With a keen eye for modern design and the knowledge to realize his unique visions, American designer Norman Cherner is celebrated worldwide for a plethora of innovative contributions. Rather than focusing on single furniture pieces, Cherner considered an entire living area, designing affordable collections with items that would fit flawlessly together in virtually any space.

In addition to designing with a variety of materials and creating everything from furniture and shelving to lighting, glassware, and toys, Cherner was instilled with the gift of teaching. He became an instructor of fine arts at Columbia University, as he also taught at New York’s famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

The designer went on to write several books, and one of his first prefabricated house designs was transported from the U.S. to Vienna for an exhibit, then shipped back to Cherner’s home base in Connecticut to become his very first home and studio space.

Perhaps best known for his knack for creating stylish, comfortable seating solutions from plywood, Cherner collaborated with Plycraft—a Massachusetts-based manufacturing company. The owner of the company turned down Cherner’s idea for his now-famous Cherner Chair, but once Cherner was out of the picture, Plycraft’s owner began manufacturing the chair and dubbing himself the original designer. After Cherner sued the company and began receiving royalties, the designer’s seating solutions were no longer available for purchase.

Despite being displayed in museums and galleries worldwide, it was nearly impossible to find a Cherner design on the market for nearly 20 years. However, in 1999, the designer’s sons began producing the chairs once again, and his son Benjamin crafted a table to coordinate with his father’s famous chairs.

Cherner’s legacy lives on through his sons and their company, the Cherner Chair Company.