Mira Nakashima
Single-Board Conoid Dining Table, 2010
Material: French walnut, American black walnut, rosewood
A spectacular single-board French walnut top with four rosewood butterflies rests atop an American black walnut base.
Introduced in 1961, the Conoid line was inspired by the curved vault and outward-facing, lyrical space of the Conoid Studio in New Hope, Pennsylvania, where Nakashima worked. The name reflects Nakashima’s architectural background and interest in geometric forms. The distinctive supports of the Conoid Studio are evocative of the architectural structure of a conoid.
The Conoid table is notable for its distinct, modernist design. The tabletop features a free-edge, the natural contours of the tree from which the wood was created. This detail highlights Nakashima’s deep respect for the natural forms of the tree and his desire to maintain the inherent beauty of the wood.
A key feature of many Nakashima designs is the use of butterfly joints, alternatively known as bow-ties. These joints serve a dual purpose—they add a unique aesthetic dimension while also performing a practical function. They are used to join pieces of wood together and to stop cracks from spreading. In doing so, they not only let Nakashima incorporate the tree’s most dramatic elements without compromising the structural soundness of his work but also bolstered his design methodology.
Mira Shizuko Nakashima was born in Seattle, Washington, incarcerated with her family at Minidoka on the Idaho Desert and moved to New Hope, Pennsylvania in 1943. She attended school in Bucks County, graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1963, and received a Masters in Architecture from Waseda University, Tokyo, in 1966, where she married one of her classmates. The family then moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania until 1970, when she returned to work as her father’s assistant until his death in 1990.
| Dimensions | 110 × 46 × 30 in |
|---|---|
| Artist | |
| Date | 2010 |
| Material | American black walnut, French walnut, Rosewood |
| Style |
