Many people think the genesis of modern architecture was the Bauhaus, modernism, postmodernism, or—more recently—parametricism movements. However, modern architecture dates back to the late 1800s. And for all the credit that Gropius, Nakashima, and Lloyd Wright receive, they owe much to one man—Louis Henry Sullivan.

Born around the turn of the 20th century, and enduring such hardships like the Great Depression and being placed in a Japanese Internment Camp during World War II, George Nakashima eventually became one of the most influential woodworkers and modernist of our time and continues to have an influence on designers today.