Nelson® Swag Leg Armchair

With his swag leg group, George Nelson didn't try to design an innovation; the innovation resulted from his criteria for the design. He began with the legs, insisting that they be made of metal, machine formed, and prefinished. He also wanted them to be easy for the consumer to assemble, so the desk and tables could ship knocked down to save on cost.

Swaging--using pressure to taper and curve a metal tube--proved the best way to produce the legs, which are 16-gauge steel and have adjustable glides. George Nelson added solid walnut stretchers that bolt to the legs for a stable, durable base common to the desk and tables.

The swag leg chair presented a bigger problem: How to connect four legs. Thanks to some ingenious engineering, the resulting base looks natural and simple. As one early observer said, it "grows up like four tree roots and unites into one strong upward thrust."

For the chair shell, Nelson got permission from Charles and Ray Eames to use the patented process they developed for molding plastic. Nelson took the process a step further and created separate seat and back shells that he glued together. With 21st century innovations in technology and material, today's shells are fully authentic and made of recyclable polypropylene.

Read the entire design story behind the Swag Leg Collection.

The Nelson Swag Leg Chair is museum quality design, and its presence in the permanent collections of several museums is a testament to that. So is its continuing popularity; the chair is one of the most popular and clamored for parts of the Nelson series, and therefore a very large reason for the re-issue itself. After more than half a century of popular praise and critical appreciation, this chair is now available everywhere, from the Herman Miller studios and Smart Furniture.

Comfortable, functional, adaptable, and the piece de resistance in a venerated and classic series, the Nelson Swag Leg Chair is a triumph of design, a combination of functionality and aesthetic quality that embodies the Herman Miller and George Nelson ideal. It is also one of the pieces in the collection that holds up extremely well on its own. Owning the entire series is not at all a re-requisite for owning the chair, as its timeless appeal and unique form fits in with many different furniture types, and many different design schemes. While it is certainly a part of a series, this is one series chair that works just as well on its own as with its partners in home living solutions.

Smart Furniture customers with all different types of design sensibilities and tastes appreciate and see the wide-ranging adaptability of the Nelson Swag Leg Chair. And that's just one more reason we're proud to offer it to you today.

An early zap came in the 1930s, when he was an architectural student in Rome. Before returning home, an idea struck him: He would travel Europe and interview leading modern architects, hoping to get the articles published in the U.S. He succeeded, and in the process introduced the U.S. design community to the European avant-garde. This set in motion a sequence of what he called "lucky" career breaks that were really the inevitable outcomes of his brilliance as a designer, teacher, and author.

The armchair's look is light-scale and sculpted; the chair shell flexes with the sitter and prevents heat buildup. Wide, flat armrests so forearms can rest comfortably. 2-piece molded seat with arms and back, waterfall edges, cast-aluminum base with steel-tube legs and adjustable glides.

Available color choices include:

Base: white, chrome, black umber
Seat: white, grey, black
Back: white, grey, black

Dimensions: 31.875" h x 28" w x 21.875" d

See the entire Nelson Swag Leg collection.

Stylish Seated Comfort
Separate seat and back. The look is light-scaled and sculpted; the chair shell flexes with the sitter and prevents heat buildup.

Wide, flat armrests. Forearms can rest comfortably.

Shell and leg choices. Shells are available in white, grey, or black, with the option to order the seat and back in any combination of colors; leg finish can be chrome, white, or black.

What's a swag leg?
Herman Miller named this furniture for the process that created the distinctive legs. Designer George Nelson started with this idea: "Wouldn't it be beautiful to have some kind of sculptured leg on a piece of furniture?" How could that be done without wood and hand-carving tools? Using pressure to taper and curve a metal tube came to be known as swagging.

Herman Miller is an industry leader in the integration of cutting edge technology to furniture and other household items to make everyday life more comfortable, convenient, and stylish. Herman Miller stands out at the forefront of such fields as ergonomic technologies, environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, and customizable furniture items.

In addition to producing some of the most outstanding office furniture in the world, Herman Miller has also taken on the responsibility of manufacturing some of the most celebrated furniture designs by some of the world's most famous designs. These "modern classics" include works by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Isamu Noguchi. Herman Miller celebrates these famous mid-century designers' works through its extraordinarily precise manufacturing techniques and industry-leading green production processes.

Herman Miller is a global company with operations, sales offices, dealers, and licensees in more than 40 countries in North America, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, serving customers virtually anywhere in the world. Herman Miller is headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan, while manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S., China, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Service includes delivery of large, heavy, fragile items. Deliveries are made directly to your curb, front door or main lobby. Standard service does not include placement inside your home or business, unpacking, assembly or debris removal. Deliveries are generally made within 3-10 days from the time your order ships, and occur Monday through Friday. Day and time specific delivery appointments are required, and someone must be present to receive the order. Appointments are generally set between the hours of 12pm-5pm.

Shipping Upgrades:
Inside Delivery: $100 per item
White Glove: $150 per item

Packaging:
Type: 1 box
Box dimensions: 32" x 26" x 35"
Packaged weight: 29 lbs.
Assembly required: None

For additional information, please see our shipping and delivery policies page.