George Matsumoto was born in San Francisco’s Nihonmachi Japantown in 1922. He attended the University of California at Berkeley in architecture and Lowell High School and took Japanese classes at Kinmon Gakuen. Matsumoto participated in structure at the University of California at Berkeley.
At the time of World War II, the move of Japanese-Americans caused a significant disruption in his life. He finished his undergraduate course at Washington University in St. Louis in 1943. He had completed his graduation from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, reading below Eliel Saarinen.
George Matsumoto homes balance featureless characteristics, including a flat roof, an open internal view from one end of the house to the other, terrazzo floors, natural woods for walls and ceilings, mahogany cabinetry, large windows in the rear, and small but valuable kitchens.