It always takes me a moment to recall exactly what the Marshmallow Sofa, a design by George Nelson for Herman Miller, looks like when I read its name — not because it isn't a design classic, but because it's one of those names that doesn't quite seem to fit the form. The name conjures images of oversized plumpness and saccharine pastels, but Nelson's Marshmallow Sofa is structured, dynamic, and punchy, by comparison.
I'd hazard a guess that a lot of people would recognize this iconic sofa — it's a unique prospect that, for good reason, hasn't widely been replicated — even if they didn't know its name. The Marshmallow Sofa became the first piece of furniture that really embraced Pop Art's sensibilities, and it serves as an example of a time when designers and manufacturers were embracing and exploring the new forms that plastic allowed them to create.
