Modern Chinese-Style Furniture

Chinese antique furniture of the Ming and Qing dynasties is exquisitely designed and features unique workmanship and colourful carvings. It is a rare treasure, a most splendid part of Oriental culture.

It is valued not only for its artistic beauty, but also for the messages it carries about the ancient Chinese concepts of steadiness, solemnity and glory.

Furniture styles of the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties are prized for their elegance and delicacy. Ming-style furniture is considered an exemplar of Chinese furniture, with its exquisite craftsmanship, simple elegance, fine and fluent lines and its carefully reasoned mortise and tenon construction. Craftsmen of the Qing inherited the charm of the Ming style, added a lot into it and created a new style, a sense of truth in nature.

Classic Chinese furniture can be gathered into just a few groups: beds, stools, chairs, wardrobes, chests and tables. Chinese homes, unlike western homes, traditionally required less furniture. Each piece was therefore more important; so excellent workmanship, wood, and styling became the hallmarks of classic antique Chinese furniture.

By the 12th century seating on the floor was rare in China; unlike in other Asian countries where the custom continued, and the chair, or more commonly the stool, was used in the vast majority of houses throughout the country. Over the next few centuries furniture design and construction continued to be refined, leading up to the late Ming, which is considered by most to be the golden age of Chinese furniture. By this time China had achieved an unprecedented prosperity, particularly its coastal cities, and demand for luxury items including fine furniture had grown.

Furniture of this time displayed simple, elegant lines, beautiful curves and superb craftsmanship. The quality and accuracy of joinery was so precise that nails and glue were used only as supplements. Metalwork such as handles, hinges and lock plates were designed to complement the graceful lines of each piece. These were no longer simply functional items of furniture but had become objects of beauty, and their timeless simplicity means that they still grace even the most modern homes.

Many of the designs that first appeared during this period have remained unchanged. Drawings on paper were rare. Instead verbal descriptions of ‘types' of furniture were passed down from generation to generation, along with the skills and craftsmanship to continue the tradition. In many ways the artisans that produced the beautiful pieces of this time were far more advanced than their European counterparts. One simple example of their technical superiority is the appearance early on in China of the curved backrest, designed to please the eye and to increase a chair's comfort. This feature did not appear in European furniture making until centuries later.

According to Wu Tao, the general manager of the Beijing Orient SIMEIJU Classic Furniture Company Limited, many more people from home and abroad are beginning to esteem Chinese style furniture.

“Furniture styles of the Ming and Qing dynasties are generally arranged in symmetrical suites or sets. These are, however, supplemented with other more flexible arrangements to prevent a room from having a too staid an atmosphere. For example, paintings or calligraphy might be hung on the wall; ceramic, enamel or other knick-knacks might be placed in an antique display cabinet; or flower arrangements made of jade or stone might top a square occasional table. These can add splashes of colour and elegance form to a room. These delicate additions set off the heavy furniture to give a rich composite effect.”

He suggests that those who like Chinese-style furniture should pay attention to three functional areas: the living room, bedroom and study room. “The living room plays a very important role in our daily lives and comfort is the most important point. I suggest using a sofa as the main piece of furniture, with some Chinese style boxes, a buffet, book shelf, coffee table and others as complements.”

“I think modern people cannot get used to sleeping on a traditional bed, which is hard and narrow; so, in a bedroom, you can choose cabinets or traditional dressers.”

He added, “The study room is a very good place to present traditional furniture, bookcases, desks, chairs, an arhat bed (Luohan bed) or other pieces.” 

Ming furniture was mostly made of timber from indigenous trees such as pine, elm and zelkova (known as "southern elm"). However, the lifting of a ban on imports in 1567 and the subsequent increase in maritime trade also saw the use of tropical hardwoods, mostly imported from Southeast Asia. These included dense, precious hardwoods such as red Sandalwood and yellow birch.

Although few originals remain today, a wide range of finishes were used for furniture of the Ming period. These included heavy carved lacquer, sometimes inlaid with mother pearls or agate; plainer red or black lacquer; and a more natural finish, allowing the wood’s grain to stand out as the main focus of the piece. Contrary to the image often held in western minds of opulent painted and lacquered items, evidence suggests that elite scholars and officials of the time preferred a more refined and restrained finish.

Furniture produced during the early Qing was similar to Ming and continued to display classic, simple lines. However a change in style gradually appeared, and by the end of the 18th century the purity of Ming furniture had been replaced by angular forms and overly ornate carvings.

The designs that came out of China during the Ming Dynasty were much admired by Europeans and have had a major influence on Western interior design. The timeless simplicity and perfect proportions of Ming furniture allow these pieces to grace even the most modern home.