Walnut Furniture Makers - North America's top ten
When it comes to walnut furniture—tables, chairs, benches, beds, and more—we are in love. And even though we think we do a darn good job at bringing walnut furnishings to life, we would like to recognize those who have been beautifully, sustainably crafting walnut into functional art pieces for years.
Here, we at Robin Wade Furniture present a list of our favorite players in the North American Walnut Furniture market. These are the artisans who inspire us with their creativity and craftsmanship. Peruse their Web sites and enjoy all the gorgeous pieces hand crafted from our favorite wood species—walnut.
1) www.nakashimawoodworker.com
George Nakashima's daughter, architect Mira Nakashima, is continuing her father's legacy from his shop in New Hope, Pennsylvania. When George passed away in 1990, Mira took over, preserving the methods and techniques used by her father. If you are into modern furniture, historical American furniture, or wood, a visit to the wonderful Pennsylvania compound is a real treat.
In addition to the wonderful George Nakashima standards, Mira produces custom pieces and has created her own new line, the Keisho Collection. From the Web site: The Keisho Collection is an ongoing series of designs that Mira dedicates to her mother, Marion Nakashima (who died in 2004), created by Mira and the craftsmen who were trained by George.
2) www.johnhoushmand.com
John Houshmand creates exquisite art pieces that combine wood, glass, acrylic, and steel into stunning furnishings. He works and selectively harvests trees from, as well as mills and kiln dries wood at his 900-acre, upstate New York farm. He believes that trees are becoming lost in our world of mass furniture production. Much like our philosophy at RWF, John strives to show what wood really looks like. From the Web site: John's work embodies the simplicity of Eastern aesthetics, a vibrant celebration of nature, and a deep reverence for all things esoteric.
3) www.brentcomber.com
Brent Comber's work stopped Robin in his tracks when he saw it a few years ago at Atlanta’s International Woodworking Fair. And these two have a common experience: Both Robin and Brent began their wood working art with a home renovation and the search for wood that would compliment the home.
From massive Canadian timbers Brent sculpts simple, modern forms. The beauty of it comes with the mystical way he retains the wood’s sense of place—each of his pieces is firmly rooted in its Pacific Northwest home. Brent works not only with walnut, but also cedar, douglas fir, maple, and alder. From the Web site: It is my aim to present my chosen medium in such a way that you feel compelled to pause and engage with it, to touch and be touched by it, and through this experience perhaps take away your own story from this brief encounter.
4) www.sam-maloof.com
Master craftsman Sam Maloof passed away in 2009, but his iconic long-tailed walnut rocking chair will be inspiration to craftsmen for centuries. Luckily, Sam trained three men in his art form, working side-by-side with each of them over the last several decades. The trio continues to work under Sam’s vision and is completing orders as well as accepting new orders and designing new pieces in the recognizable Maloof style. From the Web site: Sam rose to prominence in the postwar era of minimalist architecture. For more than half a century, Sam was a force in the nucleus of artisans creating custom and strictly limited production pieces in the heralded studio furniture movement. [Sam] found fame and fortune as the first craftsman awarded the prestigious MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship.
5) www.hollyhunt.com
Holly Hunt is a nationwide high-end interior design firm and retailer of luxury home furnishings with 15 showrooms coast to coast. A manufacturer of all kinds of sleek modern furnishings, rugs, and accessories, Holly Hunt is also a retailer for walnut furniture from a variety of talented artists, including John Houshmand.
With more than a quarter-century in the interior design business, Holly Hunt showrooms have featured many of the industry’s most prestigious designer collections as well as Holly’s own designs. From the Web site: Over 25 years in the business of interior design, Holly Hunt created a new standard by taking the interior showroom from a boutique local operation to a nationwide business. As an arbiter of refined taste, her eye for what is now and what's next led her to design and produce her own collections. The company designs, produces and showcases custom made product including indoor and outdoor furniture, lighting, rugs, textiles and leathers.
6) www.hudsonfurnitureinc.com
Hudson Furniture, Inc., of New York, creates absolutely beautiful walnut furniture. Hudson’s founder and designer, Barlas Baylor, was production manager for Tucker Robins—another notable, sustainable furniture manufacturer who doesn’t work in walnut and therefore isn’t listed here—for years before going out on his own.
