15 Herman Miller Projects That Have Changed Our Way of Living

While not the most successful sofa in terms of quantity sold, the Marshmallow Sofa almost immediately became an icon of modern furniture design when it debuted in 1956. The  piece was originally conceived by Irving Harper, a staff designed at George Nelson, who wanted to use new technology that would injection-mold the cushions that essentially formed soft discs attached to a metal frame—a far cry from the chunky, bulky traditional sofas. However, the manufacturing process was unable to produce satisfactory results, and so the team resorted to discs that were plywood-backed and hand-upholstered, resulting in a very expensive—but eye-catching—piece . (The Marshmallow Sofa: promotional photograph featuring George Nelson and Associates receptionist Hilda Longinotti, 1956.)