Cooper Hewitt says...
Nessen Studios was founded in 1927 at 151 East 38th Street in New York by husband and wife designers Greta and Walter von Nessen. The firm produced modern objects with practical uses in the home, such as lighting, glassware, furniture, and tablewares. Nessen Studios earned a reputation for its work on indirect lighting, particularly popular with architects. Business remained strong throughout the Depression. The firm won a gold medal at the Paris Exposition of 1937. Nessen Studios ceased production during World War II due to scarcity of metal for consumer products due to the war effort. Following Walter’s death in 1943 and the end of the war, Greta reopened the studio and continued to make her own designs. In 1954, studio assistant Stanley Wolf purchased the studio and introduced a new business strategy that involved dealing directly with architects for collaborative designs and commissions and selling at department stores. One outcome included George Nelson’s 1960’s design of a series of outdoor fixtures with the firm. In the late 1970s, the firm changed names to Nessen Lamps and expanded their manufacturing facilities and began marketing in Europe. In 1987 Jac Jacobsen Industries, known for the Luxo lamp, purchased Nessen Lamps from Stanley Wolf.
