Kentaro Takashina

Kentaro Takashina focuses on creating sculptural, one-of-a-kind wood furniture pieces and is passionate about using locally and sustainably sourced materials as well as employing building practices that are ethical and kind to our environment. Each piece is hand crafted with great care and detailing by Takashina in his studio located in the foothills of the Catskills.

Born in Osaka, Japan to a Japanese father and American Mother, Takashina grew up splitting his time between Japan and the United States. He has worked extensively as a craftsman, artist’s assistant, and maker of fine objects and homes for over 17 years, having obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design in 2004. As an assistant to renowned artist Martin Puryear, he mastered a traditional building technique known as cold-molding, which has become the signature in his unique furniture pieces.

Cold-molding was used to create the first airplane hulls which were initially made of wood until aluminum took over as a more desirable material. It has historically been, and is still to this day used to make the hulls of sailboats, canoes, and other types of boats by traditional boat-builders. The process involves the layering of narrow strips of thick veneer over a hollow frame which allows for the creation of infinitely complex three dimensional shapes that will not warp over time and does not require the use of plastics or toxic resins. Takashina's use of the cold-molding technique results in furniture pieces that are subtly ambiguous in both culture and time of origin.

Takashina draws inspiration from his experiences of being intimately exposed to Eastern and Western cultures and aesthetics in his upbringing. He is especially moved by dusty old minkas and sleepy seaside villages in Japan.