Straight Chair by George Nakashima for Knoll & Associates
By George Nakashima, Knoll
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An early production straight chair with spindles and a shaped seat on four splayed, tapered dowel legs.
Hickory
$8,400Sale Price / set|40% Off
1940's PAIR George Nakashima N19 Straight Chairs for Knoll With Original Labels
By George Nakashima, Knoll
Located in Jersey City, NJ
This is a fabulous pair of the N19 Straight Chair, designed by Nakashima and produced by Knoll from 1946-1958.
Walnut
C. 1949 George Nakashima for Knoll N19 Straight Dining Chair in Birch
By George Nakashima, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a N19 Straight-Back Chair, originally designed by George Nakashima for Knoll in 1946.
Birch
1947 George Nakashima for Knoll N19 Straight Chair in Natural Birch
By George Nakashima, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is a gorgeous early George Nakashima for Knoll N19 birch straight chair, produced by Knoll Associates.
Birch
George Nakashima N19 Straight Chair in Walnut and Hickory for Knoll Studio
By Knoll, George Nakashima
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The N19 Straight Chair is designed by George Nakashima for Knoll Studio, 1946.
Hickory, Walnut
1947 Pair of George Nakashima for Knoll N19 Straight Chairs in Natural Birch
By Knoll, George Nakashima
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is a gorgeous pair of early George Nakashima for Knoll N19 birch straight chairs, produced by Knoll Associates.
Birch
1949 George Nakashima for Knoll N19 Straight Chair in Walnut
By George Nakashima
Located in Philadelphia, PA
The chair is comprised entirely of walnut. This early straight chair for Knoll represents some of Nakashima's earliest work and is quite special due to the piece pre-dating most of h...
Walnut
Vintage Mid Century "Straight Chair" by George Nakashima
By Knoll, George Nakashima
Located in Oxnard, CA
Here is a beautiful, early "Straight Chair" by George Nakashima. "Introduced in 1946, the Straight Chair is George Nakashima’s modernist interpretation of the traditional Windsor ch...
Birch
C. 1947 George Nakashima for Knoll N19 Straight Chair in Light Wood
By George Nakashima
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an N19 Straight Chair, originally designed by George Nakashima for Knoll in 1946.
Wood
1947 George Nakashima for Knoll N19 Straight Chair in Natural Birch 3x Available
By George Nakashima
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an N19 Straight Chair, initially designed by George Nakashima for Knoll Associates in 1946.
Birch, Lacquer
Set of Four George Nakashima Straight Chairs for Knoll
By George Nakashima
Located in Nashville, TN
Classic vintage George Nakashima for Knoll Straight Chairs.
Maple
George Nakashima Straight Back Chair for Knoll
By George Nakashima, Knoll
Located in San Diego, CA
A rare and beautifully restored example of George Nakashima’s iconic Straight Chair, designed for Knoll in the late 1940s.
Walnut
Early George Nakashima Straight Chair for Knoll Associates
By Knoll, George Nakashima Woodworkers
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Beautiful early version of the N19 straight back chair in birch. Designed and made by George Nakashima and sold by Knoll associates.
Birch
Sold
H 29.88 in W 21.63 in D 18.25 in
George Nakashima for Knoll Walnut and Hickory Windsor Straight Chair
By George Nakashima, Knoll
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional Mid-Century Modern Windsor side chair By George Nakashima for Knoll USA, 1948-2008 American walnut frame, with contrasting hickory spindles. Measures: 21.6...
Hickory, Walnut
Straight Chair by George Nakashima for Knoll International
By George Nakashima
Located in Dronten, NL
Straight Chair by George Nakashima for Knoll International.
Maple
Pair of George Nakashima Hickory Straight Chairs for Knoll, 1940s
By George Nakashima
Located in Coronado, CA
A stunning and very early production pair of George Nakashima "Straight" chairs in solid birch, produced by Knoll in the late 1940s.
Hickory
George Nakashima Straight Chair for Knoll
By George Nakashima, Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Designed by master craftsman George Nakashima for Knoll in 1946, the N19 chair was intended as a mass-produced counterpoint to the Nakashima Studio’s popular “Straight Chair.”
