George Nakashima built his reputation on precision, restraint, and an unwavering respect for natural materials. An icon of the American Studio Craft Movement, his work helped define a particular chapter in American design where our focus shifted toward material honesty, careful construction, and practical longevity. Many designers still turn to George Nakashima furniture when they want a reference for proportion, joinery, and simplicity. Nakashima treated each element as a specific, unique material rather than a generic supply, and that approach influenced the way he joined, finished, and proportioned his pieces.

Nakashima’s use of live-edge slabs is one of the reasons his work is still so recognizable. Though crafted by El Dorado Wood rather than Nakashima’s studio, the live-edge table in our Braeswood project follows that same principle by keeping the original contour of the wood visible. The form is simple, the construction is streamlined, and the materials (wood and brass) are the most impactful parts of this piece. Clients often choose pieces like this because they want furniture that is stable, functional, and built to last. These pieces are useful yet meaningful.

Nakashima viewed well-made furniture as something that should persist through generations. This idea aligns with our ongoing focus on heirloom pieces and custom work designed for specific homes and their owners. When a table, console, or bench is built with durable materials and beautiful joinery, it will remain beloved and in use for decades.

In a market filled with disposable options, Nakashima’s approach inspires both our team here at Laura U Design Collective and our clients who understand the value of heirloom furniture. We hope you enjoy this look back on the maker’s life and legacy, the latter of which is carried on by the Nakashima Foundation.

George Nakashima’s Beginnings

Nakashima was born in 1905 in Spokane, Washington, into a family of Japanese descent. His early life in the Pacific Northwest exposed him to forests and large trees, and that environment likely informed his later respect for lumber as a living material with its own history.

According to this biography of Nakashima on the Smithsonian American Art Museum website, the maker went on to pursue serious formal training in design and architectures but “his love of wood and his instinctive feeling about the right way to handle materials led him to seek beyond [this training].” That combination of roots and education gave him a broad base from which to develop his own direction.

Fostering a Love of Forestry at the University of Washington and Beyond

He studied forestry and architecture at the University of Washington, then continued his education at the École Américaine des Beaux-Arts in Fontainebleau in France. He later completed a master’s degree in architecture at MIT. Travel played a major role in his development.

He spent time in Paris, then moved on to work in India and Japan, where he joined the office of Antonin Raymond, an American architect who had collaborated with Frank Lloyd Wright. While abroad he encountered different ways of thinking about space, structure, and craft, and those experiences helped form his later style.

During his time working for Raymond, Nakashima developed a deeper understanding of how modernist structures could sit in dialogue with traditional methods. He learned how local materials and construction techniques shaped buildings in Japan and in other regions. This period showed him how architecture could respond directly to a site and to a client rather than following a fixed formula. The exposure to varied approaches helped him refine his own priorities.

World War II and Internment Alongside Other Japanese Americans

Nakashima’s career took a sharp turn during World War II. As a Japanese American, he and his family were sent to an internment camp in Idaho. The conditions were impossibly difficult, but the experience altered his relationship to work and material. At Minidoka, he met a carpenter trained in Japan who introduced him to more advanced hand techniques and traditional woodworking tools. In the confined setting of the camp, he focused on mastering those skills.

According to this biography of Nakashima on the Smithsonian’s site, “he felt that as a builder of furniture he could maintain his standards of design and craftsmanship.” That conclusion grew in part from his experience in the camp and his comparison of architectural practice with hands-on craft. He realized that furniture allowed him to control the process from beginning to end. Working directly with wood and shaping each piece himself aligned better with his values than conventional architectural practice did at that time.

This period also clarified how he would approach imperfections. Instead of discarding boards with knots, splits, or unusual grain, he learned to accept and work with them. He could see that these features offered opportunities rather than problems. The contrast between mass-produced wartime objects and careful, hand-built work likely sharpened his sense of what mattered. He left the camp with a clearer point of view about craft and about the role of human hands in construction.

Establishing the New Hope Workshop

After his release, Nakashima moved to New Hope Pennsylvania and began building the workshop and home that would define much of his later life. The property developed gradually as needs arose. According to the history and team information on the current George Nakashima Woodworkers website, the workshop and compound in New Hope grew from a small operation into an integrated site where design, milling, and fabrication could all happen in one place. It is still active today and operates as a family-led studio focused on the same core values.

The buildings on the property are notable in their own right. In her article “The Nakashima House: Exploring Space in New Hope” for Upstate Diary, Sabine Hrechdakian writes “Nakashima’s training as an architect is evident in his furniture and in the fifteen stunningly inventive buildings clustered on a wooded hillside.” The conoid studio, completed in 1960, and the arts building, completed in 1967, show how he used warped-shell concrete and plywood to create experimental forms. The site also includes the Minguren Museum, which houses art and finished work and reflects his interest in combining gallery and workshop functions.

