BACK ON THE STUMP: TREE TRUNK DECOR

American craft furniture, a mid-20th-century movement that favored organic forms and natural materials, became popular with artsy-crafty types in the '60s, '70s and '80s but never caught on with many fans of modernist design.

In recent years, however, prices for vintage pieces have been steadily climbing. At an auction yesterday at Sotheby's, a custom-made redwood dining table created in 1988 by George Nakashima, one of the fathers of the movement, is expected to fetch between $300,000 and $500,000, shattering previous sales records for works by the designer.

Now a new generation of manufacturers and furniture makers are marketing lines influenced by the American craft sensibility.

Hudson Furniture in New York recently began selling a line of dining tables cut from thick slabs of aged walnut that start at $10,500. Among the top sellers at eco-conscious retailer Viva Terra: a hand-carved stool made from a single piece of sustainable monkey-pod wood that the company added this year; the stool retails for $195. And furniture designer Chista, which primarily sells directly to decorators and architects, introduced a line of coffee tables earlier this year that are made from slices of reclaimed teak. The tables, which look like tree stumps and have a polished ebony finish, start at $7,500.

The mass market lines are also getting competition from a noted name in American craft: Mira Nakashima, daughter of the late furniture maker, recently introduced her own collection. The line of about 15 redwood chairs and tables, heavily influenced by her father's hand-carved, free-form style, starts at about $1,100 for some chairs, up to about $75,000 for large dining tables. (Ms. Nakashima is also creative director of the original Nakashima studio in New Hope, Pa., where sales of new pieces made from her father's original designs have risen steadily in the past few years.)

The revival of American craft comes as the industry looks to shake off continued flattening sales. Household furniture and bedding sales were nearly flat in the second half of 2006, according to an industry report from analyst Jerry Epperson. The report projects sales to grow just 1.6% in 2007.

Retailers and decorators say the designs appeal to homeowners who want to soften the look of rooms that feature sparse, minimalist décor. "One or two pieces can really warm up modernist interiors," says Manhattan interior designer Jasmine Lam.

David Hovey's glass and steel home outside Chicago is dotted with American craft-style furnishings, from desks to end tables. Mr. Hovey, a 62-year-old architect and developer, says the designs "add a natural element that other contemporary styles don't always offer."

Not everyone appreciates the style, however. Los Angeles decorator and textile designer Barclay Butera says the furniture's rough edges and awkward dimensions can turn off some homeowners. "Some people still see it as a hippie decor," he says.

-- December 18, 2006

By Troy McMullen

The Wall Street Journal Online