Irving Harper is this week's featured designer in the Herman Miller Why Design series. The film is a rare opportunity to feature one of the most prolific designers who helped shape American Modernism.
As design director for the Nelson Office, Irving Harper was responsible for some of the most compelling and iconic designs of the twentieth century-from the Marshmallow sofa, to the Ball clock, to the Herman Miller logo itself.
While working on the Chrysler Pavilion for the 1964 New York World's Fair, he began making paper sculptures in his off hours to relieve stress. Some 50 years and roughly 500 pieces later, almost every surface of his Rye, New York home is besieged by evidence of his remarkable skill and creativity.