The Nelson Marshmallow Sofa (1956) was inspired by inventor Irving Harper, who approached George Nelson with a proposed machine that could produce low-cost cushions. Since each cushion would have a maximum diameter of 12 inches, Nelson and Harper perched 18 of them atop a steel frame and back to see how they'd look. The machine didn't pan out, but the sofa's design was so compelling that Herman Miller produced it anyway. Available in many fabrics and leathers, this is the original Marshmallow Sofa.