George Nakashima Tables
American, 1905-1990
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.
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Creator: George Nakashima
George Nakashima, Maple Frenchman's Cove Dining Table, signed and dated 1980
By George Nakashima Studio, George Nakashima
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
A rare Frenchman's Cove dining table, in maple wood with free-edge top, made by George Nakashima in 1980
Height 73.5cm, the top basically 152.5cm square but slightly wider in places...
Category
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Maple
George Nakashima Slab Coffee Table
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in Miami, FL
Stunning George Nakashima Slab Coffee Table, Walnut. 1960.
Table features a single slab top with three free edges, expressive figured grain, sap grain detail, and one exposed knot.
S...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Table
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Spectacular "Q" Table/Bench
Created in 1964 by George Nakashima,
Expressive Free edge Walnut and very long table for Nakashima Table
Signed with a Roman Numeral iii on the underside...
Category
1960s American Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
Fabulous George Nakashima Black Walnut Round Dining Table Mid-Century Modern
By George Nakashima
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Amazing Black Walnut dining table from American midcentury craftsman George Nakashima. This wonderful table features four splayed tapered dowel legs which support a large round table...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Free Edge Occasional/End Table
By George Nakashima
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Artist/Designer: George Nakashima (American, 1905-1990); Nakashima Studio
Additional Information: Exceptional occasional/end table with a highly-figured single slab top, burled free...
Category
Late 20th Century American George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Studio Coffee Table
By George Nakashima Studio, George Nakashima
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Coffee table from American mid-century craftsman George Nakashima. The table crafted of black walnut, c.1969 features a live edge table top geometric slab base with one tapered leg. ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Desk with Wall-Mounted Case in Walnut
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in Waalwijk, NL
George Nakashima, desk with sliding-door wall-mounted cabinet, American black walnut, English walnut, pandanus cloth, United States, 1960
With regard to its essential form, material...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
Mid Century Walnut George Nakashima Sundra Tiered Side Table for Widdicomb
By Widdicomb Furniture Co., George Nakashima
Located in Chino Hills, CA
Experience a touch of timeless elegance with our authentic Mid-Century designed side table by the master woodworker, George Nakashima, for Widdicomb. Dating back to the stylish 1960s...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Oak, Walnut
George Nakashima Dining Set with Trestle Dining Table and 'New' Chairs
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in Waalwijk, NL
George Nakashima, boat-shaped trestle dining table, walnut, United States, 1959
This exquisite and exceptionally large dining table was designed by George Nakashima and created in h...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
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
Category
1950s American Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Cherry
George Nakashima Boat-Shaped Trestle Dining Table
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in Waalwijk, NL
George Nakashima for George Nakashima Studio, boat-shaped ‘trestle’ dining table, cherry, rosewood, United States, 1982
This exquisite dining table was designed by George Nakashima ...
Category
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima, Minguren II Walnut Coffee Table, Signed and Dated 1984
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
George Nakashima, Minguren II Coffee Table
in Persian walnut and American black walnut, featuring a single slab top with burl detail and bark pockets
signed and dated to underside 'G...
Category
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Sundra Coffee Table for Widdicomb Model 200-66W, c1960s
By George Nakashima, Widdicomb Furniture Co.
Located in Chino Hills, CA
Experience the epitome of mid-century modern sophistication with this remarkable George Nakashima "Sundra" Coffee Table for Widdicomb, a true treasure from the 1960s. This exceptiona...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Burl, Rosewood
George Nakashima Trestle Dining Table
By George Nakashima
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A beautiful piece. Table features a six-plank top with sap grain details. Signed with client's name to underside ‘Dr. Chan’.
Manufacturer
Nakashima Studio, USA
Date
1968
Dimensio...
Category
1960s American Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Cherry, Walnut
George Nakashima Free Edge Slab Coffee Table in Walnut
By George Nakashima
Located in Waalwijk, NL
George Nakashima, free edge slab coffee table, walnut, United States, 1958
American woodworker and designer George Nakashima proves with this quintessential table that he is a true ...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Boat-Shaped Trestle Dining Table in Walnut
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in Waalwijk, NL
George Nakashima, boat-shaped trestle dining table, walnut, United States, 1959
This exquisite and exceptionally large dining table was designed by George Nakashima and created in h...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima, "Slab" Coffee Table, Oak Burl, Oak, New Hope, USA, 1962
By George Nakashima
Located in High Point, NC
An oak burl and oak "Slab" coffee table designed and produced by George Nakashima, New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA, 1962.
The top presents with a "butterfly joint" typical of Nakashima.
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Oak
Coffee Table by George Nakashima for his Origins Series for Widdicomb
By George Nakashima, Widdicomb Furniture Co.
Located in Kansas City, MO
Rectangular coffee table model 217 designed by George Nakashima for his origin / origins series for Widdicomb, 1950s, in Sundra (meaning thing of beauty) finish. Beautifully figured...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Brass
Walnut Coffee Table by George Nakashima
By George Nakashima
Located in Long Island City, NY
An Original Walnut Coffee Table by George Nakashima.
About George Nakashima:
George Katsutoshi Nakashima was an American woodworker, architect, an...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Studio Black Walnut Dining Table
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Studio
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dining table from American midcentury craftsman George Nakashima. The black walnut table features four splayed tapered dowel legs which support a large round table top. The table top showcases...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
Live Edge Coffee Table by George Nakashima
By George Nakashima
Located in New York, NY
Phenomenal 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 George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Free Edge 'Slab' Coffee Table in Walnut
By George Nakashima
Located in Waalwijk, NL
George Nakashima, free edge slab coffee table, English walnut, United States, circa 1960
American woodworker and designer George Nakashima proves with this quintessential table that he is a true master of his craft. The impressive coffee table, created custom for a private client around 1960, is designed to fully showcase the individual characteristics of the wooden slab on top. The organic, free flowing edges of the wood contribute to a dynamic and natural appearance of the design. This free-form character of the top contrast beautifully with the stark simplicity of the base, a typical trade of Nakashima. The asymmetrical composition contributes to the strength of the design and the high-visual quality.
