Rago Auctions

Charles “Jack” and Sally Hill Cooper moved their young family to Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in the mid-1950s after he graduated from Harvard Law School. In the coming years, they would often travel to the New Hope, Pennsylvania area, with one of their favorite vacation locales being the quaint 1740 House inn, just 20 minutes up the road from Nakashima Studio. Though the details on how exactly the Coopers found out about George Nakashima's studio are fuzzy, what their children do remember is that they visited with their parents on at least one occasion, entranced by the workshop and its variety of tools and woods. 

Their son, Charles, believes his parents likely went to the studio each time they visited the nearby 1740 House. The Coopers placed their first order from George in 1970 when they were still in Bryn Mawr, and Jack was teaching political science and law at Bryn Mawr College and the University of Pennsylvania. George and Mira Nakashima often developed long-term relationships with clients, and the Coopers were no different. In 1994, Jack retired from teaching and practicing law and the couple settled in Arlington, Virginia. The next year, they ordered their exceptional Cluster-Based dining table from Mira, who had taken over the business after her father's passing in 1990. 

The Cooper's collection of Nakashima furniture encompasses many of George and Mira's finest designs and is a testament not just to their inimitable talents as designers, but to the genuine connections they built with their clientele.