Surfer - Modern, Organic Sculptural, Sapele Wood Shelf - available in 5 tones

Thomas Newman’s wood furniture and lighting were described by Popular Woodworking magazine as “cutting-edge” and “original, elegant and visually stunning.” He combines traditional woodworking techniques with sophisticated technology, resulting in modern, captivating designs.

In his youth, Newman enjoyed building things in his father’s basement workshop. He later studied art history at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. A self-taught woodworker, Newman began his career in the 1970s restoring antique furniture. He grew a reputation for his exceptional finishes, a skill he learned from author and finishing expert George Frank, becoming known as one of New York City’s top finishers.

By the late 1970s, Newman had developed an interest in furniture design. He was inspired by American woodworker and architect George Nakashima. Through Thomas Newman Studio, his first successful project was designing and building high-end tables for New York’s Howard Kaplan showroom. This led to collaborations with influential designers, including Anthony Baratta and William Diamond.

In 2001, Russian designer Vladimir Krasnogorov joined Thomas Newman Studio, becoming its principal designer of sculptural, carved-wood chairs, coffee tables, stools and dining room tables and sets. While many pieces are made from traditional hardwoods like walnut and tiger maple, Newman and Krasnogorov also specialize in using 1,200-year-old bog oak, such as for their striking console tables, cabinets and geometric wall decorations.

Throughout his 50-year career, Newman’s furniture has been sourced by nearly every major design firm in New York City and featured in numerous prestigious publications, such as Wallpaper* magazine’s “Best of 2019” issue.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of Thomas Newman tables, seating, case pieces and storage cabinets and more.

Thomas Newman studied art history at Swarthmore College and enjoyed making things in his father’s basement workshop. A self-taught woodworker, he has had a fifty-year career that began by restoring antiques. It was a lesson, not only in a wide range of woodworking techniques, but also in various traditional furniture styles. He developed a specialized table-making business and built more than 500 custom tables. Over this period his work has been featured by nearly every major design firm in New York City. Vladimir Krasnogorov joined the studio in 2001 and is the principal designer of its new line of sculptural, carved-wood furniture. He grew up in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and always dreamed of being a furniture maker. Coming of age during the collapse of the Soviet Union, he searched for new designs to liberate his creative spirit from the oppressive boredom of bureaucratic Soviet style. This led him to Kazimir Malevich’ Suprematism and the Russian Avant-Garde of a century ago. His work, in a real sense, is an echo of the revolutionary design ideas of that era, now set in a post-Soviet world. His designs reflect an effort to achieve balance, harmony and proportion in new forms for a vision that is entirely his own.