Introduced in 1946, the Nelson platform bench remains a landmark of modern design. The clean, rectilinear lines reflect designer George Nelson's architectural background and his insistence on what he called "honest" design - making an honest visual statement about an object's purpose.

The bench serves as a multipurpose display and resting place in offices, public areas, and homes.

George Nelson was a noted teacher and writer, as well as a designer. He studied architecture in Rome and became an editor of Architectural Forum while continuing to design furniture, based on the modern European designs with which he had become familiar.

His association with Herman Miller began when our founder, D.J. De Pree, saw an article in Life magazine about Nelson's Storagewall, the first modular storage system and a forerunner of systems furniture. De Pree was so impressed that he went to New York to meet with Nelson and convinced him to be his director of design.