Russel Wright launched the Oceana line in 1935 with a deceptively simple idea: what if everyday serving pieces looked like they'd washed up on shore? Working with Klise Wood Working Company in Grand Rapids, he designed bowls, trays, and platters in organic marine forms — shells, seaweed, starfish, leaves — carved from American hardwoods with a deliberately handmade quality despite machine production.
This leaf tray in olivewood is one of the more sculptural forms in the series — a five-pointed star that reads as pure abstract sculpture until you set something in it. Olivewood is a dense, exceptionally hard Mediterranean hardwood prized for its warmth and distinctive grain — an unusual choice for the Oceana line, which more commonly used domestic woods like maple, cherry, and walnut. The golden grain has deepened beautifully with age. Retains both the branded Russel Wright signature to underside and the original Klise paper manufacturer's label — the best possible provenance for an Oceana piece.
Sits equally well on a coffee table, entry console, or dining sideboard. One of those rare objects that's both useful and worth looking at.
Russel Wright · Klise Wood Working Company USA · c. 1955 Carved olivewood · 2"h × 13¼"w × 12¾"d Branded signature and original Klise paper label to underside
Interested in this piece? Reach out at josh@theprairiemodern.com or call/text 323.719.9242. Shipping and local delivery available — quoted per piece.
Russel Wright launched the Oceana line in 1935 with a deceptively simple idea: what if everyday serving pieces looked like they'd washed up on shore? Working with Klise Wood Working Company in Grand Rapids, he designed bowls, trays, and platters in organic marine forms — shells, seaweed, starfish, leaves — carved from American hardwoods with a deliberately handmade quality despite machine production.
This leaf tray in olivewood is one of the more sculptural forms in the series — a five-pointed star that reads as pure abstract sculpture until you set something in it. Olivewood is a dense, exceptionally hard Mediterranean hardwood prized for its warmth and distinctive grain — an unusual choice for the Oceana line, which more commonly used domestic woods like maple, cherry, and walnut. The golden grain has deepened beautifully with age. Retains both the branded Russel Wright signature to underside and the original Klise paper manufacturer's label — the best possible provenance for an Oceana piece.
Sits equally well on a coffee table, entry console, or dining sideboard. One of those rare objects that's both useful and worth looking at.
Russel Wright · Klise Wood Working Company USA · c. 1955 Carved olivewood · 2"h × 13¼"w × 12¾"d Branded signature and original Klise paper label to underside
Interested in this piece? Reach out at josh@theprairiemodern.com or call/text 323.719.9242. Shipping and local delivery available — quoted per piece.
