Marshmallow sofa regains its funky legs
At first glance, the Nelson Marshmallow Sofa could pass for a set of colourful electronic drum pads.
But as the website Best Design Ideas explains, the creation from designer George Nelson goes back to the mid-1950s.
Now an exclusive production from Herman Miller in the U.S. and Europe’s Vitra, the Marshmallow sofa is made up of 18 10-inch colourful pillows that resemble larger-than-life-sized marshmallow candies and are held to a fibreglass framework with steel legs.
As manufacturing firm Herman Miller explains, it started with an inventor/salesman from New York’s Long Island area who came up with an injection plastic disc he believed could be produced at a low cost and would be durable. He brought the idea to Nelson and design cohort Irving Harper, credited in arranging 18 discs onto a steel frame.
The cushions initially proved to be not exactly practical, and soon the endeavour wound up a more costly affair. Still, Nelson and Harper convinced Herman Miller to manufacture their item in 1956. Between 1957 and 1961, the first Nelson Marshmallow Sofas came in two sizes — 1.3 metres and 2.6 metres, the latter incorporating 38 cushions, with each of the cushions made from brightly coloured fabric, vinyl or leather.
Despite its claims of being a comfortable furniture item, only 186 were constructed before the venture was halted. Two decades later, the smaller, 18-cushion sofa resurfaced and continues to be manufactured thanks to its funky appearance and functionality.