Classic wooden seating: George Nakashima’s Straight-Backed Chair

Reinterpretations of classics are always happening. Maybe this is most evident of all in motion pictures and music. How many times have we seen new interpretations of old movies? Films like The Thomas Crown Affair and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory come to mind, though the original version of the latter was called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In music, there simply are so many of the old songs that have been re-interpreted by today’s artists – and even more are hitting the charts every year.

In the furniture world, the re-interpretation of classics isn’t an unknown occurrence too. Restaurant chairs and tables, bar room furniture, hotel and airport seating – there are many examples of these, more contemporary versions of furniture that was initially released decades ago. Take, for instance, the Nakashima Straight Backed Chair. Originally introduced in 1948, it is available today via Design Within Reach. George Nakashima designed it for Knoll back in those days, and Knoll remains the chair’s manufacturer today. The chair is made from solid walnut; the spindles at the back are of solid hickory. It measures 30 inches high, 22.5 inches wide and 17.5 inches deep. The seat height is 17 inches.

Nakashima, who died in 1990, had a passion for working with wood, especially ash, cherry and walnut. Like many other Japanese artists and artisans, he found inspiration in trees. But Nakashima was different from others in that he deliberately used wood that had imperfections, because to him these flaws were marks of beauty. Nakashima also had a passion for making furniture that was functional; he meant for them to be used and not treated as art pieces that are only for show. Nevertheless, many of his furniture items have been featured at exhibitions worldwide or are showcased in museums.