Walnut
George Nakashima Knoll N19 Straight Chairs
By Knoll, George Nakashima
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Early Production by George Nakashima, these Straight Chairs, made for Knoll & Associates, and called the N19 catalog model.
Birch, Cherry, Maple
1949 George Nakashima for Knoll N19 Straight Chair in Walnut
By Knoll, George Nakashima
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an N19 Straight Chair, designed by George Nakashima for Knoll Associates in 1946.
Walnut
1940s Straight Chair by George Nakashima
By George Nakashima, Knoll
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nice early production, Straight chair designed by George Nakashima for Knoll,, Nine spindles and a shaped seat on four splayed ,tapered dowel leg.
Hickory
Sold
H 30 in W 22 in D 18 in
George Nakashima for Knoll Attr. Straight Chairs Mid Century Modern - Set of 4
By George Nakashima, Knoll
Located in Roanoke, VA
Designed by George Nakashima for Knoll in 1946, the N19 chair was intended as a mass-produced counterpoint to the Nakashima Studio’s popular “Straight Chair.”
Walnut
Sold
H 30 in W 22.5 in D 17.5 in
Set of Four George Nakashima "Straight Chair" Dining Chairs for Knoll Model N19
By George Nakashima
Located in Bedford Hills, NY
Designed by master craftsman George Nakashima for Knoll in 1946, the N19 chair was intended as a mass-produced counterpoint to the Nakashima Studio’s popular “Straight Chair.”
Walnut
Sold
H 30 in W 22.5 in D 18 in
Mid-Century Modern Spindle Back George Nakashima Straight Chair for Knoll
By George Nakashima
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A classic George Nakashima design, the spindle back straight chair. This early 1960s example is made of cherry with signature saddle seat. Probably refinished at some point.
Wood
Sold
H 30 in W 22.5 in D 18 in
Early Mid-Century Modern Spindle Back George Nakashima Straight Chair for Knoll
By George Nakashima
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A classic & very early George Nakashima design, the spindle back straight chair.
Wood
Nakashima for Knoll Straight Back Chair
By George Nakashima
Located in San Francisco, CA
George Nakashima "Straight Back Chair" for Knoll 1946. This example a new and current production chair from Knoll.
Walnut, Hickory
George Nakashima Straight Chair
By Knoll, George Nakashima
Located in San Francisco, CA
Original straight back chair (N19) designed by George Nakashima and produced by Knoll from 1946 to 1954.
Maple
Pair of Straight Chairs by George Nakashima for Knoll
By George Nakashima
Located in Maastricht, NL
rare pair of black Nakashima straight chairs in excellent vintage condition with no breaks and strong connections and a beautiful patina.
Wood
Set of 6 George Nakashima 'Straight' Chairs for Knoll
By George Nakashima
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Nice early set of Nakashima's chair, in natural walnut and birch, with original finish.
Walnut
George Nakashima Straight Chair for KNOLL
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Knoll Associates 1948
Set of Six Black Nakashima for Knoll N19 Straight Dining Chairs
By George Nakashima
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
Stunning set of six dining chairs by George Nakashima for Knoll, Model N19 called the straight chair.
$3,000
H 30 in W 22 in D 19.5 in
George Nakashima N19 Side Chair for Knoll, Walnut, Mid-Century Modern
By Knoll, George Nakashima
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Designed by master craftsman George Nakashima for Knoll in 1946, the N19 chair was intended as a mass-produced counterpoint to the Nakashima Studio’s popular “Straight Chair.” The de...
Walnut
$2,350
H 28.5 in W 20.5 in D 16 in
Shaker Side Spindle Chair in Solid Oak, Inspired by Nakashima, 1960s
Located in Deland, FL
This graceful Mid-Century Modern side spindle chair is crafted from solid oak (or similar light hardwood) with beautiful natural grain, the chair features a gently curved spindle bac...
Oak
$4,550
H 27.96 in W 20.48 in D 19.3 in
George Nakashima Grass-seated Chair / Authentic Mid-Century Modern
By George Nakashima
Located in Zürich, CH
Here we see the principle of the Japanese wabi-sabi, which refers to embracing imperfections and underlining impermanence. Rustic aspects, simplicity, modesty, and austerity offer a ...
