The Nelson Thin Edge Collection is a system of bedroom and storage furniture
designed by George Nelson for Herman Miller in the 1950s. The collection
includes beds, bedside tables, dressers, chests, buffets, and cabinets, all
defined by a thin edge profile that frames each drawer and door. It evolved
from the Rosewood Cabinet Series introduced in 1952 and was refined into its
current form by the late 1950s. The Nelson Thin Edge Collection is widely
regarded as a foundational example of mid-century modern casegoods design.
Today, the Nelson Thin Edge Collection remains in production through
Herman Miller.
Special Price$3,459.00
CAD Regular Price$4,612.00
CAD
1
An Innovative Idea, a Timeless Design
In 1944, Life magazine published George Nelson's Storage Wall
concept, proposing thickened walls with integrated storage. The idea
introduced a new approach to organizing the home. The article caught the
attention of Herman Miller founder D.J. De Pree, who was searching for a
design director after the sudden death of Gilbert Rohde, and Nelson soon
had the job. He went on to serve as Design Director for over 25 years.
This concept directly informed the development of the Nelson Thin Edge
Collection.
From Storage Wall to Cabinet Series
Nelson's Storage Wall concept led to a series of cabinet designs over the
years. The Rosewood Cabinet Series of 1952 represented a synthesis of his
approach to modular storage with a heightened attention to quality and
craftsmanship. As veneers expanded and detailing was standardized, the
collection evolved into what became known as the Thin Edge group by the
late 1950s - named for the thin edge detail that defines the collection.
Today, these pieces have been updated with more sustainable veneers and
finishing processes while maintaining the original design.
Designed for the Life That Happens in a Room
In 1945, George Nelson and Henry Wright published Tomorrow's House,
a guidebook for progressive homebuilders. In the chapter on sleeping, Nelson
wrote: "Let us take time out and look at the bedroom, not as a room with
some standard furniture in it, but as the area in which a great variety of
activities takes place." The Nelson Thin Edge Bed is a low platform bed
defined by clean horizontal lines and minimal structure. Solid wood slats
replace the original spring construction, supporting contemporary mattresses
while maintaining the visual lightness of the design. Headboards are
available in woven cane or wood veneer; legs in tapered wood or stainless
steel H-frame.
From the ingenious Storage Wall to the iconic Ball Clock and his luminous
Bubble Lamps,
George
Nelson's modern designs for Herman Miller helped establish the
optimistic look and feel of postwar American life. As Design Director
beginning in 1947, Nelson brought Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard,
and Isamu Noguchi into the Herman Miller family - assembling one of the
most influential design teams of the twentieth century.
"George Nelson was an embarrassment to design writers - a practicing designer
who wrote better than any of us did. And if the writing stood out more than
some of the individual designs, that was not unreasonable, for his major
design achievement was the quality of his thinking, in a field where useful
thinking is rarer than useful products."
- Ralph Caplan, 1986 STA Design Journal
Special Price $2,397.00 CAD Regular Price $3,196.00 CAD
Special Price $9,158.25 CAD Regular Price $12,211.00 CAD
Special Price $8,376.00 CAD Regular Price $11,168.00 CAD
