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.
Walnut Media Console Room Divider with Sliding Shoji Doors
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Walnut cabinet made by hand and featuring sliding shoji doors and shelves. This cabinet is constructed utilizing time honored joinery techniques featured in...
Walnut
$12,500 / item
Walnut Media Cabinet with Shoji Doors
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Walnut cabinet made by hand and featuring shoji doors and shelves. This cabinet is constructed utilizing time honored joinery techniques featured in Japanes...
Walnut
$12,500 / item
Walnut Media Cabinet Room Divider with Shoji Doors
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Walnut cabinet made by hand and featuring shoji doors and shelves. This cabinet is constructed utilizing time honored joinery techniques featured in Japanes...
Walnut
$9,500 / item
Walnut hall Cabinet with Shoji Doors
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Walnut cabinet made by hand and featuring shoji doors and shelves. This cabinet is constructed utilizing time honored joinery techniques featured in Japanese temple carpentry in addi...
Walnut
$1,800 / item
Standing Shelves in Quartersawn Ebonized Oak
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
These standing shelves are created utilizing traditional interlocking joinery to form a lightweight, strong and durable structure. Offsets are planned...
Oak
Bar Cart in Cherry with Brass Casters and Shoji Sliding Doors
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
Blending my influence of sashimono craftsmen and that of finely finished and carefully machined brass hardware to create a bar cart which is built using traditional handmade wood joi...
Cherry
$8,250 / item
Hikido Credenza in Black Cherry
By Brian Holcombe
Located in Princeton, NJ
The credenza is made of American black cherry - the case is finished in blonde shellac and the Stand stained black. The secondary wood is American oak which lines the drawers. Detail...
Cherry, Walnut
Scandinavian Shelf 'Poeme', Black Oak
By Poiat
Located in Paris, IDF
Shelf 'Poeme' designed by Timo Mikkonen & Antti Rouhunkoski for Poiat Studio Dimensions : W. 181 x H. 39 x D. 37.5 cm Model shown : - Color black oak ---- Graceful and poetic, yet robust, the Poeme Shelf comes in four different sizes, offering a flexible solution for diverse display and storage needs, including, for example, as a bookshelf, a TV stand or simply a frame for beautiful objects. Featuring a modular and minimal design, the Poeme Shelves...
Oak
$6,750
H 55 in W 55.75 in D 96.25 in
Stewart MacDougall 1970s Room Divider with Desk, Birch, Walnut & Formica
By Stewart MacDougall
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautifully conceived room divider with integrated desk from the 1970s, designed by Stewart MacDougall. Crafted in a harmonious blend of birch, warm walnut, vibrant Formica, and sl...
Metal
$10,043 / item
H 33.08 in W 83.08 in D 21.26 in
Morelato Joyce Sideboard, in Ashwood with Straw Doors and brass handless
By Morelato
Located in Salizzole, IT
Contemporary style Joyce sideboard made of ashwood Two central doors with Vienna straw and two side sliding doors with handmade brass handles. The top ...
Brass
Swedish 3 Door Cabinet - Nordens Flora Illustrations
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Stockholm, SE
A Swedish three-door sideboard or cabinet, circa 1950s. The cabinet features clean lines and a balanced interior layout behind two doors, opening to separate compartments. One compar...
Birch, Paper
$2,072
H 31.89 in W 39.77 in D 20.08 in
Small french two-door Cabinet with extractable side leafs in wood, 1970's
Located in Uithoorn, NL
Lovely artisanal two-door sideboard wit diamond feet. Lovely blonde almost yellow wood that has stayed very good over the years. Pretty handy too with those extractable leafs that en...
Bakelite, Wood
$3,895
H 43 in W 43.5 in D 20 in
Mid Century Scandinavian Rosewood Bar Cabinet with Sliding Glass Doors
Located in Troy, MI
Circa 1970 Scandinavian bar cabinet in dramatically figured rosewood veneer features two sliding glass doors on the top section over three felt lined drawers on one side and a storage compartment with internal shelf on the other. Tapered legs. Unknown maker. Very good overall vintage condition. Open Shelf Sections...
Glass, Rosewood
$3,895
H 44.5 in W 43.25 in D 19.25 in
English Console Standing Shelves of Mahogany with Bobbin Turned Supports
Located in Austin, TX
A fine English rectangular standing shelf console of mahogany from the Edwardian era, featuring three tiers or shelves and four bobbin turned supports. Would make a great bookcase f...
Mahogany, Wood
Scandinavian Shelf 'Poeme', Natural Oak, 74 cm
By Poiat
Located in Paris, IDF
Shelf 'Poeme' designed by Timo Mikkonen & Antti Rouhunkoski for Poiat Studio Dimensions : W. 181 x H. 74 x D. 37.5 cm Model shown : - Natural oak ---- Graceful and poetic, ...
Oak
$2,200Sale Price|21% Off
H 65 in W 85.5 in D 16.5 in
Vintage Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinet / Bar Credenza with Drop-Down Door
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This vintage cabinet, likely Italian and dating to the 1960s–1970s, features a clean Mid-Century Modern design with a functional, multi-purpose layout ideal for use as a bar cabinet,...
Glass, Formica, Wood
Sliding Door Credenza with Inlay
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Italian style sideboard cabinet with inlay wood and two cabinets with shelves. (Please confirm item location - NY or NJ - with dealer).
Wood
$479Sale Price|29% Off
H 33.47 in W 25.6 in D 11.42 in
Mid-Century Modern 1960 Sought after Freestanding Tomado Rack, 3 teak shelves
By Tomado
Located in Markington, GB
Sought after freestanding Tomado rack in very good vintage condition, this rack comes with two black metal laddders and three wooden (teak) shelves . A real rarity and very collectab...
Metal
$4,025Sale Price|30% Off
H 31 in W 75 in D 18.5 in
Berman Rosetti Sunset Console In Walnut with Sliding Doors and Storage
By Berman Rosetti
Located in Chicago, IL
A lovely walnut console cabinet by Berman Rosetti (Los Angeles). The piece has 2 doors that slide open to reveal storage inside (one adjustable shelf on either side). The case is d...
Walnut