George Nelson was a visionary in American Mid-Century design and his pieces are often described as modern and timeless, characterized by their different shapes and variation in color schemes. George Nelson’s ideas about design make him stand out among other modernist architects and furniture designers.

Nelson was born in Hartford, Connecticut. After graduating from Hartford public high school in 1924, he attended Yale. There, he sort of “stumbled” upon the architecture career path. He was looking for refuge during a rainstorm and the architecture building was near him. Fascinated by the student's displayed work, he decided to change the trajectory of his career path, gearing towards architecture instead. During his time at Yale, he received recognition in magazines for his excellent work as a writer and was hired by Adams and Prentice architecture firm as a drafter during his senior year. In 1929, he was hired as a teachers assistant while pursuing a second degree in Fine Arts. As a student, Nelson competed for the Roman Prize and obtained it which awarded him a one-year scholarship to study in Europe. He took advantage of this opportunity and, in his travels, interviewed important architects of the modern era – Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Gio Ponti - for the magazine, Pencil Points.