Mira Nakashima “Minguren I" Coffee Table

Handcrafted Nakashima Studio Table in English Walnut & Black Walnut

This exceptional Mira Nakashima “Minguren I” Coffee Table (1997) 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 furniture.

The tabletop features a dramatic, highly figured walnut slab with a single Rosewood butterfly key, chamfered and shaved live edges, and fine hand-chiseled enrichments — 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
Original owner: Mercedes Buhain, Potomac, Maryland
Order No. 97-III-10 | Purchase Order No. 375012

Completed and shipped December 1997

Later acquired through Sloans & Kenyon, Bethesda, Maryland (2009)

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.

Wire Price (no cc fees)
39,995