studiotocreatethedistinctivefurniture.She of Architecture at Waseda University in wood,witheachpiecefashionedtoacquiesce
workswitheveryclient,selectseachslabof Japan.Itwasararefieldforayoungwoman, tonaturalflawsandcelebratethewood’s
wood,designseachpiece,andoverseesthe but her father encouraged her. “In unique imperfections. The results are
productionofeachchair,tableandbench architectureschoolitwasextremelyunusual glorious,creatingfurniturethatdanceson
made.Sheisthecreativeforcebehindthe tobeawoman,especiallyinJapan,”shesaid. theedgeofart,glowswiththelifeofthe
studio–responsiblebothforperpetuatingher “MyfriendsandIwereallconsciousthatwe originaltree,andrevealsthehandiworkof
father’slegacyandfordesigningherown werealittleodd.Wewereinaman’sfield, mastercraftsmen.
originalpieces. butwejustdidn’tthinkanythingaboutit.”
In1970,Nakashima-YarnallreturnedtoNew
When George Nakashima died in 1990,
Nakashima-Yarnall was born in Seattle,
Hope.Bythenshewasmarriedwiththree
manyfearedthatthemagnificentfurniture
Wash.,in1942.Whenshewasstillaninfant,
childrenandwouldsoonhaveonemore.For
woulddiewithhim.ButNakashima-Yarnall
herfamilywasforcedtoliveinarelocation
thenext20years,sheraisedherfourchildren
hadotherplans.“Itwasalittleiffy,”shesaid.
center, where Japanese-Americans were
andcontinuedworkingalongsideherfather
“Eventhepriestatthefuneralsaid,‘These
relegatedduringWorldWarII.Internedbehind
tocreatetherenownedNakashimafurniture.
hands are still, there will be no more
barbed-wire for more than a year, the furniture made.’ And I thought, ‘Wait a
Nakashimafamilywasultimatelyreleasedand Thefurnitureisutterlybreathtaking.Each minute.’Westillhadthree-and-ahalfyears
landed in New Hope, where George piececombinestherusticnatureofwood worth of orders. I felt obligated – to the
Nakashimabuilthishomeandstudio.Itwas with a lyrical, Japanese-inspired design, people who had orders in, to the men
therethatNakashima-Yarnallgotherearlystart creating furniture that exists at the working, and to my father to finish that
inwoodworking.Shesaidtherearephotosof convergence point of exquisite form and furniture.”Shealsofeltthepullofthewood,
herasathree-year-oldtoddlerperchedon practicalfunction.Afterall,usefulnessisan stackedfloortoceilinginthestudio,waiting
herfather’sworkbenchusingadrill. absolutetenetoftheNakashimaphilosophy. tobereborn.“Ididfeelobligatedtothepile
“MyfatherfollowedtheMengeitradition,” ofwoodthatdadcollectedoverhislifetime,”
Herchildhoodtoyswouldlaterbecametools
saidNakashima-Yarnall.“Ifit’snotuseful,it’s shesaid.“Itwasmydutytoputthemtouse
N
A
asNakashima-Yarnallbeganformaltraining.
notworthverymuch.Themoreitisused, the way I thought he would want them
M
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in
the more beautiful it becomes.” The used…InJapan,wetalkaboutobligation
O
W
Architectural Sciences at Harvard
philosophyalsocentersonareverencefor andrespect.Tomethat’simportant–toour
UniversityandwentontocompleteaMaster
T
Y
trees.Thefurniture’sdesignisdictatedbythe ancestorsandthenaturalworld.” N
U
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