Showrooms

Handcrafted Walnut Studio Craft Loveseat in the Style of Maloof and Nakashima

Offered by: Habitat-Gallery

Description
This bench is the kind of piece that even a plebeian will recognize is special. Every shipper, mover, and shopper that's laid eyes on this piece in the days since we've acquired it has remarked on its beauty and shape. Bespoke is a word that used to mean something and it's tossed around far too often these days-- but this-- is truly a bespoke piece of furniture.

A hand-carved, hand-joined, hand-rubbed masterpiece that feels more like heirloom sculpture than seating.

This two-seater is carved from highly figured walnut with grain so rich and chatty it practically tells its own family history. Swirling ribbons of warm chocolate, caramel, espresso, and satin-polished depth run across every plane. The wood has movement. It has soul. It looks like it was cut from the most luxurious tree in the forest.

What makes this piece so special (beyond the obvious “hello, I’m gorgeous” factor) is the craftsmanship. Not a single screw is used anywhere. None. Zero. Zilch. This is true studio craft: the frame is built with traditional joinery; think Maloof-style dowels, keyed tenons, sculpted joints, and hand-shaped transitions so seamless they look like the wood simply grew that way. The arms dissolve gracefully into the legs; the legs taper with a soft, organic curve; and the backrest is composed of individually shaped slats that flare and narrow like a gentle heartbeat.

The seat itself is a moment. Each side of the two-seater has been sculpted with contours that cradle the body, carved with deep ergonomic sweeps just like the iconic Maloof rockers. It’s also surprisingly comfortable. Each seat scoops and rises subtly at the edges, creating the kind of handmade contour that only a master craftsman (or one very committed artist) can achieve.

From the side, the joinery is wild: you can see the ebony-toned pegged dowels locking each joint into place, a nod to both Nakashima’s signature butterfly sensibility and Maloof’s exposed-joinery honesty. The legs curve softly forward and backward in that unmistakably sculptural, organic-modern studio-craft language. The back slats are each individually shaped, individually tapered-- cascade downward in a rhythmic pattern, giving the whole piece this lyrical, handcrafted presence.

Even the finish is exquisite. The walnut has been hand-oiled and buffed to a warm, satiny glow that feels like velvet with a pulse. It’s the kind of finish that invites hands-- soft, silky, and solid to trace every curve and concave form. This is furniture you experience as much as you sit on.

Perfect for collectors of Sam Maloof, George Nakashima, Wendell Castle, Mira Nakashima, Wharton Esherick, Arthur Espenet Carpenter, or anyone who lives for American studio craft, organic modernism, and high-touch handmade art furniture. This loveseat brings that same museum-grade craft, but with a warm, inviting presence that feels meant to be lived with.

A sculptural walnut masterpiece. A forever piece. A little slice of California-meets-Pennsylvania craft royalty energy. Destined for an interior where art and function slow-dance together.

More Information

Origin:	United States
Period:	1950-1979
Materials:	Walnut, hand carved
Condition:	Good. Minimal wear consistent with age and use.
Creation Date:	C. 1970's
Styles / Movements:	Modern, Studio Craft, Collectible Design
Incollect Reference #:	836031