George Nakashima was born in Spokane, Washington in 1905. After receiving a Masters of Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in 1931 Nakashima went to work for Antonin Raymond, moving to Japan in 1934. During this time Nakashima experienced a unique synthesis of a deeply-rooted tradition of Japanese design with Western Modernism. His work for Raymond sent him to Pondicherry, India, where he developed a new creative expression - furniture design. Tasked with the development of furniture for Golconde, a dormitory for Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Nakashima channeled his heritage, experience and natural materials to take the first steps toward a completely novel approach. In 1945, Nakashima opened his own woodworking studio. The land he acquired soon became populated with significant architectural gems which he designed, including the family home, workshop, storerooms and garden enclosures. This compound became the backdrop to a life and career that has no parallel in the history of design in the world. Nakashima embraced the characteristics of the wood in its natural, expressive state, harnessing the “soul of the tree” by highlighting cracks with a butterfly joint or embracing the live edges and burls in each one. This sensibility illustrates a reverence for all life, and a humility toward the endless creativity one can find in nature.