Brian Holcombe is a woodworker specializing in handmade, one-of-a-kind furniture influenced by Japanese sashimono techniques and furniture of the Chinese Ming Dynasty. All of Holcombe’s woodwork is joined together without the use of fasteners, nails or screws, and units like his credenzas and cabinets often feature shoji — traditional Japanese sliding doors or screens. His work is mid-century modern in style but thoughtfully traditional in construction as it draws on the materials and techniques once favored by the Samurai and wealthy merchants of Asia.
His studio, where he builds elegant bookcases, daybeds, benches and other pieces, is in Princeton, New Jersey. By creating his furniture by hand, Holcombe intimately understands the nature of each material he uses. While much of his work is made of wood, the use of various types, including ash, walnut and mahogany, gives a sophisticated variation to the furniture, with brass accents furthering the depth of its design. Holcombe uses mulberry paper for his sliding door pieces and offers a live edge on some products, like his dining room tables.
In addition to producing beautiful furniture, Holcombe teaches woodworking classes both in person and online, including workshops on hand tools, interlocking techniques and shoji doors. Publications such as Fine Woodworking and Handwork Magazine have featured his expert work.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Brian Holcombe seating, tables, storage case pieces and more.
$3,800 / item
Dovetailed Corner Long Bench in Mahogany
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
In designing this bench I took cues from sashimono, seeking a outwardly simple aesthetic which gives way to more elaborate detail upon a closer look. In building this bench I utilize...
Mahogany
$2,950 / item
Dovetailed Bench in Mahogany by Brian Holcombe
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
In designing this bench I took cues from sashimono, seeking a outwardly simple aesthetic which gives way to more elaborate detail upon a closer look. In building this bench I utilize...
Mahogany
$4,500 / item
Tea House Chair in Mahogany
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
In designing this chair I took cues from both Japanese sashimono and English windsor chairs, seeking a outwardly simple aesthetic which gives way to more elaborate detail upon a clos...
Mahogany
$3,995Sale Price / item|15% Off
Live Edge Trestle Bench in Cherry by Brian Holcombe
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
In designing this bench I took cues from sashimono, seeking a outwardly simple aesthetic which gives way to more elaborate detail upon a closer look. In building this bench I utilized joinery unique to Japanese timber carpentry. This bench utilizes joinery found in traditional Japanese carpentry...
Cherry
$3,850 / item
Dovetailed Platform Bed in Ash, Queen Size
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
This bed is designed to accommodate a contemporary aesthetic. This design is carefully handmade, featuring detailed construction and traditional technique which utilizes the interloc...
Ash
$3,500 / item
Spindle Back Bench in Walnut and Ash
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Contemporary walnut bench handmade by Brian Holcombe utilizing the techniques of traditional Windsor chair making combined with traditional mortise and tenon joinery similar to that ...
Walnut
$850 / item
Dovetailed Stool in Walnut
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
In designing this bench I took cues from sashimono, seeking an outwardly simple aesthetic which gives way to more elaborate detail upon a closer look. In building this bench I utiliz...
Walnut
$9,500 / item
Naiku Daybed in Mahogany
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
This daybed was inspired by the Uji bridge at Naiku temple in Japan. It is featured in Honduran mahogany and made for indoor/outdoor use in Honduran mahogan...
Mahogany
Spindle Back Dining Chair in White Ash by Brian Holcombe
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
In designing this chair I wanted to best utilize the best and most practical aspects of the classical Windsor chair and apply them in contemporary proportion. The genius of the class...
Ash
Club Chair by Brian Holcombe in Mahogany with Upholstery
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Upholstered club chair in mahogany wood with carving details on the sides. The carvings are of a motif found in 18th century Ming furniture. The carvings are done by hand. This ch...
Mahogany
$2,200 / item
Henry the Armchair in Walnut
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Henry the armchair is an original design by Brian Holcombe. Ergonomically designed around the human proportion this chair accommodates comfortable seating. These chairs are individu...
Walnut
$2,850 / item
Dovetailed Bench in Walnut
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
In designing this bench I took cues from sashimono, seeking a outwardly simple aesthetic which gives way to more elaborate detail upon a closer look. In building this bench I utilize...
