CMU's Nakashima Furniture Collection
Public Art
written by
Margaret Cox
Warner Hall, Carnegie Mellon University’s main administration building, rises adjacent to Forbes Avenue with modern, sharp glass and aluminum lines. Inside, visitors to the Admission Office find a stark contrast to the cool exterior when they see the warm, hand-sculpted wood furniture housed there. Even more astounding is that most visitors don’t realize they are sitting right next to some of the country's greatest design treasures.
The History: Made for Warner Hall
This incredible furniture was created by George Nakashima, a world-renowned Japanese American architect and woodworker (1905–1990). He was a leading figure in the 20th century craft movement, famous for his "soul of a tree" philosophy. Nakashima believed in letting the natural personality of the wood shine through. He loved using raw, "free-edge" slabs of wood and joining them together with his signature, bow tie-shaped butterfly joints. Today, his studio in New Hope, Pa., is still running beautifully under the direction of his daughter, Mira Nakashima.
1966, George Nakashima furniture lifted by crane through the ceiling of Warner Hall because some pieces were too large to fit in the elevator. Photo courtesy of CMU University Archives.
CMU’s collection features about 60 handcrafted pieces, originally ordered by Pittsburgh interior designer Paul Planert between 1965 and 1966 for Warner Hall’s grand opening. Today, CMU proudly holds one of the largest and most important institutional collections of Nakashima furniture in the United States.
Living with Art: Personal Stories
One of the most iconic pieces in the collection is the Conoid Bench, made in 1966. Crafted from American black walnut and flexible hickory spindles, it features a striking East Indian rosewood butterfly joint. Nakashima designed each of these low benches individually to match the unique shape and grain of the specific wood logs he found. To share its story, the Admission Office is teaming up with CMU's Public Art to create a beautiful display around the bench, featuring historical photos and descriptions so everyone can appreciate its legacy.
"Having the Conoid Bench in our office completely transforms the energy of the room," said Asraiel Harewood, director of Strategic Enrollment Initiatives. "Visitors are instantly drawn to it — there's this wonderful, happy moment where people just stop and look."
Appreciation goes beyond just looking. These masterpieces aren’t roped off — they are a part of daily campus life. Christen Rose, Assistant Director of Admission, who gets to use a Nakashima Conoid Desk and a few classic Captain’s Armchairs every day, loves the experience.
"It’s a wonderful contrast,” Rose said. “On one hand, I’m doing fast-paced modern work on my laptop, but my hands are resting on this massive, beautifully patterned slab of walnut that took hundreds of years to grow. It naturally forces you to slow down and breathe."
There is no doubt George Nakashima furniture leaves an impression. In fact, in 2007, a memory of these pieces inspired an entire exhibition. CMU alumna and current Alan G. and Jane A. Lehman Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Rachel Delphia put together a special campus exhibition called “Nakashima Revealed: The Carnegie Mellon Collection” in collaboration with CMU School of Design students.
"When I was a student at CMU, I remember spotting these incredible furniture pieces tucked away in random offices and thinking they were simply too beautiful to be hiding," Delphia said. "That spark led to our exhibition, where we gathered these hidden treasures so the whole campus could celebrate them together."
Maintenance Philosophy
After 60 years of busy university life, the furniture has naturally picked up a few badges of honor, like minor dents, coffee rings and light scratches. But according to the makers, that is exactly how it should be!
Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, daughter of George Nakashima and president and creative director of George Nakashima Woodworkers says, “George Nakashima believed that furniture should not be considered something 'overly precious' but that it should be lived with, bearing the marks of the owner’s personal history just as good antiques do. When my brother Kevin was little, he was allowed free run of the Studio during our Open House, climbing on the furniture with his cowboy boots and spurs, and driving his little electric car around bumping into furniture and clients … so my father named a process called Kevinizing after him … otherwise known as antiquing in the furniture business!”
A Visible Future
To make sure these pieces stay beautiful for generations to come, CMU’s Office of Public Art is stepping in to protect and celebrate the collection.
The team has already started a full look at all 60 pieces, documenting their condition and history. To better understand the collection and the resources required to sustain it, Public Art representatives will meet with members of George Nakashima Woodworkers and The Nakashima Foundation to discuss works across the region, including those at Carnegie Museum of Art, the University of Pittsburgh and Carlow University. The initiative is also working to make the collection much more visible. Soon, CMU campus visitors will see new informative displays, educational programs and campus tours that shine a spotlight on these treasures.
Nakashima designed these pieces of furniture to give trees new life, and in rediscovering and restoring this collection, the university will give these works new life once again.
featuring the following:
George Nakashima at his desk in the Conoid Studio, 1883; courtesy of Mira Nakashima
George Nakashima furniture photography courtesy of Dylan Vitone, 2007
crane photography courtesy of CMU University Archives
explore:
more Nakashima furniture on the Bloomberg app