A master woodworker and M.I.T.-trained architect, George Nakashima was the leading light of the American Studio furniture movement. Along with Wharton Esherick, Sam Maloof and Wendell Castle, Nakashima was an artisan who disdained industrial methods and materials in favor of a personal, craft-based approach to the design of chairs, coffee tables and other pieces. What sets Nakashima apart is the poetic style of his work, his reverence for wood and the belief that his furniture could evince — as he put it in the title of his 1981 memoir — The Soul of a Tree.
Born in Spokane, Washington, to Japanese immigrants, Nakashima traveled widely after college, working and studying in Paris, Japan and India, and at every stop he absorbed both modernist and traditional design influences.
The turning point in Nakashima’s career development came in the United States in 1942, when he was placed in an internment camp for Asian-Americans in Idaho. There, Nakashima met a master woodcarver who tutored him in Japanese crafting techniques. A former employer won Nakashima’s release and brought him to bucolic New Hope, Pennsylvania, where Nakashima set up a studio and worked for the rest of his life. (Master craftsperson Mira Nakashima keeps her father’s legacy alive at the George Nakashima Studio in New Hope today. She has been the artistic director of George Nakashima Woodworkers since her father's death, in 1990.)
Nakashima’s singular aesthetic is best captured in his custom-made tables and benches — pieces that show off the grain, burls and whorls in a plank of wood. He left the “free edge,” or natural contour, of the slab un-planed, and reinforced fissures in the wood with “butterfly” joints.
Almost all Nakashima seating pieces have smooth, milled edges. Nakashima also contracted with large-scale manufacturers to produce carefully supervised editions of his designs. Knoll has offered his Straight chair — a modern take on the spindle-backed Windsor chair — since 1946; the now-defunct firm Widdicomb-Mueller, the result of a merger between Widdicomb and Mueller Furniture, issued the Shaker-inspired Origins collection in the 1950s.
Nelson Rockefeller in 1973 gave Nakashima his single largest commission: a 200-piece suite for his suburban New York estate. Today, Nakashima furniture is collected by both the staid and the fashionable: his work sits in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as in the homes of Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt, Diane von Furstenberg and the late Steve Jobs.
Find George Nakashima Studio furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
George Nakashima Set of Four 'Conoid' Chairs in Walnut
By George Nakashima Studio, George Nakashima
Located in Waalwijk, NL
George Nakashima for Nakashima Studio, set of four 'Conoid' chairs, walnut, hickory, United States, 1962 This stunning set of four Conoid dining chairs are designed by woodwork mast...
Hickory, Walnut
$158,000 / set
Exceptionally Rare Set of Eight George Nakashima 'Grass-seated Chairs' in American Black Walnut
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in Waalwijk, NL
George Nakashima, set of eight 'Grass-seated Chairs', American black walnut, sea grass cord, United States, early 1960s Through its pure form, thoughtful use of materials, and exqui...
Seagrass, Walnut
George Nakashima Set of Six 'New' Dining Chairs in Walnut and Hickory
By George Nakashima Studio, George Nakashima
Located in Waalwijk, NL
George Nakashima for George Nakashima Studio, set of six ‘New’ dining chairs, walnut, hickory, United States, 1976 and 1977 With its sturdy form, thoughtful material choices, and re...
Hickory, Walnut
$5,600 / set
H 30 in W 19.5 in D 21.5 in
Set of Six George Nelson for Herman Miller Walnut Dining Chairs
By Herman Miller, George Nelson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
George Nelson for Herman Miller teak and upholstered dining chairs. We also have the matching dining table, please inquire for details. All items ar...
Teak
$48,000Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 33.5 in W 34 in D 34.5 in
George Nakashima Conoid Lounge Chairs, Walnut & Hickory, 1980s
By George Nakashima, Sakura Seisakusho
Located in Dallas, TX
Experience timeless elegance with this beautiful pair of Conoid Lounge chairs by George Nakashima, crafted by the only authorized manufacturer of Nakashima furniture outside of the United States, Sakura Seisakusho in Takamatsu, Japan...
