Legacy Homeware
Menu
Mid-century wall storage system with poles, open shelves and walnut cabinets
George Nelson / Wikimedia Commons. No restrictions. View the source record

Built-ins & Bookcases · Mid-Century Modern

George Nelson Comprehensive Storage System

A Comprehensive Storage System by George Nelson for Herman Miller, a wall-mounted system of poles, shelves and cabinets that could be configured to suit any room.

Design characteristics

George Nelson's design office created the Comprehensive Storage System in 1959 as a flexible alternative to built-in cabinetry. Aluminum poles were tensioned between floor and ceiling, and shelves, cabinets and drawer units hung from them at any height. The system shows a key mid-century idea: storage as a modular kit. Today, the same flexibility can be offered with custom wall systems combining slab-front cabinets and open shelving.

Classification

Style
Mid-Century Modern
Category
Built-ins & Bookcases
Material
Walnut
Motifs
Wall system, Slab front
Photograph
2014
Photographer
George Nelson
Evidence
Photograph of a documented interior or object
Source
Wikimedia Commons

Architectural context

Flush slab doors, walnut and teak, and storage built into the walls. United States and Scandinavia · c. 1945–1970.

Explore Mid-Century Modern Mid-Century Modern built-ins & bookcases Built-ins & Bookcases in the library

Related designs

Double-height mid-century living room with open shelving, wood paneling and tall windows

Interior of the Eames House (Case Study House No. 8), Pacific Palisades

Built-ins & Bookcases · Mid-Century Modern

Mid-century built-in wooden desk with drawers and shelves and an Eames molded plywood chair

Mid-Century Built-in Desk with Eames Molded Plywood Chair

Built-ins & Bookcases · Mid-Century Modern

Mid-century dining area with a stacked stone wall, built-in wood cabinets and a dining table

Dining Area Built-ins and Stone Wall, Duncan House, Polymath Park

Built-ins & Bookcases · Mid-Century Modern

Mid-century dining area with pierced concrete block walls and built-in wood furniture

Dining Area, Pappas House, St. Louis (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Built-ins & Bookcases · Mid-Century Modern

Mid-Century Modern across the house

The Mid-Century Modern guide
Usonian living room with a warm wood ceiling, clerestory windows and built-in furniture

Interior of the Bernard Schwartz House, Two Rivers, Wisconsin (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Wall Paneling & Wainscoting

Mid-century bathroom with a wall-hung sink, mirrored cabinet and wood cabinetry

Bathroom in the Duncan House, Polymath Park (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Bathroom Vanities

Folding wood accordion partition in vertical panels in a mid-century room

Folding Wood Partition, Duncan House, Polymath Park (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Interior Doors

Teak mid-century sideboard with slab doors open to show shelves and drawers

G Plan Teak and Afrormosia Sideboard

Cabinet Doors & Fronts