Walnut
$3,600 / item
Dovetailed Platform Bed in Ash, Extra Large Twin
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
This bed is designed to accommodate a contemporary aesthetic. This design is carefully handmade, featuring detailed construction and traditional technique which utilizes the interloc...
Ash
$3,800 / item
Dovetailed Platform Bed in Ash, Full
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
This bed is designed to accommodate a contemporary aesthetic. This design is carefully handmade, featuring detailed construction and traditional technique which utilizes the interloc...
Ash
'Henry the Armchair' in Walnut with Leather Upholstery by Brian Holcombe
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Henry the armchair is an original design by Brian Holcombe. Ergonomically designed around the human proportion this chair accommodates comfortable seating. These chairs are indivi...
Walnut
$9,500 / item
Daybed in Mahogany
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
This daybed was inspired by the Uji bridge at Naiku temple in Japan. It is featured in Honduran mahogany and made for indoor/outdoor use in Honduran mahogan...
Mahogany
$4,200 / item
Daybed in Walnut with Splayed Legs
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
This daybed was inspired by the splayed bell tower structures of Japan. These structures utilize a simple principle that by putting the uprights of a structure at an inward angle, i...
Mahogany
$2,600 / item
Henry Counter Stool in White Ash
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Henry the armchair is an original design by Brian Holcombe. Ergonomically designed around the human proportion this chair accommodates comfortable seating. These chairs are indivi...
Ash, Walnut
$2,250 / item
Henry the Armchair in Walnut with Upholstered Seat
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Henry the armchair is an original design by Brian Holcombe. Ergonomically designed around the human proportion this chair accommodates comfortable seating. These chairs are indivi...
Walnut
$2,950 / item
Dovetailed Bench in Mahogany
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
In designing this bench I took cues from sashimono, seeking a outwardly simple aesthetic which gives way to more elaborate detail upon a closer look. In building this bench I utilize...
Mahogany
Spindle Back Dining Chair in Ebonized Oak by Brian Holcombe
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
In designing this chair I wanted to best utilize the best and most practical aspects of the classical Windsor chair and apply them in contemporary proportion. The genius of the class...
Oak
$2,200 / item
Henry the Armchair in White Ash
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Henry the armchair is an original design by Brian Holcombe. Ergonomically designed around the human proportion this chair accommodates comfortable seating. These chairs are individu...
Ash, Walnut
'Henry the Armchair' in Walnut with Leather Upholstery by Brian Holcombe
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Henry the armchair is an original design by Brian Holcombe. Ergonomically designed around the human proportion this chair accommodates comfortable seating. These chairs are indivi...
Walnut
$2,000 / item
H 17 in W 36 in D 12 in
Walnut Knife Beam Bench 3' Long Solid Wood + Blackened Steel by Alabama Sawyer
By Alabama Sawyer
Located in Birmingham, AL
Our knife beam bench in walnut utilizes salvaged walnut wood logs for a rustic bench. Narrow and backless, the simple lines express the natural texture of the end grain of each species. The 12" x 12" beam is milled and finished to sit raised by a mild steel base with a black patina. The beam bench brings rustic beauty at a variety of lengths. Cracks, knots, saw marks and variation is part of the beauty of these pieces. The wood will continue to move and the finish to patina over time. The knife walnut beam bench makes a cozy coffee table in a den or living room or low table in a mud room or entry hall for flexible use as a place to place packages and bags or to remove shoes. With the oiled finish used on the knife walnut beam bench, we do not recommend putting this bench outside...
Steel
Bronze MFA Bench by American Studio Craft Artist David N. Ebner
By David N. Ebner
Located in Bellport, NY
An awarding winning bronze studio crafted bench by American artist, David N. Ebner. MFA stands for Museum of Fine Arts and located in Boston, MA. This piece has a wonderful Asian el...