Nakashima’s Working Method

Nakashima began every project by selecting the right wood. He often sourced logs himself and oversaw their milling so he understood how each board would behave. Planks were stacked and dried slowly, then reviewed for grain and structural capacity before he chose how to use them. This steady, material-driven approach remained central throughout his career, and the storage building added late in his life shows how much value he placed on keeping good boards ready for future work.

He worked with walnut, cherry, East Indian rosewood, and English oak burl. Live edges were often visible, and butterfly joints stabilized splits without obscuring them. According to Knoll’s profile on the designer, Nakashima “juxtaposed the natural edge of a piece of wood with traditional Japanese joinery,” and that description summarizes much of what defines his work. Every decision tied back to structure, clarity, and the material itself.

Chairs, Tables, and Benches

Nakashima’s furniture followed the same priorities as his process. Tables often relied on one or two substantial slabs supported by simple leg assemblies. Chairs and benches were shaped for comfort without upholstery, which kept the focus on proportion and wood. Together, these pieces form a consistent body of George Nakashima furniture that is easy to recognize.

Influence, Family, and the Nakashima Foundation

The New Hope workshop grew over time, supported by family and a clear vision. Nakashima’s daughter Mira Nakashima trained as a designer and worked closely with her father. She now leads the studio and maintains the standards he set. Her familiarity with the property naturally strengthens the continuity of that work.

According to the history and team information on the current George Nakashima Woodworkers website, the Nakashima Foundation preserves the philosophy, the archives, and the buildings. This includes the conoid studio, the arts building, and the minguren museum. The family’s role has remained steady since the early days, beginning with Nakashima’s marriage to Marion Okajima, who helped shape their home near the main shop. The site still operates as an active workshop, not a static gallery, which reflects the original intent.

Legacy and the American Studio Craft Movement

Nakashima’s influence stretches across the movement. He demonstrated that a small workshop could produce thoughtful work grounded in material knowledge. In her Upstate Diary piece, Hrechdakian notes that Nakashima blended American and Japanese influences, which allowed him to develop a practical design language rather than attach himself to a single tradition. This hybrid approach helped distinguish him within the movement.

Having received many awards and honors throughout his lifetime, his impact is still visible long after in the way woodworkers today talk about proportion, joinery, and purpose. He also shifted expectations for custom furniture in America by showing clients that tables and chairs built with intent could take on long-term roles in a house. That shift still affects how people evaluate quality, value, and longevity in residential interiors.

The Altars of Peace

Late in his life, Nakashima began a project he called the Altars of Peace. According to some sources, he purchased an unusually large walnut log and intended to use its slabs to build an altar for each continent. His goal was to create simple places for reflection using the same material discipline and clear construction found in his tables and benches.

The Nakashima Foundation for Peace, based in the Minguren Museum at New Hope, continues this work. Several altars have been completed, and more are planned. The project extends his philosophy by applying familiar workshop methods to objects meant to endure; this makes the altars a direct part of his legacy rather than a separate chapter.

Heirloom Furniture and Sustainable Design

Nakashima’s process aligns naturally with sustainable design because well-built furniture stays in use for generations. A single table or bench, made with durable joinery and stable slabs, can remain functional for generations. This reduces waste and reinforces the idea that long-term ownership is practical. When the material ages, the marks left by daily life contribute to the piece rather than detract from it.

Working with solid wood encourages clients to accept its natural movement. This mindset reframes imperfections as part of the story of a house rather than as flaws. It also supports responsible sourcing and stable production practices. Heirloom furniture, in this context, is both meaningful and efficient.

At Laura U Design Collective, Nakashima’s work is the perfect reference point for how to design and commission custom pieces. His focus on materials, proportion, and long-term function aligns with our advocacy for heirloom furniture. When we collaborate with woodworkers, we think about how the piece will behave over many years rather than just how it looks on installation day.

We feel that the live-edge table in our Braeswood project reflects these ideas. Crafted by El Dorado Wood, it uses a single slab, a stable base, and simple construction. The material carries most of the visual and structural weight. This mirrors the standards that guided the workshop in New Hope Pennsylvania. Clients respond to this approach because they want furniture that works hard, lasts, and holds meaning through daily use. That is the core of Nakashima’s legacy, and it continues to guide thoughtful design today.

Furniture in order of appearance in the featured image includes the following:

• Pair of Mira Nakashima Conoid Cushion Lounge Chairs in Black Walnut with Fabric, listed on 1stDibs
• George & Mira Nakashima Burl Slab Arm Lounge Chair, Signed & Dated, listed on 1stDibs
• The Arboretum Bench made of Ipé or Teak, listed on the George Nakashima Woodworkers website
• The “R” Bench, first made in the 1950s, and listed on the George Nakashima Woodworkers website
• The High Mira Chair in Walnut, made in 1950 for George’s daughter, and listed on the George Nakashima Woodworkers website