Some sofas sit quietly in a room. This one practically grins. Our reader's find is a three-seat version of Ray Wilkes's modular sofa group for Herman Miller, affectionately known as the "Chiclet" for its plump, rounded cushions that look like pieces of candy-coated gum lined up in a row. Introduced by Herman Miller in 1976, the Wilkes system came in chair, two-seat and three-seat sizes. Each seat gets its own matching back cushion, and the thick slab arms sit lower than the backs, so the whole piece reads as a set of soft, separate shapes rather than one boxy frame. Here the seats and backs are in deep chocolate velour, and the arms are a bold burnt orange. That two-tone look is a very 1970s pleasure. It's a design that bridges the clean geometry of mid-century modern and the softer, playful forms that followed. Herman Miller brought the Chiclet back in 2021, which tells you how well the idea has aged. The southwestern-patterned throw pillow is a nice nod to its high-desert setting. Thank you to John Weeks of Highway 62 Boutiques in Yucca Valley, California, for sharing this cheerful slice of '70s lounge design with us.
Show and Tell · Reader Photos
A Ray Wilkes Chiclet sofa in Yucca Valley
Gum-drop cushions, burnt-orange arms and soft 1970s velour: a modular Herman Miller lounge classic spotted in the high desert.
In the reader's words
This is the Ray Wilkes Modular Sofa Group, better known as the "Chiclet" sofa, made by Herman Miller and set up here as a three-seater. STYLE Late mid-century, early postmodern (1970s soft modular lounge seating) ERA Designed in 1974 and introduced in 1976. Vintage examples date from 1976 to 1986. Herman Miller reissued it in 2021. DESIGNER / MAKER Ray Wilkes for Herman Miller (high confidence) Seat and back cushions are separate, with rounded edges shaped like pieces of Chiclet gum, which is where the nickname comes from The cushions have the smooth, seamless shape of injection-molded foam, and the stretch upholstery is seamed around the edges Each seat has its own back cushion, which matches the modular Wilkes system that comes in chair, two-seat and three-seat sizes The arms are thick slab panels set lower than the backs, and the seats float on hidden steel brackets The arms are in a different color from the seats and backs, a combination Herman Miller offered in its original color range Velour fabric with very little wear
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