Mira Nakashima
American architect and furniture maker who leads George Nakashima, Woodworker and develops the Nakashima studio's contemporary design legacy.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Mira Nakashima is an American architect and furniture maker who serves as president and creative director of George Nakashima, Woodworker, the New Hope, Pennsylvania studio established by her father, George Nakashima. Her work is rooted in the studio's distinctive treatment of solid wood, particularly the use of natural edges, visible grain, cracks, knots, and other features that preserve the character of the tree rather than conceal it. At the same time, she has developed the workshop beyond straightforward continuation of her father's designs, introducing new furniture, collaborations, exhibitions, and curatorial projects. Born in Seattle in 1942, Nakashima spent part of her infancy with her parents at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho during World War II. The family later moved to New Hope, Pennsylvania, after her father received sponsorship for release through architect Antonin Raymond. George Nakashima's wartime experience and subsequent apprenticeship in woodworking helped shape the studio's later philosophy, and this family history became an important part of Mira's understanding of the workshop's cultural and artistic inheritance. Nakashima initially considered studying music or languages, but followed her father's advice to pursue architecture. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1963 and later completed a master's degree in architecture at Waseda University in Tokyo. Her formal architectural training became relevant to her later work, which combines furniture design, spatial thinking, material study, and close collaboration with craftspeople. She joined her father's workshop in 1970. Initially working as an understudy, she learned the studio's construction methods and its established designs directly from George Nakashima. After his death in 1990, she assumed leadership of the furniture-making business. Her responsibilities included maintaining the production of canonical George Nakashima designs while also guiding the studio toward new work. Her approach has emphasized continuity without simple replication: the workshop retains the elder Nakashima's respect for wood and organic form, while Mira has encouraged collaboration among designers, woodworkers, and other artisans. A significant early expression of this direction was the Keisho Collection, presented in a 2001 exhibition at Moderne Gallery in Philadelphia. The collection placed original work by George Nakashima alongside pieces designed and produced under Mira's supervision, presenting the studio as an evolving practice rather than a closed historical archive. Her later projects included the Concordia Chair, developed for the Concordia Chamber Players in 2003, as well as furniture shown in exhibitions at the Mingei International Museum, the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, and the Japanese American National Museum. Nakashima has also extended the studio's influence through writing, documentary and oral-history work, teaching, exhibitions, and collaborations. In 2003 she published Nature, Form & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima, alongside a documentary and a museum exhibition. She was featured in the PBS series Craft in America in 2007, participated in the Archives of American Art's oral-history documentation project in 2010, and appeared in Nick Offerman's 2016 book Good Clean Fun. In 2019 she curated Nakashima Looks: Studio Furniture at the Michener, bringing her own work into dialogue with major figures in American studio furniture and modern design. In 2020 she collaborated with architect John Heah on furniture for the Connaught Grill in London. Mira Nakashima's practice remains centered on individually made furniture and the stewardship of a highly recognizable workshop tradition. Her public comments stress sustainable harvesting, replanting trees, respect for local woods, independent design thinking, and restraint. The studio's work occupies an intersection between functional furniture, craft, architecture, and collectible design. A 2018 Freeman's design auction record of $150,000 for a Claro walnut dining table and eight Conoid chairs indicates the market's recognition of work associated with the studio, although no broader financial or sales data is publicly established in the supplied sources.
History
Mira Nakashima-Yarnall was born in Seattle in 1942. During World War II, when she was six weeks old, she was sent with her parents to the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho. Her father, George Nakashima, developed woodworking skills during the family's internment, working under master carpenter Gentaro Hikogawa. In 1943, architect Antonin Raymond sponsored the family's release, and the Nakashimas relocated to New Hope, Pennsylvania. That community later became the home of George Nakashima's furniture workshop and the setting for Mira's professional life. Although she was initially interested in music and languages, Mira followed her father's recommendation to study architecture. She graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963 and earned a master's degree in architecture from Waseda University in Tokyo. Her education gave her a foundation in design, structure, and spatial organization before she entered the family workshop. Nakashima began working in the studio in 1970, when George offered her a position and built her a house across the road from the workshop. She learned the studio's methods and furniture designs through direct practical training. After George Nakashima died in 1990, she took over the business and became responsible for preserving its production heritage while developing its future direction. Under Mira's leadership, the workshop continued to make important George Nakashima designs, including pieces based on his characteristic use of natural-edge wood and forms that respond to the structure of trees. She also promoted new work and closer collaboration among the studio's woodworkers and other artisans. The 2001 Keisho Collection exhibition at Moderne Gallery in Philadelphia was an early public statement of this approach. It paired original pieces by George with new work designed and produced under Mira's supervision, framing the studio's identity as continuity combined with change. Her projects have included the Concordia Chair, created for the Concordia Chamber Players in 2003 and subsequently incorporated into the Nakashima line. She has shown work at the Mingei International Museum in San Diego, the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, and Moderne Gallery. A 2013 Moderne Gallery exhibition, Nakashima Woodworkers: An Evolving Legacy, further emphasized the studio's continuing development. Mira has documented and interpreted her father's life and work through several media. Her 2003 book, Nature, Form & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima, appeared in conjunction with a documentary film and a Mingei International Museum exhibition. She was featured in a 2007 episode of the PBS program Craft in America and participated in a 2010 oral-history interview for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Her studio was also included in Nick Offerman's 2016 book Good Clean Fun. In 2019, she curated Nakashima Looks: Studio Furniture at the Michener, an exhibition that placed her own furniture in conversation with work by prominent designers and craftspeople such as Wharton Esherick, Isamu Noguchi, Harry Bertoia, Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans, and Noémi Raymond. The Tsuitate Sofa shown in the exhibition demonstrated her ability to retain the material and formal principles associated with her father while pursuing a more intricate contemporary expression. In 2020, she collaborated with architect John Heah on furniture for the Connaught Grill in London. Nakashima continues to lead the studio as president and creative director. Her stated design philosophy emphasizes sustainable material practices, replanting trees, learning from regional woods, creating original forms rather than copying existing ones, and using restraint. Her work therefore functions both as furniture and as an ongoing interpretation of a major American studio-craft legacy.
- 2023
Seattle lecture
[1]She gives a public lecture at the Seattle Asian Art Museum's Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas.
- 2020
Connaught Grill collaboration
[1]Nakashima collaborates with architect John Heah on furniture for London's Connaught Grill.
- 2019
Curates Nakashima Looks
[1]Nakashima curates a Michener Art Museum exhibition connecting her work with American studio furniture and modern design.
- 2013
Nakashima Woodworkers: An Evolving Legacy
[1]Moderne Gallery presents an exhibition focused on the continuing development of the Nakashima workshop.
- 2007
Featured on Craft in America
[1]Nakashima appears in a PBS episode of Craft in America.
- 2003
Book, documentary, and Concordia Chair
[1]Nakashima publishes a book about her father's life and legacy and designs chairs for the Concordia Chamber Players, later sold as the Concordia Chair.
- 2001
Keisho Collection exhibition
[1]Moderne Gallery presents the Keisho Collection, showing George Nakashima's work alongside new pieces created under Mira's supervision.
- 1990
Assumes leadership of the studio
[1]After George Nakashima's death, Mira takes over the furniture-making business and continues both established and new designs.
- 1970
Joins the family workshop
[1]Nakashima begins her woodworking career in George Nakashima's New Hope workshop.
- 1963
Harvard graduation
[1]Nakashima receives a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University.
Products and positioning
A heritage studio-furniture practice combining architectural design, individually selected solid wood, visible natural characteristics, and continuity with the George Nakashima tradition.
Furniture collection · 2001
Keisho Collection
The Keisho Collection was an early body of work designed and produced under Mira Nakashima's supervision. Its presentation alongside original George Nakashima pieces emphasized the studio's balance between inherited principles and new design. The collection is associated with a continued interest in natural wood forms, careful joinery, and a collaborative workshop process.
Chair · 2003
Concordia Chair
Designed for the Concordia Chamber Players in 2003, the Concordia Chair became part of the Nakashima furniture line. It reflects the studio's practice of translating architectural and performance-related commissions into durable furniture while retaining the restrained forms, solid wood construction, and material emphasis associated with the Nakashima workshop.
Sofa
Tsuitate Sofa
The Tsuitate Sofa is a documented example of Mira Nakashima's more intricate approach to furniture design. Displayed in the 2019 Nakashima Looks exhibition, it demonstrates how she can work within the visual and material language associated with her father while introducing a distinct contemporary interpretation.
Chair
Conoid Chairs
Conoid chairs are among the recognizable forms associated with the Nakashima studio. They use the workshop's characteristic solid-wood construction and attention to grain and natural material features. Sets of Conoid chairs have appeared in the secondary design market, including a group sold with a Claro walnut dining table at Freeman's in 2018.
Brand decisions
2020
Collaborate on Connaught Grill furnitureOtherBackground
The London restaurant project required furniture designed for a hospitality interior.
Action taken
Nakashima worked with architect John Heah to produce furniture for the Connaught Grill.
Aftermath
The collaboration extended the studio's practice into a contemporary international hospitality setting.
2003
Create the Concordia ChairProduct launchBackground
The Concordia Chamber Players commissioned chairs connected to their performance environment.
Action taken
Nakashima designed and produced the chairs, which later entered the Nakashima line as the Concordia Chair.
Aftermath
The commission became a repeatable studio offering rather than remaining solely a one-off institutional project.
1990
Continue the Nakashima studio while developing new workStrategyBackground
After George Nakashima's death, Mira inherited responsibility for a workshop with an established body of furniture designs and a strong material philosophy.
Action taken
She continued producing George Nakashima designs while introducing her own work, encouraging collaboration and presenting the studio as an evolving creative practice.
Aftermath
The workshop retained its historical identity while gaining new collections, commissions, exhibitions, and collaborations under Mira's direction.
Sources2 sources
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