The specialists guide to Chinese antiques.

There is a great little blog apartmenttherapy.com which covers New York, San Francisco, Chicago & New York. Its really less of a blog, and rather more of a series of columns written and posted by interior designers.

We love the look of antiques or imports mixed with more modern furniture. One piece that almost always fits right into a modern setting is the Chinese console table. Originally used as altar tables in homes and temples, their proportions make them the perfect console. Styles vary widely, from plain and simple to extremely ornate. We like to see one beautifully carved elaborate piece in a minimalist home, or you could go the other direction and keep it simple with a spare wooden console.

Definitely worth taking a look at to see what the popular looks are at any given moment. By the way, the searches and content vary depending on each city – great to see the differences in say Chicago vs New York. Anyways, I did a search on Chinese to see what comes up. Here is a sampling of what people seem to be interested in this year:

Chinese Console Tables 2007 year end round-up

Chinese Table with 3 Drawers, at Golden Triangle

Vintage Cabinet from Jayson Home & Garden, $1,395

The pair of Chinese antique red lacquer cabinets shown above is from Pagoda Red.

Red Lacquer Cabinet from Antiques on Old Plank Road

Painted Chinese Side Tables from Pagoda Red

Related Books:

Marketing Interior Design

Time-Saver Standards for Interior Design and Space Planning, 2nd Edition

Related posts:

1. Integrating Asian style furnishings: Practical ideas from real homes.
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3. A brief history of colonial “old Shanghai” style Art Deco furniture
4. Trend Guide: Rustic furniture made from reclaimed elm and other salvaged woods
5. The real deal: Looking back a few hundred years at an authentic chinese alter table