Grasscloth, Mahogany
$416 / set
H 18.12 in W 17.33 in D 33.08 in
Pair of Vintage Spindle Back Chairs – 1970s Beech Wood, Restored Rustic Seating
Located in Hannover, DE
Pair of Vintage Spindle Back Chairs, 1970s Unknown manufacturer. Price listed is for the pair. A beautiful set of vintage spindle back chairs from the 1970s — full of character and ...
Beech
$3,750
H 29 in W 19 in D 17 in
Early & Rare Chair designed by John Pyle for George Nelson American Mid Century
By George Nelson
Located in San Diego, CA
Wonderful sculptural side chair. Pretzel designed in 1950s by John Pyle for George Nelson, amazing original finish and patina. Iconic and very rare chair only a few were made, hard t...
Wood
George Nakashima Straight Back Chair
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
George Nakashima Straight Back Chair Walnut and Hickory Construction Single Board carved Sap Grained Seat Signed George Nakashima to underside of chair Seat
Walnut
$6,745
H 28.35 in W 18.12 in D 17.92 in
George Nakashima Wooden Walnut Grass Straw Dining Chair - Mid Century
Located in London, GB
George Nakashima, Ahmedabad grass-seated chair, circa 1964. Part of the Banda Gallery archive. Designed for the National Institute of Design management offices in Ahmedabad, this ch...
Teak
$250
H 32 in W 17.99 in D 18.5 in
Bambi Teak Dining Chair by Rolf Rastad + Adolf Relling for Gustav Bahus, Norway
By Adolf Relling and Rolf Rastad
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
Norway, 1960s Bambi Teak Dining Chair by Rolf Rastad & Adolf Relling for Gustav Bahus, Norway. CONDITION NOTES: One stretcher has broken off. Joints have been glued and braced...
Faux Leather, Teak
$15,893
H 27.17 in W 22.45 in D 18.12 in
George Nakashima Mid Century Wooden Walnut Grass Straw Dining Office Chair 1960s
By George Nakashima
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare and iconic mid century dining / office chair in walnut wood and grass seating by George Nakashima produced by his studio in United States, 1960s. In good overall and original co...
Seagrass, Walnut
Paul McCobb Spindle Back Dining or Desk Chair for Planner Group
By Paul McCobb
Located in St. Louis, MO
Single Paul McCobb for Planner Group dining chairs refinished in dark espresso finish.
Birch
$840
H 30.5 in W 21.5 in D 20 in
Paul McCobb Model 1530 Mid-Century Modern Chair, Early Winchendon Label
By Winchendon, Paul McCobb
Located in Buffalo, NY
Classic Paul McCobb Model 1530 Mid-Century Modern Chair, Retains early Winchendon Modern label. Pre Planner Group. Wonderful original condition, color, finish, patina. Functional Art...
Wood, Maple
Pierre Chapo 'S34A' Sculptural Chair in Solid Elm
By Pierre Chapo
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Pierre Chapo, chair, model 'S34A', solid elm, France, circa 1973 This early edition chair model 'S34A' is designed by Pierre Chapo circa 1973. This asymmetrical chair executed in e...
Elm
$12,500 / set
H 28.25 in W 24 in D 18.5 in
George Nakashima "Captain's Chairs" Pair, Walnut, Stendig Provenance, 1970s
By George Nakashima
Located in New York, NY
George Nakashima "Captain's Chairs" Pair, Walnut, Stendig Provenance, 1970s. Pair of black walnut Nakashima armchairs in good un-restored original condition. Both chairs are signed o...
Walnut
Erik Ole Jorgensen Dining Chair in Teak Denmark
By Erik Ole Jørgensen
Located in Fraser, MI
Teak Dining Chair. Designed by Erik Ole Jorgensen. Made in Denmark.
Teak
$2,300 / set
H 25 in W 24 in D 22 in
Pair of Vintage Walnut Spindle Back Chairs in the style of Nakashima
By George Nakashima Studio
Located in Westport, CT
Pair of Vintage Walnut Spindle Back Chairs in the style of Nakashima
Walnut
$170Sale Price|50% Off
H 32.29 in W 16.15 in D 18.51 in
Mid-Century Modern Oak Dining Chair, Czech Republic, 1975, Excellent
Located in Zohor, SK
Beautiful vintage dining chair produced in oak wood. Label shows that the chair was produced in 1975. beautiful details and design features on the chair. Elegant woodwork. Beautiful,...
