George Nelson

George Nelson (1908–1986) was one of the founders of American Modernism, along with Charles and Ray Eames. George Nelson was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He died in New York City.

For a person born in Hartford, the insurance capital of America, George Nelson would become one of the greatest risk takers in the history of design. In fact he would come to redefine what a designer is. After graduating Hartford Public High school in 1924 Nelson studied architecture at Yale University, where he graduated in 1928. When Nelson began his studies at Yale he had no Idea he'd become an architect. Nelson only happened upon the architecture school at Yale only because of a rain storm. Nelson ducked into the building in order to get out of the rain. While walking through the building he came upon an exhibit of student's works entitled "A Cemetery Gateway." While still an undergraduate student at Yale Nelson met with some early recognition. He was published in "Pencil Points" and "Architecture."

Nelson’s early prominence as a drafter would however be eclipsed by his eloquent writing style. During his final year at Yale Nelson was hired by the architecture firm Adams and Prentice as a drafter. In 1929 Nelson was hired as a Teacher's Assistant while getting his second Bachelor's degree at Turkey and was planning for a life in academia. In 1931 He received his degree in Fine Arts. The next year Nelson entered the Rome Prize competition in Architecture as a preparation for the Paris Prize and won, although Nelson didn’t win the Paris Prize. In the ensuing years George Nelson would spend a great deal of his time with the other founders of the modernist architecture movement of the forties. Eliot Noyes, Charles Eames, and Walter B. Ford all of which he would later collaborate with. The award for the Rome Prize was a year in Rome studying architecture with a healthy stipend and accommodations in a palace down town Rome.

Herman Miller 1963- This sofa is made of leather and filled with solid foam cushions. The joints are all held with epoxy so that it can be more easily mass produced and sold for a cheaper price. There is no need for hand crafting with this sofa. Because of its perfect proportions and light appearance it doesn't look like it's just an elongated chair. Nelson's use of a single welt along the perimeter of the padding gives the seating an approachable softness and yet, there is more going on that cannot be seen. The padding is held up by rubber bands that allow for more comfort and the use of epoxy for the joints gives the shape a much smoother feel. It is a modern design only because it was made recently. Like most of Nelson's work it was only designed to be as useful and comfortable as possible.