Chinese furniture has grown in popularity over the years, offering stunning beauty, durability, excellent craftsmanship, and versatility. Traditional Chinese furniture is very aesthetically pleasing, usually made with simple lines. Chinese furniture is also made from natural materials to include beautiful hardwoods. While some pieces are softer in appearance, most are hard and rigid, creating a regal look.

Chinese furniture is honest, meaning what you see is what you get. In other words, the wood is generally lacquered, stained, or polished, being all, natural with an amazing earthiness and gorgeous grainy patterns. Unlike other types of furniture where there are forms, springs, stuffing, and other hidden things, Chinese furniture is open and straightforward, much like Danish furniture.

Although Chinese furniture is simplistic, it is also somewhat complicated. In addition, Chinese furniture is considered regal and scholarly. Depending on the design, you will find tables or chairs with beautiful brocade fabric and embroidery. The best way to describe Chinese furniture is refined. Again, this type of furniture is usually made from hardwood but most often, the type of wood is known only by the Chinese name.

Two of the most common and valued types of wood used in Chinese furniture are Zitan and Huali. Zitan has a purplish brown colour that is considered precious wood. Expensive and rare, you would find this primarily in imported pieces. The most common timbers used include maple, elm, oak, birch, popular, chestnut, nanmu, and hongmu. Huali is a tropical wood that grows in China. This particular type of wood comes in a number of rich colours with the lighter shades known as huang huah (yellow) and the darker versions as lao huali (old).

Sometime around 1000 during the Song Dynasty, the Chinese people moved from sitting on floor mats to chairs. However, many believe the chair and bed were actually foreign inventions. The prime years for the making of Chinese furniture was during the Song Dynasty, which started in 960 and lasted until 1270. During this time, some of the most magnificent pieces were created, many that stand on display in museums around the world. In addition, a number of private collections from the Ming and Qing Dynasties are on display.

Today, you can find many wonderful pieces of Chinese furniture that have been imported over. Some are sold through speciality stores while other pieces can be located through online auctions such as eBay (www.ebay.com or www.ebay.co.uk). Just expect to pay a pretty penny for quality Chinese furniture, although it is worth every cent. In fact, the price of Chinese furniture continues to climb, with the market again in great demand.

source : www.home-garden-resource.co.uk