Bronze
$8,500
H 48.04 in W 42.13 in D 81.11 in
Sculptural form brass day bed by Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamento Borsani, circa 1958
By Osvaldo Borsani, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Arredamenti Borsani
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Beautiful and important sculpturakl form brass single bed or day bed circa 1958-1963 by Osvaldo Borsani for 'Arredamento Borsani', Varedo , Italy. The small series of Borsani beds designed were produced in several different designs ,each in very limited numbers and all hand made by the Arredamento Borsani in Varedo, italy. This series of beds never went into serial industrial production , a fact confirmed to me by the Arredamento Borsani archives. Beginning in the late 1950s,Osvaldo Borsani went on to collaborate with many great artists such as Lucio Fontana, Fausto Melotti, Agenore Fabbri, Aligi Sassu and Arnaldo Pomodoro, amongst others entrusting each to provide decorative elements to his designs. The brass headboard features a series of heavy cast solid brass interlocking geometric elements each featuring a beautiful organic three dimensional surface finish creating a supremely elegant and timeless repetitive motif . The bed still retains all its original decorative brass nuts ,bolts and finials which feature the same three dimensional decorative finish as the decorative sculptural forms contained in the headboard. We have had a new bespoke mattress and bolster pillow made with a natural latex foam surface as they would have originally had which also has the benefit that latex breathes. The mattress has an opulent decorative buttoned finish . Botht the mattress and pillow have been finished in 100% wool 'PLOEGWOOL' fabric by the high quality Dutch fabric manufacturer DE PLOEG. MATTRESS DIMENSIONS : Width 100cm x length 200cm / 3ft 3.37inch x 6ft 6.74inch BOLSTER PILLOW DIMENSIONS: Width 100cm diameter 24cm / 3ft 3.37inch x 9.45inch The mattress is supported on a 20mm ( 0.75 inch ) thick plywood board ,with breathing holes, which spans across the transverse brass plated steel frame elements. When used as a day bed SEATING...
Brass
Bench in ash wood and green mohair velvet. Contemporary
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Bench with ash wood base and seat upholstered in green mohair velvet (Elitis). Small series Italian craftsmanship. Contemporary. Dimensions: H 49 x W 160 x D 47 cm Reference: LS66...
Ash
Fine French 1950's Solid Elm Bed by Pierre Chapo
By Pierre Chapo
Located in Long Island City, NY
A fine French Mid-Century solid elm bed by Pierre Chapo.
Elm
$3,345 / set
H 27.17 in W 36.23 in D 81.11 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Pair of Bamboo and Wicker Sofa Beds, 1960s
Located in Prato, IT
Mid-Century Modern Italian pair of bamboo and wicker sofa beds or single beds. The beds need a mattress of cm. 85 x 190 (Standard Italian single bed size).
Bamboo, Rattan
19th Century Swedish Slagbänk Storage Bench with Spindle Back
Located in Mckinney, TX
19th-century Swedish slagbänk bench with spindle back, reeded panels, and beautifully worn layered paint. The removable seat opens to reveal generous storage beneath, while the origi...
Pine, Paint
Chinese Woven Top Canopy Bed, c. 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
A Chinese canopy bed was typically part of a bride's dowry or a gift to a courtesan. It grew to be an important household status symbol, and the sub...
Rattan, Elm
$1,250
H 35 in W 21 in D 40 in
Tell City Hitchcock Style Maple Rumford & Gold Stenciled Spindle Back Bench 40"
By Tell City Chair Co.
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid century Tell City Chair Company bench seat featuring Hitchcock styling with spindle back and stenciled gold accents. J 840, #77 Rumford & Gold w8. Dimensions: 40" x 21" x 3...
Maple
Vintage Oak Windsor Spindle Back Prosper's Bench or Settee 1970s
By Henredon
Located in Southampton, NJ
Vintage Windsor spindle back bench with full stretcher constructed of solid Oak. Generous proportions, in solid clean condition. Circa 1970. 37.5x52x23” HWD SH 18”
Oak
$280 / item
H 33.46 in W 17.71 in D 17.71 in
Garden Chairs in Brown Wrought Iron with Cushions. Indoor & Outdoor
Located in Miami, FL
Garden chairs in brown wrought iron.
Wrought Iron
$1,320Sale Price|20% Off
H 32 in W 38.5 in D 17 in
Tiger Maple Victorian Antique Spindle Back Settee Bench
Located in Lomita, CA
This estate sale find is a design asset in many different spaces. It offers form and function for gatherings and guests. An antique Victorian tiger maple spindle-back settee American...
Maple
Custom Bench - Per Specification
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Pair of custom benches created to fit an inside corner to corner of 68" Outside Dimensions 84". 34" tall ebonized quarter sawn oak.
Oak