow sofa - Herman Miller Furniture Company, Zeeland, Michigan www.hermanmiller.com and Vitra AG, Basel. www.vitra.com
Vitra added the 1:6 Marshmallow sofa to the Miniatures Collection in 2003. It was the 98th miniature to be added to the Collection and it can be found on design-musem.com in the 1945-1970 section.
Vitra article number: 20 2547 01
Dimensions: L/H/W: 132mm/134mm/218mm
Many thanks to everyone at Vitra-London for allowing us to photograph and feature the Marshmallow Sofa on MiniatureChairMan.
Vitra article number: 20 2547 01
Dimensions: L/H/W: 132mm/134mm/218mm
Many thanks to everyone at Vitra-London for allowing us to photograph and feature the Marshmallow Sofa on MiniatureChairMan.