Oak, Plywood
$65,000
H 15.25 in W 69.5 in D 31 in
George Nakashima, Freeform Coffee Table, English Walnut, Studio USA 1971
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in High Point, NC
A unique and sizable coffee / cocktail table in the "sled-shape" style. Produced by Nakashima Studio, New Hope, Pennsylvania, United States. Dated 1971 Executed in English Walnut...
Walnut
$58,500
H 14.25 in W 66.75 in D 28 in
George Nakashima, Coffee Table, American Black Walnut, New Hope, USA, 1982
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in High Point, NC
An American black walnut coffee table designed by George Nakashima and produced by Nakashima Studio, New Hope, Pennsylvania, United States, 1982.
Walnut
$158,000 / set
H 27.56 in W 22.84 in D 20.08 in
Exceptionally Rare Set of Eight George Nakashima 'Grass-seated Chairs' in American Black Walnut
By George Nakashima Studio, George Nakashima
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
Walnut Minimalist Handmade Platform Queen Bed Frame, Judd Style
By Figure Ground, George Nakashima, Donald Judd
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An ode to our friend Donald Judd, the bedframe design employs the tatami style of Japanese Rooms and the Hygge of Danish comfort. The reveal is celebrated in its shadow. Rest happens...
Plywood
$60,000 / set
H 35 in W 34 in D 30 in
Pair Mira Nakashima Conoid Lounge Chairs After George Nakashima, 2000
By Mira Nakashima, George Nakashima
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Pair Mira Nakashima conoid lounge chairs after George Nakashima 2000.
Walnut
George Nakashima Studio Conoid Bench Signed Mira Nakashima, 1992
By George Nakashima, Mira 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
George Nakashima Captain's Chair
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
George Nakashima Captain's Chair Beautiful original Dark Surface wonderful spline details Clients name to underside of the chair
Walnut
George Nakashima Wepman Table
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An oversized example of this design Re-Oiled Surface. Original order card available 62 XIV-5
Wood
$9,600Sale Price|20% Off
H 42 in W 100.5 in D 1.25 in
Magnificent George Nakashima Widdicomb Kingsize Headboard Bed Origins Collection
By George Nakashima
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Magnificent George Nakashima for Widdicomb king size headboard, circa 1960s. The headboard features a dramatic, sweeping form that is regal and elegant. Surface is incredibly clean, ...
Walnut
George Nakashima Conoid Low Chairs
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
George Nakashima Conoid low chairs. A rarely seen design from the studio.
Walnut
George Nakashima 4 Drawer Walnut
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
George Nakashima 4 Drawer Pedestal Executed in Walnut. The 4 drawers rest on a cruciform base Nice grain and pegging details Finished Back Original surface Original order card availa...
Walnut
George Nakashima Single Pedestal Desk
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
George Nakashima Single Pedestal Desk Walnut splayed leg Desk 3 Drawer Pedestal Signed on the underside of desk, George Nakashima 1968 Original Clients name marked in Drawers with Cr...
Walnut
$42,000
H 29 in W 40 in D 22 in
George Nakashima Turned Wood Dowel Shape Leg Single Pedestal Small Desk Mint
By George Nakashima
Located in Rockaway, NJ
George Nakashima turned wood dowel shape leg single pedestal small desk mint with documents.
Walnut
George Nakashima Triangular Cherry Table
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
George Nakashima Cherry Wepman Table Large form with legs posting through the top Expressive Free edge
Cherry
$34,000 / set
H 18 in W 16 in D 1 in
Set of 6 Oiled Walnut Spindle Back Dining Chairs by George Nakashima
By George Nakashima
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Set of 6 Oiled Walnut Spindle Back Dining Chairs by George Nakashima
Walnut
$64,000
H 28.55 in W 76.78 in D 36.23 in
Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen Rare ‘Architect’s Desk’ in Teak and Oak
By Hans J. Wegner, Johannes Hansen
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen, writing desk, model 'JH571', teak, oak, metal, Denmark, 1953 Out of all the desks that Wegner designed, the ‘JH571‘ is the most 'Wegnerian'. This...
Metal
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 vintage George Nakashima furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.
Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.
Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.
The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.
Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.
With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.
Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.
No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.