The New Hope home of renowned American woodworker and designer George Nakashima needs urgent preservation work to survive, according to its caretakers, writes JD Mullane for USA TODAY.
The Nakashima Foundation for Peace launched an initiative to preserve and restore the three-acre homestead on Aquetong Road, where the woodworker created furniture admired for its simplicity.
“This preservation is a milestone in safeguarding the legacy of one of America’s most celebrated designers and his philosophy of peace through craft,” said the Foundation. “The Family House became the heart of a remarkable place. It was where George lived with wife Marion and raised their two children, Mira and Kevin, where his ideas were crafted into wood, and where the Nakashima legacy was born.”
Nakashima’s philosophy was rooted in exposing and thoughtfully highlighting a material’s deep natural beauty, particularly highlighted in his work with wood. He rejected the use of paint or any practice that would cover up its true essence.
The Foundation will host a two-day symposium on November 15 and 16 at the Nakashima compound in New Hope to highlight the challenges of preserving the Nakashima Family House along with other mid-20th-century landmarks.
Read more about George Nakashima’s New Hope home and the preservation work in USA TODAY.
_____
