ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Replica George Nelson Bench

Updated on May 27, 2015
The George Nelson Mid Century Modern Classic Bench
The George Nelson Mid Century Modern Classic Bench | Source

A Mid Century Modern Classic

My tiny and quite lovely home was built in 1949. I have always loved Mid Century Modern design so it's only natural that I have a few carefully selected replicas of pieces from that era.

These pieces blend perfectly with the architecture and our surroundings but are completely timeless design icons.

Why buy a replica?

I eventually realised that I am never going to be rich. I had held off buying replicas thinking 'one day...' but that day never materialised. But why should I deny myself great design in my home?

A reproduction is better than badly-made modern furniture, after all.

Designer's choice

I've been designer for many years and I work at home. This means that the goods and products I spend most of my time with need to get my personal seal of approval and my own personal design award. Yes, I am one of those nutcases who buy products because of their packaging and choose books depending on the cover!

But I suspect I'm not alone. Over the years most people have become much more design-conscious.

Practical designer furniture

When it comes to buying furniture though, I have to be practical. Design objects are all very well but especially in a tiny home, they have to be practical too. My three Mid Century Modern pieces certainly fulfil that criteria.

At present, my George Nelson bench holds our television. The television is black so looks terrific on the bench - the black coordinates and the light wood creates a contrast. We're hoping to get a wall-mounted TV soon and the bench will be put to another use. It would be wonderful in the bedroom at the bottom of the bed - it's just the right size.


Or I may do what my neighbour Nick does with his and keep it in the lounge simply holding a beautiful period ceramic piece.

The bench is available in three sizes and I can vouch for the quality - it must be eight or more years go that we bought ours and it is still as gorgeous as the day it was delivered.

It comes indifferent sizes too so you can choose exactly the size that is right for your own space.

Stunning.

Here are my other Mid Century pieces

Modway EEI-510-NAT Fathom Mid-Century Modern Molded Plywood Lounge Accent Chair,Engineered Wood in Natural
Modway EEI-510-NAT Fathom Mid-Century Modern Molded Plywood Lounge Accent Chair,Engineered Wood in Natural
This is one of the two most gorgeous chairs on the planet. It's a wonderfully faithful replica of the Eames chair. No Mid Century Modern home would be complete without at least one of these but yet it is perfectly at home in modern rooms too. Just wonderful.
 
Howard Miller 625-333 Ball Wall Clock
Howard Miller 625-333 Ball Wall Clock
George Nelson is probably best known for his iconic starburst clocks. I definitely need one for my apartment. There are so many styles available but this is the one that satisfies my minimalist tendencies. It's on my wishlist.
 

See more

This is a wonderful Saul Bass style video showcasing Nelson's design. It was created by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. As you will see, these items are now design icons. Isn't it wonderful that we can actually own these and enjoy them in our homes every day?

Replica Mid Century Modern furniture

There was a time when reproductions were largely frowned upon by the design world. But the original items became more rare, and therefore more expensive.

Stylish furniture manufacturers began to create replicas but because these pieces are true design icons, even the replicas were more expensive than common or garden furniture.

It seemed that in those days, design came with a premium. Why did the public have to pay more money for well-designed products?

There were three major influencers.The first was Sir Terence Conran who opened the Habitat stores. These stores sourced well-designed goods from all over the world. In the early seventies even I, an impoverished student, could afford to shop there.

Coming to Britain in 1997, IKEA had a huge effect too. There, we could buy goods that were stylish, in stock and affordable. The Design Within Reach stores - about a dozen years later - specialised in affordable classic replica pieces.

Now, there's no need to buy ordinary furniture. We too can own design classics.

© 2014 Jackie Jackson

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)