Today, Hudson Furniture, Inc. has added a line of solid walnut furniture designs by Renzo Piano, Mario Botta and Terry Dwan. From the Web site: None of the woods we use are harvested from old growth forests. Our wood slabs are domestically sourced from either salvaged trees or wind/storm damaged trees. a variety of wood species such as Claro Walnut, Black Walnut, Myrtle, Jasmine, Acacia, Satinwood and Ebonized Pine.
When it comes to walnut furniture—tables, chairs, benches, beds, and more—we are in love. And even though we think we do a darn good job at bringing walnut furnishings to life, we would like to recognize those who have been beautifully, sustainably crafting walnut into functional art pieces for years.
Here, we at Robin Wade Furniture present a list of our favorite players in the North American Walnut Furniture market. These are the artisans who inspire us with their creativity and craftsmanship. Peruse their Web sites and enjoy all the gorgeous pieces hand crafted from our favorite wood species—walnut.
1) www.nakashimawoodworker.com
George Nakashima's daughter, architect Mira Nakashima, is continuing her father's legacy from his shop in New Hope, Pennsylvania. When George passed away in 1990, Mira took over, preserving the methods and techniques used by her father. If you are into modern furniture, historical American furniture, or wood, a visit to the wonderful Pennsylvania compound is a real treat.
In addition to the wonderful George Nakashima standards, Mira produces custom pieces and has created her own new line, the Keisho Collection. From the Web site: The Keisho Collection is an ongoing series of designs that Mira dedicates to her mother, Marion Nakashima (who died in 2004), created by Mira and the craftsmen who were trained by George.
2) www.johnhoushmand.com
John Houshmand creates exquisite art pieces that combine wood, glass, acrylic, and steel into stunning furnishings. He works and selectively harvests trees from, as well as mills and kiln dries wood at his 900-acre, upstate New York farm. He believes that trees are becoming lost in our world of mass furniture production. Much like our philosophy at RWF, John strives to show what wood really looks like. From the Web site: John's work embodies the simplicity of Eastern aesthetics, a vibrant celebration of nature, and a deep reverence for all things esoteric.
3) www.brentcomber.com
Brent Comber's work stopped Robin in his tracks when he saw it a few years ago at Atlanta’s International Woodworking Fair. And these two have a common experience: Both Robin and Brent began their wood working art with a home renovation and the search for wood that would compliment the home.
From massive Canadian timbers Brent sculpts simple, modern forms. The beauty of it comes with the mystical way he retains the wood’s sense of place—each of his pieces is firmly rooted in its Pacific Northwest home. Brent works not only with walnut, but also cedar, douglas fir, maple, and alder. From the Web site: It is my aim to present my chosen medium in such a way that you feel compelled to pause and engage with it, to touch and be touched by it, and through this experience perhaps take away your own story from this brief encounter.
4) www.sam-maloof.com
Master craftsman Sam Maloof passed away in 2009, but his iconic long-tailed walnut rocking chair will be inspiration to craftsmen for centuries. Luckily, Sam trained three men in his art form, working side-by-side with each of them over the last several decades. The trio continues to work under Sam’s vision and is completing orders as well as accepting new orders and designing new pieces in the recognizable Maloof style. From the Web site: Sam rose to prominence in the postwar era of minimalist architecture. For more than half a century, Sam was a force in the nucleus of artisans creating custom and strictly limited production pieces in the heralded studio furniture movement. [Sam] found fame and fortune as the first craftsman awarded the prestigious MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship.
5) www.hollyhunt.com
Holly Hunt is a nationwide high-end interior design firm and retailer of luxury home furnishings with 15 showrooms coast to coast. A manufacturer of all kinds of sleek modern furnishings, rugs, and accessories, Holly Hunt is also a retailer for walnut furniture from a variety of talented artists, including John Houshmand.
With more than a quarter-century in the interior design business, Holly Hunt showrooms have featured many of the industry’s most prestigious designer collections as well as Holly’s own designs. From the Web site: Over 25 years in the business of interior design, Holly Hunt created a new standard by taking the interior showroom from a boutique local operation to a nationwide business. As an arbiter of refined taste, her eye for what is now and what's next led her to design and produce her own collections. The company designs, produces and showcases custom made product including indoor and outdoor furniture, lighting, rugs, textiles and leathers.
6) www.hudsonfurnitureinc.com
Hudson Furniture, Inc., of New York, creates absolutely beautiful walnut furniture. Hudson’s founder and designer, Barlas Baylor, was production manager for Tucker Robins—another notable, sustainable furniture manufacturer who doesn’t work in walnut and therefore isn’t listed here—for years before going out on his own.
Today, Hudson Furniture, Inc. has added a line of solid walnut furniture designs by Renzo Piano, Mario Botta and Terry Dwan. From the Web site: None of the woods we use are harvested from old growth forests. Our wood slabs are domestically sourced from either salvaged trees or wind/storm damaged trees. a variety of wood species such as Claro Walnut, Black Walnut, Myrtle, Jasmine, Acacia, Satinwood and Ebonized Pine.
7) www.urbanhardwoods.com
With a very similar process and aesthetic to RWF’s own, Seattle’s Urban Hardwoods feels like our west-coast kindred. This company sustainably takes down and saves trees that would have been discarded into a landfill, slicing and drying each one to later create unique, one-of-a-kind tables, desks, and benches. From the Web site: We know where the tree grew. We take responsibility for its second life and are proud of our work.
8) www.jeffreygreene.com
Jeffrey Greene, influenced by master furniture-maker George Nakashima, has been designing solid-wood furniture for thirty-seven years. His pieces, featuring natural-edge wood slabs paired with bronze and steel bases, are built on the foundation of Nakashima's work, but taken in Jeffrey’s own artistic direction. Wonderful dining and conference tables are fashioned from large book-matched slabs of burled black walnut and other North American woods. From the website: Although Jeffrey Greene is largely self-taught in the art and technique of furniture design and construction, he credits master furniture maker George Nakashima, master wood sculptor James Martin, who served an extended apprenticeship with George Nakashima, and brilliantly innovative designer/artisan the late Phillip Lloyd Powell as formative influences. He also recognizes his father, painter/sculptor George Greene, for exposure to the creative process as a way of life.
9) www.vermontwoodsstudios.com
When a group of small, independent furniture makers came together in their efforts, Vermont Woods Studios was born. These northeastern craftsmen share a love for excellence in woodworking and sustainable forestry. The online retailer features naturally beautiful, functional, and timeless wood furniture produced in Vermont by a number of artisans. From the Web site: Together we have created a community of eco friendly luxury furniture makers and environmentalists dedicated not only to beauty and quality in our craft, but also to the preservation of our natural environment.
10) www.dumonds.com
Thirty years ago, rustic furniture maker Paul Dumond was an accountant who spent weekends on his hobby—designing and building custom furnishings. Today, Dumond’s Custom Furniture specializes in unusual, natural-edged slab wood designs, each one individually designed for a client and built by hand from recycled woods. Paul’s Montana shop is off the grid, solar powered, and enjoys a breath-taking view of the Bitterroot Mountains. From the Web site: Paul designs and builds custom furniture in many styles including rustic, contemporary, modern and Nakashima style custom furniture. Paul travels extensively in search of the holy grail of hardwoods, the most spectacular woods that mother nature has to offer.
11) www.robinwadefurniture.com
We couldn’t compile a list of North Americans who craft gorgeous walnut furnishings without listing our own Slow Studio in Alabama. We feel that we share a common ground, philosophy, and eco-focus—not to mention inspiration from a certain master craftsman— with many of the artisans listed here. From the Web site: With Robin Wade Furniture, you are buying a real, 100% natural product—something created in nature and made into functional furnishings by wood artist Robin Wade. When you purchase a Robin Wade Furniture piece, there is no veneer to mask inferior products, no stain to hide a wood’s natural grain or color, no clear cutting of forests foreign or domestic, no importing to pollute the earth’s waters, no long-distance trucking to pollute our air.