George Nakashima

George Nakashima (1905-1990) was one of the most renowned American cabinet makers and designers of the entire twentieth century. His creations are all closely linked to the use of wood, which he emphasized in the beauty of its most natural aspects such as knots and veins that made each creation a unique piece. Born in the state of Washington from a family of Japanese origins, his creations recover the ancient oriental art in woodworking and stand in strong contrast with the dominant modernist aesthetic, recovering the memory of styles and techniques of the past that it was. After studying architecture, Nakashima traveled extensively around the world, visiting Europe and North Africa before settling in the land of his ancestors, working for the Japanese branch of the American architect Antonin Raymond's studio. After returning to the USA, at the outbreak of World War II, like many other Japanese-Americans, he was interned in a labor camp, and it was on that occasion that he learned the secrets of woodworking from a fellow prisoner. Freed on Raymond's intercession and settled in Pennsylvania, he opened a carpentry shop, working mainly on commission for luxury projects including the Nelson Rockefeller residence. His creative philosophy closely linked to manual work kept him away from working with the big mass production brands, with the exception of a special collaboration with Knoll in the 1940s. The work of his atelier continues to this day, even many years after his death, carried on by his daughter Mira Nakashima in continuity with his father's ideas.