Torii Arch Inspired American Craft Walnut Console Table, Ca Modernism, 1960's

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Bespoke Hand-Planed Solid Walnut Console Table, Hollywood Hills Estate, California Modernism

Every once in a while you walk into an … Read more Bespoke Hand-Planed Solid Walnut Console Table, Hollywood Hills Estate, California Modernism

Every once in a while you walk into an estate sale in LA and realize you’ve arrived at the party about three hours too late. The Finn Juhl chairs? Gone. The Wegner tables? Gone. The shelves of fine woodworking books, the ones with the dog-eared pages and pencil notes in the margins? Still there-- quietly telling you who lived here. A Nakashima devotee. A true craftsman. A man of serious taste.

What was left: a YSL belt with a Kenneth Reid inlay belt ~ turquoise and exotic woods, a 1960s Mercedes vintage car club satin jacket embroidered with the name “Frank,” and this table (all came home with me-- the belt is definitely in my rotation-- message for pics lol). We’re going out on a limb and calling him Frank.

Frank designed and built this console himself in his Hollywood Hills home workshop, where everything was bespoke and insane. Crafted entirely of solid walnut with hand-planed legs, it’s remarkably heavy for its silhouette-- the kind of heft that tells you he definitely took no shortcuts here. The form reads as a wabi-sabi interpretation of a Japanese torii gate: a floating, overhanging top, a lintel-like apron with gracefully scooped ends, and a gently arched crossbar sweeping between the legs. There’s a hint of Ming altar table in there too, which is to say it’s Asian-inspired without ever becoming a costume.

The joinery (aka why your woodworker friend will get misty-eyed)

Through-tenoned arched stretcher: The bowed lower rail passes clean through the legs, with the tenon ends left proud on the outside of each leg. Classic torii “nuki” construction, honest and exposed.
Contrasting square pegs: Small, dark square pins lock the stretcher and apron joints, set slightly proud as a decorative detail rather than hidden away. Function and ornament in one tiny move.
Splayed, hand-planed legs: Each leg has a subtle curve and outward flare toward the floor, giving the piece a grounded, rooted stance while the top appears to hover.
Cantilevered apron with sculpted ends: The apron extends past the legs and terminates in carved, upswept curves that echo the flared lintel of a torii.
End stretchers: Matching arched rails at each end tie the base together and keep things rock solid.
Three-panel top: The top is divided into three framed fields by finely scribed lines, with a softly eased edge all the way around.

This table spent years in Frank’s dining room, holding court beneath a jungle of plants and a collection of Chihuly glass ~ (Of course it did.) Years of houseplant hydration left their mark, so we had it expertly refinished to remove scratches and water rings. It now looks like it’s ready for its close-up, which in the Hollywood Hills is the only acceptable way to look.

A truly custom, functional work of art and handmade California modernism at its finest. Nakashima would nod. Frank would be thrilled.

Details

Maker: Private craftsman, Hollywood Hills estate
Material: Solid walnut
Construction: Hand-planed legs, through-tenon joinery with contrasting pegs
Condition: Expertly refinished


We currently have this table alongside some of the greats! A Milo Baughmancurved sofa, a Vladimir Kagan contour chair and a Karl Springer free form coffee table and not only does it hold its own, it really makes a beautiful, organic statement. A truly stunning work of art ift for any home! See less