Lerner 'Chair in a Box,' circa 1940

Before opening his own design firm in 1949, Nathan Lerner attended and taught at Chicago's New Bauhaus, a reestablishment of the famous German design school. He designed such diverse objects as children's toys, the plastic Honeybear bottle, and this plywood chair. The chair was sold as a kit, with all pre-cut pieces included. It could even be upholstered--but only if you provided the fabric.