Modern Icons: The George Nelson Coconut Chair
A hard shell provides surprising comfort in this famous modern chair design
The Coconut Chair is a stylish slice of modern cushiness. It was designed by George Nelson in 1955. A prolific architect, furniture designer and critic, Nelson served as the director of design at Herman Miller from 1945 to 1972.
Nelson didn't really have any experience designing furniture when he was hired at Herman Miller, but that soon changed. He cranked out one home-furnishing hit after another, including iconic mid-century modern pendant lights, benches and clocks. The list of other mid-century all-stars who worked under Nelson includes Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi and Harry Bertoia — and their relationships are the reason so many of their pieces still work so well together today.
In 1955 Nelson designed the Coconut Chair "to give lounge seating comfort, together with great freedom of movement." Here's a closer look at this chair.
Nelson didn't really have any experience designing furniture when he was hired at Herman Miller, but that soon changed. He cranked out one home-furnishing hit after another, including iconic mid-century modern pendant lights, benches and clocks. The list of other mid-century all-stars who worked under Nelson includes Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi and Harry Bertoia — and their relationships are the reason so many of their pieces still work so well together today.
In 1955 Nelson designed the Coconut Chair "to give lounge seating comfort, together with great freedom of movement." Here's a closer look at this chair.
Nelson Coconut Chair | Herman Miller
The Coconut Chair has a plastic base covered with one piece of thick foam rubber. The top tip extends a little farther than the sides for maximum comfort. The base is bent steel.
While the upholstery is available in a range of colors, black leather offers the strongest contrast to the white shell base and highlights the chair's pleasing geometry.
The bent steel base helps this chair fit right in with other mid-century modern iconic pieces, like the Bertoia wire stool (seen here), the Eames Shell Chair with Eiffel base or the Eames Elliptical Table.
As one with his eye on the transformative architecture of his time, Nelson took special notice of his peer Eero Saarinen's Kresge Auditorium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Along with a tropical fruit, it inspired the design of this chair.
I love the way the Coconut Chair in the distance plays off the strong angle created by this island and the coordinating angle on the ceiling. This picture says a thousand words about hiring a professional photographer and interior stylist when shooting interiors.
The chair has the right profile for a minimalist contemporary bedroom. Its shape adds a few subtle curves in a very streamlined way.
Here it is again wrapped in warm brown leather.
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More:
Houzz Tour: When MoMA is Your Next-Door Neighbor
18 Great Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Modern Icons: The Eames Wire Base Table