George Nelson

Entering the architectural world by chance when he ducked into Yale University’s architecture school to escape a rainstorm, George Nelson went on to study architecture at the American Academy in Rome. When living in Rome, Nelson wrote for Pencil Points magazine and in doing so became acquainted with modernist pioneers such as Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe. The articles Nelson wrote for Pencil Points helped to introduce the designs of Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Gio Ponti to North America.

George Nelson went on to write for Architectural Forum and co-authored a post-war book called Tomorrow's House with Henry Wright. The chairman of the furniture company Herman Miller, D.J. Depree, was so impressed by Nelson’s unique insights in Tomorrow’s House that he made him the company's next Director of Design, despite his lack of experience in designing furniture. In this role, Nelson created designs for the home and office that cemented his position as a key figure of American design.