Early Set of Six Mira Chairs by George Nakashima
View Similar Items
Early Set of Six Mira Chairs by George Nakashima
About the Item
- Creator:George Nakashima (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 7
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1959
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very fine. refinished by Nakashima studio in 2015.
- Seller Location:Atlanta, GA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU94509266673
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.
- Set of Four Captain Chairs by George NakashimaBy George NakashimaLocated in Atlanta, GAA wonderful set of four American black Walnut 'Captain" chairs handcrafted by George Nakashima in his New Hope Studio in 1976. These chairs were designed with creative exposed joints...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWalnut
$23,000 / set - Set of Six Silla Mexico by Diego MatthaiBy Diego MatthaiLocated in Atlanta, GAA set of six Sillas Mexico "Mexican Chairs" designed by Diego Matthai (born 1942-) in 1971 and had a limited production. The design was inspired by a basi...Category
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsChrome
$12,000 / set - Set of Six walnut dining chairs T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings WiddicombBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Atlanta, GASet of Six walnut dining chairs T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb. Vertical slate back with subtle architectural silhouette is furth...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Set of Six Brass Cityscape Chairs Paul Evans for DirectionalLocated in Atlanta, GAA set of six cityscape dining chairs by Paul Evans for Directional, circa 1970s. The set consists of two armchairs model PE-241 and four side chairs model PE-240. Brass patchwork leg...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Walnut Sideboard with Top Shelf by George NakashimaBy George NakashimaLocated in Atlanta, GAA two-piece custom sideboard pr credenza handcrafted by George Nakashima, circa 1969 in his new hope studio. It is constructed with American black walnut with solid oak interiors. Th...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsWalnut, Oak
- Set of Four Onassis White Lacquer Chairs by Karl SpringerBy Karl SpringerLocated in Atlanta, GAA set of four "Jackie Onassis" chairs by Karl Springer, circa 1980s. Finished in glossy white lacquer and upholstered in a black leather with a slight s...Category
Vintage 1980s American American Craftsman Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood, Leather
- Set of Six Dining Chairs Designed by Paul McCobbBy Paul McCobbLocated in Atlanta, GASet of six dining chairs, designed by Paul McCobb for Directional, circa 1950s. This set has been completely restored in an ultra-deep brown lacquer with ivory bouclé upholstery. The...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
$4,500 / set - Set of Six Rattan or Bamboo Dining ChairsLocated in Atlanta, GASet of six rattan or bamboo dining chairs, American, circa 1960s. They retain their warm original patina. This came from an estate with the matchi...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBamboo, Cane, Rattan
$2,800 / set - Set of Six Midcentury Dining Chairs in Maple, ItalyBy Augusto RomanoLocated in Albano Laziale, Rome/LazioA set of six Italian dining chairs with a sublime organic design in maple attributed to Augusto Romano and re-upholstered in black velvet. The chairs have supreme craftsmanship and a...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Maple
$5,154 Sale Price / set20% Off - Paul McCobb Dining Chairs Set of Six Refinished & ReupholsteredBy Paul McCobbLocated in Atlanta, GASet of Six Mid Century Dining Chairs, designed by Paul McCobb for Calvin Furniture's Directional Line, American, circa 1950s. These chairs are currently being refinished and reuphols...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Pierre Gautier-Delaye French Set of Table with Set of Six Dining ChairsBy Pierre Gautier-DelayeLocated in Waalwijk, NLPierre Gautier-Delaye, set of dining table with set of six dining chairs, solid beech, France, 1950s This French dining room set is designed by Pierre Gautier-Delaye. This lovely se...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
MaterialsBeech
- Set of Six Mid-Century Modern Danish Teak Dining ChairsLocated in Nantucket, MAA handsome set of six Danish, Mid-Century Modern teak dining chairs with arm rests. They have been reupholstered and refinished. Fabric is a silk...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak