Nakashima Studio Craft Minguren I Coffee Table in English Walnut & Black Walnut

This exceptional Mira Nakashima “Minguren I” Coffee Table represents the enduring legacy of Nakashima Studio in New Hope, Pennsylvania — a direct continuation of the celebrated Studio Craft tradition founded by George Nakashima and carried forward by his daughter, master woodworker Mira Nakashima (American, b. 1942).

Handmade from a single free-form English walnut slab and supported by a sculptural black walnut Minguren pedestal base, this table exemplifies the poetic harmony between nature, craftsmanship, and architectural form that defines Nakashima's furniture.

The tabletop features a dramatic, highly figured walnut slab with a single Rosewood butterfly key, chamfered and shaved live edges.  hallmarks of authentic Nakashima Studio work. The intersecting trestle-style base anchors the form visually and structurally, elevating the organic slab while allowing the wood’s natural character to take center stage.

Provenance & Authentication

• Commissioned directly from Nakashima Studio, New Hope, Pennsylvania
  

• Completed and shipped December 1997. Private collection, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Authenticated by the Nakashima Foundation for Peace (2025)

This piece is sold with digital copies of the original handwritten purchase order and final typed studio order, offering full historical documentation and chain-of-ownership — a rare and highly desirable feature for collectors.

Why Collectors Value the Minguren Series

The Minguren series is one of Nakashima Studio’s most celebrated forms — known for:

• single-board slab construction

• sensitive respect for natural grain and live edges

• sculptural yet architectural base design

• handcrafted joinery and keyed reinforcements

Each Minguren table is unique, designed in response to the specific slab selected by the studio. This 1997 example captures the refined elegance and meditative presence that define investment-grade Nakashima Studio furniture.