Modern Asian Style Furniture
Modern Asian style furniture with clean, simple lines adds calm
beauty to your interiors.
George Nakashima Collection
George Nakashima regarded cabinetry and woodwork as a noble art
form – a view evidenced in the pieces he designed for Knoll. Nakashima was an
MIT-trained architect who was known to describe himself as “Japanese Shaker.”
This was meant to express his belief that his designs should be treated as
everyday functional objects, not precious possessions. Such thinking was
consistent with the Mingei Movement that influenced Nakashima and his work. The
Movement sought to rescue common crafts that had been discarded as a result of
industrial revolution, like traditional Japanese joinery and the use of natural
materials. His work has been presented at many exhibitions worldwide, including
the retrospective “Full Circle” at the American Craft Museum in New York.
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| Splay-Leg Coffee Table
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Nakashima Straight Backed Chair
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| His Splay-Leg Coffee Table (1948) exhibits his gifted sense of
grain, texture and balance. The veneered walnut or hickory top has a
reverse slip-matched cathedral grain, which allows the table to be
placed facing either way. Mortise and tenon joints and brass hardware
secure the top to the angled solid walnut legs, creating a simple,
heirloom-quality modern classic. A signature plate on the underside of
the table attests to its authenticity. This Table is manufactured by
Knoll. |
Presenting a very special re-introduction: the Nakashima
Straight-Backed Chair (1948), designed by George Nakashima for Knoll.
What’s remarkable about his work for Knoll is that Nakashima was able to
maintain the sculptural lines and fine craftsmanship of his
Straight-Backed Chair even at the mass production level. This
reconciliation of art and industry, and the contradictions that
accompanied it, continued to fascinate Nakashima throughout his career. |
Takeshi Nii Furniture
Said Nii of the chair’s design, “I wanted to produce a chair
where one can just sit and relax after eating a nice meal.”
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| Ny Rocking Chair
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Ny Ottoman
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| Takeshi Nii designed the Ny Rocking Chair and Ottoman in 1958, after
he was inspired by an ad for a director’s chair in an archival magazine
from the 1930s. Using the same basic structure – a simple folding frame
wrapped with durable canvas – he designed Ny to be a lounge chair. Ny,
which is pronounced nee and is the Danish word for “new,” remains
an innovative concept in folding chairs 50 years after its introduction. |
Takeshi Nii designed the Ny Ottoman in 1958, to coordinate with his
Ny Rocking Chair – a folding lounge chair that was inspired by the
classic director’s chair. At just under five pounds, the Ny Ottoman
folds into a compact form that can stand on its own discreetly in the
corner, or be easily picked up and moved to wherever it’s needed, with
or without the Ny Rocking Chair |
Classic Modern Furniture by Isamu Noguchi
How does one
sculpt space? How do objects give form to the surrounding emptiness? This puzzle
creates a theme that runs through the work of Isamu Noguchi. It is not
one he attempted to solve, but like the Zen master, posed the question in
different ways. One of the great sculptors of the 20th century. He
also sought to bring sculptural qualities to the many objects he designed for
common use. Foremost a sculptor, Isamu Noguchi softened the edge of 20th century
modernism with his satisfyingly organic furniture designs. The son of a well-known Japanese poet and an American writer,
Isamu Noguchi grew up in the tumult of WWII, during which he often shuffled
between the U.S. and Japan. Simultaneously influenced by Eastern tradition and
Western innovation, Noguchi’s work bridges the cultures and artistic heritages
of Japan, the U.S. and Europe like no other artist of his generation.
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Noguchi Table |
Noguchi Free Form Ottoman |
Noguchi Free Form Sofa |
Noguchi Prismatic Table |
| The Noguchi Table conceals nothing;
reveals everything about the nature of simplicity. Two simple, smoothly
shaped pieces interlock to form a tripod that supports a 3/4" thick
slab of transparent glass. |
Foremost a sculptor, Isamu Noguchi softened the edge
of 20th century modernism with his satisfyingly organic furniture
designs. His sought-after classic Free Form Sofa and Ottoman (1946) have
been newly reissued by the Vitra Design Museum in partnership with the
Isamu Noguchi Foundation. |
A statement-making piece, the sofa has
a grandly scaled, open form that accommodates multiple people. The
design is lightly padded and provides a firm seating surface for public
spaces and formal living rooms. |
The aluminum Prismatic Table (1957), the last piece
of furniture that Noguchi designed, is an example of his return to the
medium in the 1950s, during which time he created both functional and
fine arts objects out of metal sheeting. Evoking the Japanese art of
origami, the table features carefully bent and folded angles that lend
dimension and a sense of solidity to the design |
Asian Style Chairs and Stools
Pleasingly simple lines add elegance to modern Asian style
dining room furniture.
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Kyoto Chair |
Kyoto Barstool |
Yanagi Butterfly Stool
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| Clean, minimal lines, richly grained wood and
generous proportions combine in this elegantly versatile design for the
home or business. |
The Barstool's clean, minimal lines, richly grained
wood and generous proportions combine in this elegantly versatile design
for the home or business. |
The concept of symmetry is beautifully manifested in
the joined wings of Sori Yanagi's Butterfly Stool. Executed using the
pressed plywood molding technique invented by Charles and Ray Eames,
this graceful stool marries ancient Japanese forms with modern Western
materials |
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