Upholstery, Hickory, Walnut
$3,713 / set
H 38.59 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Set of Four Dining Chairs in Walnut in the Style of Scarpa, Italy 1970s
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Hellouw, NL
These dining chairs share great similarities with the designs of Afra and Tobia Scarpa and Mobil Girgi. This is a playful design that follows the rule of a dining chair. Meaning that...
Leather, Walnut
Set of Six Mid-Century Tomlinson Dining Chairs, Walnut
By Tomlinson
Located in Trenton, NJ
This distinguished set of six dining chairs by Tomlinson Furniture Company of High Point, North Carolina represents the finest tradition of American mid-century modern furniture-maki...
Wood
Set of Four Adrian Pearsall Sculptural Walnut Dining Chairs
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Fabulous set of four Adrian Pearsall sculptural walnut dining chairs. The set consists of two armchairs and two side chairs. They have been reupholstered in a wonderful period appropriate nubby woven fabric in a cool turquoise. We have many Adrian Pearsall table...
Upholstery, Walnut
George Nakashima Studio Conoid Bench Signed Mira Nakashima, 1992
By Mira Nakashima, George Nakashima
Located in New York, NY
George Nakashima Studio Conoid bench signed Mira Nakashima 1992. The bench is walnut has hickory spindles and rosewood butterfly joints. This bench was commissioned for a private col...
Hickory, Walnut
Set of Six Period 18th Century George II Walnut Dining Chairs
Located in Essex, MA
Set of six period English walnut George II side chairs Six period Georgian side chairs in transitional form moving from Queen Anne to Ge...
Walnut
Charles Dudouyt Set of Six (6) Rush and Walnut Dining Chairs
By Charles Dudouyt
Located in North Miami, FL
Vintage Walnut and rush seat dining chairs by Charles Dudouyt, France 1940s. Dudouyt crafted wooden furniture in strong Art Deco/ brutalist forms, using playful geometries and const...
Rush, Walnut
$5,800 / set
H 40 in W 21 in D 18.5 in
Set of Six French Louis XV Walnut Dining Chairs with Gilt & New Upholstery
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Refined set of six French Louis XV dining chairs crafted in walnut, featuring gracefully carved crest rails, cabriole legs, and giltwood accents. Newly upholstered in a neutral linen...
Walnut, Giltwood, Acacia
Set of Six Mid-Century Modern Walnut Dining Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A unique set of (6) vintage modern dining chairs designed in the style of, "Elliots of Newbury." The set includes four slipper dining chairs and two armchairs. These chairs boast a sculpted cut-out backrest with an angled design that ensures maximum comfort. Sturdy and stylish walnut dining chairs with...
Wood
$9,503 / set
H 34.06 in W 20.87 in D 16.93 in
Antique George III Quality Sheraton Set of Eight Dining Chairs
Located in Suffolk, GB
A superb quality set of eight George III Sheraton dining chairs comprising six singles and two carvers, crafted in fine mahogany. Each chair displays elegant reeded curved backs with...
Mahogany
George Nakashima Conoid Chair
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
George Nakashima Conoid Chair Walnut Construction An early example (1964) Signed with original Clients name, copy of original order card ...
Walnut
Sold
H 27.17 in W 18.12 in D 16.93 in
George Nakashima, Original Mira Chair, 1963, American Black Walnut (3 available)
By George Nakashima Studio, George Nakashima
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
George Nakashima (1905-1990), Four Mira Chairs, in American Black Walnut, produced in 1963 ** One now sold, three still available ** PLEASE NOTE, PRICE IS PER CHAIR Each chair with...
Walnut
Sold
H 28.5 in W 104 in L 28.5 in
George Nakashima Conoid Dining Set in Sap Walnut with Free Form Edges & 6 Chairs
By George Nakashima Studio
Located in Dallas, TX
This early George Nakashima Dining set was custom ordered from the Nakashima Studio in 1963 and has been in the original owner's possession for almost 60 years. It was well cared for...
Walnut