George Nakashima Chest of Drawers
View Similar Items
George Nakashima Chest of Drawers
About the Item
- Creator:George Nakashima (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 36 in (91.44 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: f80481604224547993fs
George Nakashima
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. 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.
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 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.
- George Nakashima Music StandBy George NakashimaLocated in New York, NYStunning burl walnut music stand by George Nakashima. Signed and dated 1978. Literature: Derek E. Ostergard, George Nakashima: Full Circle, exh. cat., American Craft Museum, New Yo...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Music Stands
MaterialsWood, Burl
$69,300 - Live Edge Coffee Table by George NakashimaBy George NakashimaLocated in New York, NYPhenomenal live edge coffee table by George Nakashima. circa 1960s with an organic walnut burl flow. Approximate overall dimensions: 58"W x 33.5"D x 13"H.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- American Studio Crafts Movement Walnut Two-Drawer Stand, USA 1960sLocated in New York, NYThis piece although unidentified shows signs of the great makers of the period. Unable to determine if it is by the likes of Wendell Castle, Sam Maloof or Wharton Esherick it clearly...Category
Vintage 1960s American Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut
- Mira Nakashima Live Edge Coffee TableBy Mira NakashimaLocated in New York, NYStunning Live Edge Coffee Table by Mira Nakashima, in black walnut with dramatic variation in the grain, knot details and three rosewood butterflies. ...Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsRosewood, Walnut
- Dining Chair in the Style of DunbarBy Lost City ArtsLocated in New York, NYModeled after a Classic 1950s design, the Dunwoodie is custom-made to order. Well proportioned, it functions as perfect seating for dining, the desk as well as the occasional use. So...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Maple
- Pair of Italian Brass Sputnik LightsLocated in New York, NYPair of contemporary Brass Sputnik Lights. Italy, contemporary. Overall diameter: 16" List Price: $7000/Pair. They can be split up and sold as single lights - List $3,500/Each.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Wire
- George Nakashima black american walnut chest of drawers 1955By George NakashimaLocated in Paris, IDFThis dresser crafted from American black walnut is a stunning testament to George Nakashima's craftsmanship. Created upon the request of a private client in 1955, the angular shapes ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut
- George Nakashima, Large Chest of Drawers, Walnut, for Widdicomb, America 1960sBy George Nakashima, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in High Point, NCA large walnut chest of drawers or dresser designed by George Nakashima. Produced by Widdicomb Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, A...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBouclé, Walnut
- George Nakashima Triple Chest of Drawers in American Black Walnut & LaurelBy George Nakashima, George Nakashima StudioLocated in Waalwijk, NLGeorge Nakashima, triple chest of drawers or sideboard, American black walnut, Indian laurel, United States, 1964 With regard to its essential form, material use, and woodwork, this...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut
- George Nakashima "Origins" Tall ChestBy George NakashimaLocated in San Francisco, CAGeorge Nakashima "Origins" tall chest for Widdicomb. Rare example with a figured burl door and drawers for every necescity rising on a splayed base, newly refinished and ready to install. Massive amounts of clothing storage...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Hotel George V Chest of DrawersLocated in New York, NYHotel George V chest of drawers. Vintage eight-drawer wood and leather-clad comptoir on hidden casters from the Hotel George V, Paris, France, circa 195...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- George III Chest of DrawersLocated in Woodbury, CTGeorge III figured mahogany chest of drawers with two short drawers over three long oak lined drawers with original brass swan neck handles.Category
Antique 18th Century European George III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany