What he saw then was the proliferation of belongings after World War II—all of which needed to be stored. He saw that society was becoming more mobile and that furniture suites designed to fill specific rooms didn’t work well anymore. What happens to those pieces when we move and they don’t fit?

His answer to the problem was systems of modular components. He first explored the idea with the Storage Wall, partitions created of prefabricated, modular storage units designed by Nelson and Henry Wright in 1944, when they were co-managing editors at Architectural Forum. From that sprang the Nelson Basic Cabinet Series.

Like the Storage Wall, the Basic Cabinet Series, launched in 1946, was modular, but it was a more manageable and personal approach to accommodating changing needs for storage and surfaces. At the time, the cabinets were designed to rest on the floor or on the Nelson Platform Bench, although that’s no longer recommended, and came in a wide variety. “The collection is spiced with such unusual designs as the theater-lighted vanity, the unique home desk, radio-phonograph cabinet, the extension-tray coffee table, the reclining storage headboard—exciting and different!” Nelson enthused in a 1948 brochure.

The beauty of the design was in its versatility; the interchangeable components let people tailor storage to fit any room. Even better, the approach allowed people to start with one or two pieces and expand over the years, confident that the solution would last a lifetime, thanks to craftsmanship, the modular design, and standardized dimensions that remained constant throughout the years. Design work on the Coconut Chair wrapped up in 1955, and it went into production at Herman Miller the following year. It was a time of advancement for lounge seating and incidentally, must have been an exciting year at the Herman Miller offices. For at the same moment, they began production on Charles and Ray Eames’ iconic 670/671 lounge chair and ottoman—not to mention Nelson’s Marshmallow Sofa, which also made its debut in 1956.

Perhaps more than any of his other designs, the Nelson Basic Cabinet Series reflects a central tenet of modernism and of Nelson: Let the materials and techniques speak for themselves. Nelson’s design still does that today, offering an ingenious solution that helps people make the most of how they actually live.