George Nakashima (1905-1990) was a well-known woodworker, architect and furniture designer from Japanese descendants. He was born in Spokane, Washington and enrolled in the University of Washington program in architecture. After his graduation in 1931, he decided to live his life as a bohemian in France. Afterwards, he spent some time in North Africa and eventually settled in Japan for some time. There, he started working for Antonin Raymond...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Splay Leg Table Manufactured by Knoll
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
The N-10 table was originally sold by Knoll in the 1940s and discontinued in 1955.
This example is from the re-introduction in 2008.
Category
Early 2000s American George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima, Greenrock Console Table, Usa, 1987, Original Papers
By George Nakashima
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
George Nakashima Cabinetmaker, USA, 1987. A stunning Greenrock table with highly figured single slab top in Butternut wood. Features three exposed knot...
Category
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Wepman Table
By George Nakashima
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An oversized example of this design
Re-Oiled Surface.
Category
1960s American Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Wood
Pair of Mira Nakashima Wepman Side Tables based on a design by George Nakashima
By George Nakashima, Mira Nakashima
Located in Berlin, DE
Pair of Mira Nakashima Wepman side tables based on a design by George Nakashima. The tables are made in black walnut and can be signed. Please consider th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Wood, Walnut
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.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
Mira Nakashima Minguren II Coffee Table based on a design by G. Nakashima
By George Nakashima, George Nakashima Woodworkers
Located in Berlin, DE
Minguren II coffee table by Mira Nakashima based on a design by George Nakashima in black walnut. Due to the unique wood structure of each item the tab...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Frenchman's Cove Dining Table in Walnut with Free Edge
By George Nakashima
Located in Dallas, TX
A black walnut Frenchman's Cove dining table with free edge dtd. 1964. Authentication and original paperwork included.
Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima, Coffee Table, American Black Walnut, New Hope, USA, 1982
By George Nakashima Studio, George Nakashima
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, 1...
Category
1980s American Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima, Freeform Coffee Table, English Walnut, Studio USA 1971
By George Nakashima Studio, George Nakashima
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...
Category
1980s American Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Walnut Coffee Table, Two Side Drawers, “Origins Series", 1960's
By George Nakashima
Located in Bedford Hills, NY
A highly sought after coffee table by George Nakashima for Widdicomb, 1963. Beautiful condition, professionally restored.
George Nakashima worked for Widdicomb, from the mid-1950s...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
1950s George Nakashima English Walnut Shark Tooth Live Free Edge Table Wepman
By George Nakashima
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Original unmolested finish. George Nakashima walnut studio table, accompanied by authentication paperwork from the Nakashima Foundation.
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima Extendable Walnut Dining Table Model 277 for Widdicomb, 1959
By Widdicomb Furniture Co., George Nakashima
Located in Camden, ME
An extendable walnut dining table by George Nakashima for Widdicomb Furniture Company from 1959.
A line of bookmatched veneers encased by a 3 inch deep carved and finger joined solid...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima, Slab Coffee Table, 1950s
By George Nakashima
Located in New York, NY
Early English and black American walnut coffee table by studio artist George Nakashima, ca 1950s, New Hope, PA.
Expressive burl live edge and highly figural grain throughout.
Orig...
Category
1950s American American Craftsman Vintage George Nakashima Tables
Materials
Walnut
George Nakashima tables for sale on 1stDibs.
George Nakashima tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of George Nakashima tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 38 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 2 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original tables by George Nakashima were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider tables by Richard Schultz, Craft Associates, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Prices for George Nakashima tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,950 and can go as high as $184,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $28,000.
Creators Similar to George Nakashima
Questions About George Nakashima Tables
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022George Nakashima is perhaps best known for developing the butterfly joint. This construction method involves connecting pieces with a third piece of wood shaped like a butterfly. The joint forms a strong, sturdy connection and stabilizes pieces to fight the effects of wood expansion. On 1stDibs, shop a range of George Nakashima furniture.
- What Is Nakashima style?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022George Nakashima’s style focuses on creating functional, simple pieces that allow the beauty of the materials to take center stage. You can best see this in the tops of his tables and benches, which show off the natural grain patterns of wood. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of George Nakashima furniture.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022No, George Nakashima didn’t usually sign the majority of his works. Instead, he normally added the name of the client to the timber selected to start the project. The writing usually appears in simple black marker. On 1stDibs, find a variety of George Nakashima furniture.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022To identify George Nakashima furniture, start by looking for the name of the original client written in black marker. He usually wrote the name on the underside of a piece of furniture. Order cards and shop drawings can also help authenticate his work. On 1stDibs, find a selection of expertly vetted George Nakashima furniture.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022To address wood expansion, George Nakashima pioneered the butterfly joint. This technique uses a butterfly-shaped piece of wood as an anchor. When wood expands, the butterfly joint prevents the pieces from splitting apart. Butterfly joints are strong and increase the overall durability of his wood furniture. On 1stDibs, find a collection of George Nakashima.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Which chair is best for a George Nakashima Origins for Widdicomb desk is largely a matter of preference. George Nakashima chairs with Shaker-inspired spindle backs like the Mira and Conoid tend to complement the lines of the desks in the collection. However, you can mix and match styles to create an eclectic look. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of George Nakashima desks and chairs.
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