7.12.2019 | DIGS.NET 33
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George Nakashima's
spiritual appeal for
a more intentional,
honest, nature-driven
design, is in ver y
good hands.
W R I T T E N B Y J E N N T H O R N T O N
PHOTOGRAPHS:
COURTESY
OF
COURTESY
OF
GEORGE
NAKASHIMA
WOODWORKERS,
SA
LTD.,
NEW
HOPE,
PA,
U.S.A.,
NAKASHIMAWOODWORKERS.COM
Speaking of her father, iconic
woodworker George Nakashima,
from a compound almost entirely
of his creation in New Hope,
Pennsylvania, Mira Nakashima
says: "He literally built a life."
Born in Spokane, Washington,
in 1905, George Nakashima was
a Pacific Northwesterner from
the start; prone to traversing
mountains and thick forests
on foot, he yearned for the
wilderness, studied architecture
at the University of Washington,
and spent summers (save for
one cosmopolitan season at the
École des Beaux-Arts in Paris)
working the salmon canneries
of rough and rugged Alaska.
Proving equally suited to the East
Coast, Nakashima completed
his postgraduate studies at MIT,
landed professionally in New York
City and, obligated by the Great
Depression, sold his beloved car
and purchased a steamship ticket
around the world, sailing for its
far corners, one year stretching to
seven, extending his stays in Paris
and Tokyo.
SOU L
P R O F I L E | G E O R G E N A K A S H I M A
CR A FT
