Credenza by George Nakashima
View Similar Items
Credenza by George Nakashima
About the Item
- Creator:George Nakashima (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 72 in (182.88 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1962
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: A24781stDibs: LU90866325983
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.
- Hanging Cabinet by George NakashimaBy George NakashimaLocated in San Francisco, CAThis rare and unique walnut hanging cabinet by George Nakashima is a beautiful and functional piece of modern furniture with sliding doors. The cabinet features an overhang top with one free edge above two doors that conceal one adjustable shelf. Crafted from high-quality American black walnut wood, this cabinet has been fully restored at the Nakashima workshop...Category
Vintage 1950s American Modern Shelves
MaterialsWalnut
- Hanging Cabinet by George NakashimaBy George NakashimaLocated in San Francisco, CAThis rare and unique walnut hanging cabinet by George Nakashima is a beautiful and functional piece of modern furniture with sliding doors. The cabinet features an overhang top with one free edge above two doors that conceal one adjustable shelf. Crafted from high-quality American black walnut wood, this cabinet has been fully restored at the Nakashima workshop...Category
Vintage 1950s American Modern Shelves
MaterialsWalnut
- Rosewood Credenza by Maurice VillencyBy Maurice VillencyLocated in San Francisco, CAVintage four door credenza features a beautiful grain, rosewood body and a shiny lacquered finish . There are 2 interior sliding drawers and 2 shelves.Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Credenzas
MaterialsRosewood, Lacquer
- Frits Henningsen Sheraton Style SideboardBy Frits HenningsenLocated in San Francisco, CAA mahogany Sheraton style sideboard, lightly curved front with three drawers and two doors behind which there are shelves. Tall tapered legs. ...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBrass
Price Upon Request - Palle Suenson, Two Part Wall CabinetBy Palle SuensonLocated in San Francisco, CAPalle Suenson, two part wall cabinet An extremely rare two part wall hanging cabinet by Danish Architect Palle Suenson in the 1940s. The upper section is...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany, Teak
- George Nelson Rare High Back ChairBy George Nelson, Herman MillerLocated in San Francisco, CAGeorge Nelson rare high back chair A high back lounge chair designed by George Nelson for Herman Miller. Model #5469, this lounge chair is one of t...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome, Steel
- George Nakashima Sliding Doors Dresser CredenzaBy George NakashimaLocated in Rockaway, NJGeorge Nakashima Sliding Doors Dresser CredenzaCategory
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsWalnut
- Mira Nakashima Credenza based on a design by George Nakashima, USABy Mira Nakashima, George NakashimaLocated in Berlin, DEMira Nakashima Credenza based on a design by George Nakashima. The credenza is made in black walnut. Due to the unique wood structure of each item t...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsWood, Walnut
- George Nakashima CabinetBy George NakashimaLocated in New York, NYSliding Door Cabinet by George Nakashima. American black walnut, oak, brass. This cabinet features an overhanging top with a long free-edge. 3 sliding doors with 2 side compartments ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
$125,000 - Hanging Wall Cabinet by George NakashimaBy George NakashimaLocated in Long Island City, NYHanging wall cabinet by George Nakashima featuring a single board plank top with free-edge, elongated expressive detail atop case with three slidi...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsRosewood, Walnut
- George Nakashima for Widdicomb Long Dresser Credenza Cabinet Burl Sliding DoorsBy John Widdicomb, George NakashimaLocated in Rockaway, NJGeorge Nakashima for widdicomb long dresser credenza cabinet burl sliding doors mint!Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut, Burl
- Patchwork Credenza by John StuartBy John StuartLocated in Denton, TXPatchwork credenza / dresser by John Stuart. Newly refinished ebonized wood with brass legs. Tons of drawers for maximum storage.Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsBrass