Cool furniture, design objects and desiderata

[SkinnyGoomba]



As Mies van der Rohe said "Less is more". Sometime the high prices son´t reflect the material that goes in. Just look at Porsche car Club Sport or RS models. Take the standard car...remove some of the extra trappings and charge more for it. All those models have gone up in price too. Combine that with a name and hey presto...desire drives price.

http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/flitch/walnut/a6922-a6932.walnut/flitch.html

It can be hard to appreciate how expensive old growth black walnut is.

A6926 and A6927 are close in size but not nearly the quality, so add a 50% premium for something of the above quality in this size.

If/when Hearne has something of that quality they usually have a notation 'call for price' and that is because the price is not for the faint of heart. People have scoured the country for old growth walnut trees and owners willing to part with them, there isnt that much of this stuff still available and when it becomes available it is quite expensive.

 

[SeamasterLux]

Hi guys,

I stayed at a greatly designed hotel over the week-end and thought you'd like a sneak peak as the furniture is truly outstanding. All items are originals, no repro, mainly bought on auction. Damaged items were upholstered by Loro Piana for linen and wool fabrics and by Edward Green for leather ones. Quite the bespoke hotel, I can assure you.

All the details were truly impressive.

Square Nine hotel in Belgrade

 

[Dragon]

In Japan you will see natural edge furniture all over the place, at least one in practically every grandpa's house, every traditional ryokan, or restaurant, so I think Nakashima took that and fused it with more modern designs. Combine modern with what is perceived as unique in the west made it popular. It is not unique at all in Japan, so that 's why he is not so popular, although more Japanese people buy modern furniture in comparison to people in the States.

 

[poorsod]

I've been going through a bunch of Nakashima auction results and offers on 1stdibs. It seems that his live edge sculptural pieces are the ones racking up the $$$$. He did a lot of straight edge work and many of them sell for close to buying it new.

I've also seen the work of copycats and the majority of them lack substance. To me, that's evidence that making up beautiful random appearing blocks of wood is anything but random. The ability to make something chaotic appear beautiful reminds me of Jackson Pollack - I've seen copycats of Jackson Pollack that are so ugly.

 

[twistoffat]



http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/flitch/walnut/a6922-a6932.walnut/flitch.html

It can be hard to appreciate how expensive old growth black walnut is.

A6926 and A6927 are close in size but not nearly the quality, so add a 50% premium for something of the above quality in this size.

If/when Hearne has something of that quality they usually have a notation 'call for price' and that is because the price is not for the faint of heart. People have scoured the country for old growth walnut trees and owners willing to part with them, there isn't that much of this stuff still available and when it becomes available it is quite expensive.

I wholeheartedly agree that the rarity of materials are driving the price somewhat, however a bullish market drives it even more. Yes some old woods are hard to come by and yes they even often have to have a certificate of authenticity but its the same as the car prices. Why are some classic cars double the price now they were just 5 years ago. Yes they don´t make them any more but they certainly are not any rarer that five years ago. Investors are driving prices. With interest rates stuck at virtually nothing and shares being volatile Investors are putting their money into hard goods to spread risk. What I´m trying to say is that desirability and appreciation for an object are no longer driving price.......clueless investors are. There are so many bubbles out there at the moment in Property , Classic cars etc. Its no wonder that during the 2007/8 crash that Eileen grays serpent chair went for 22million Euro. One exception is Ralph Lauren. He collects no art but when asked about his cars he has said for him they are art.....and he can drive them. I cannot actually see buyers using their Nakashima furniture.

 

[ehkay]

I tried pricing this a couple years ago. Since Established & Sons is not widely distributed in the U.S., it was hard to get much of a discount. I believe 15% was the best I could do. Best bet may be to buy from a European dealer and cough up the price of shipping.

Anyone have experience with this? Would I get gouged on import duties?

 

[SkinnyGoomba]



I wholeheartedly agree that the rarity of materials are driving the price somewhat, however a bullish market drives it even more. Yes some old woods are hard to come by and yes they even often have to have a certificate of authenticity but its the same as the car prices. Why are some classic cars double the price now they were just 5 years ago. Yes they don´t make them any more but they certainly are not any rarer that five years ago. Investors are driving prices. With interest rates stuck at virtually nothing and shares being volatile Investors are putting their money into hard goods to spread risk. What I´m trying to say is that desirability and appreciation for an object are no longer driving price.......clueless investors are. There are so many bubbles out there at the moment in Property , Classic cars etc. Its no wonder that during the 2007/8 crash that Eileen grays serpent chair went for 22million Euro. One exception is Ralph Lauren. He collects no art but when asked about his cars he has said for him they are art.....and he can drive them. I cannot actually see buyers using their Nakashima furniture.

Some of it seems a bit insane, but I wouldn't assume few buyers actually use these tables. I don't know who has room to store dining tables while speculating on the prices rising, I actually assume that most of the end users are actually using these. I'm sure there are some speculators, some museums and some interior designers and whatnot driving the prices.

I'm sure the tables do not live a hard life after being purchased.

Of the people I know with Nakashima furniture, they're fully aware of the going rate and still use their furniture regularly. It usually lands in places where furniture is well kept to begin with as this stuff was never cheap, even in the early days.

Classic cars are the same way, the really top stuff is traded amongst a small group and it picks up the bottom end, but not to insane levels.

His name being on the piece certainly affects the value in an incredible way, it's hard to say exactly how much as there is very little apples-to-apples comparison.

 

[bourbonbasted]



Spoiler

I've been going through a bunch of Nakashima auction results and offers on 1stdibs. It seems that his live edge sculptural pieces are the ones racking up the $$$$. He did a lot of straight edge work and many of them sell for close to buying it new.

I've also seen the work of copycats and the majority of them lack substance. To me, that's evidence that making up beautiful random appearing blocks of wood is anything but random. The ability to make something chaotic appear beautiful reminds me of Jackson Pollack - I've seen copycats of Jackson Pollack that are so ugly.

I have a family friend who recently had a massive live-edge conference table commissioned. I was super excited for him until I saw it. The wood itself was absolutely gorgeous but the finishing in the construction was brutal, and that's coming from someone who neither knows a lot nor cares often. I'm talking exposed nails, glue, etc. A real shame. I didn't mention any of that to my friend, since he was totally in love with it from top-to-bottom, but it echoes the idea that live-edge furniture (even from beautiful and rare wood) is not the same as Nakashima furniture. Typing that seems obvious, but I still get the feeling the style and the artist are often viewed as one in the same.

 

[foodguy]

late to the Nakashima thread, but an exhibition of his work at the Japan America museum in LA about 10 years ago is still one of the high points in my art appreciation. it's hard to explain, and you don't really get it from photos, but there is a rhythm and a purity to his pieces. it's the kind of ultra-simple where there is not one single thing out of place. thank god i can't afford it.

 

[BrianVarick]

Is there anything in Spokane, WA that highlights his work? I will be driving through there next week and I would love to see some of his stuff.

 

[dopey]



Some of it seems a bit insane, but I wouldn't assume few buyers actually use these tables. I don't know who has room to store dining tables while speculating on the prices rising, I actually assume that most of the end users are actually using these. I'm sure there are some speculators, some museums and some interior designers and whatnot driving the prices.

I'm sure the tables do not live a hard life after being purchased.

Of the people I know with Nakashima furniture, they're fully aware of the going rate and still use their furniture regularly. It usually lands in places where furniture is well kept to begin with as this stuff was never cheap, even in the early days.

Classic cars are the same way, the really top stuff is traded amongst a small group and it picks up the bottom end, but not to insane levels.

His name being on the piece certainly affects the value in an incredible way, it's hard to say exactly how much as there is very little apples-to-apples comparison.

I have posted this many times but since the thread moves on, I will say it again. I have friends with a house full of Nakashima. Maybe a dozen pieces in the public rooms I have seen. No idea what is in the back rooms. They all get used all the time. Benches, a desk, end tables, coffee tables dining room table, chairs. Nothing non-functional about them at all. My friend's parents had a subscription with him and, as I understand it, they sent him money every month or a few times a year and he would make and send them stuff regularly. Like a farmer's co-op share. Or something like that.

 

[BrianVarick]

^Do you know when that was? Is that something companies still do?

 

[dopey]

Probably 30 or 40 or more years ago. Both parents have passed away. Father was in foreign service and they lived in Japan for a while but I think this was in a house they kept in pennsylvania area.
The sense I got was that the arrangement I described was not special to them but just how Nakashima worked with some customers.

 

[foodguy]

i remember hearing about this as well. and it's important to remember that furniture goes through fashionable periods. nakashima was NEVER inexpensive, but at one point it was upper-middle-class affordable. sadly, those days are long gone.

 

[lefty]

It's silly to have furniture you can't use, especially wood furniture, though I might lose my mind a little if someone puts a cold beer bottle on a piece of wood furniture.

A lot of the crazy Nakashima prices are for large and unusual one-offs. The more common stuff (table and chairs) can be had for a reasonable dollar. New chairs are about $600-700 at DWR made by Knoll. I have no idea which class that is but it is the starting point for a decent chair.

lefty