The specialists guide to Chinese antiques. » Interior Design

Integrating Asian style furnishings: Practical ideas from real homes.

Roger — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:14:06 +0000

Any furniture retailer will tell you that, many times the “end all be all” for retail buyers will be just how the item integrates into their home space. Sure, comfort, durability and quality are all top consumer preferences but overall dimensions, depth and height along with usability all have a lot to do with furniture-buying preferences as well. According to High Point Market industry reports, “Foremost, you must understand that the typical furniture buyer is a she, not a he.” Which means “she” is probably not going to spend time attempting to fit a round peg into a square hole (Unlike “he” who will either just hammer it in, or pull out the tools and change the dimensions of the hole).

Sometimes though even the most experienced sales people need some extra help. So what better place the photo sharing site Flickr to see just how real people are integrating items into their homes then on. Unlike glossy magazines like Better Homes and Gardens or ELLE DECOR these homes are real.

There is a article by Jim Green in the furniture industry publication Furniture Today entitled “Knowing Too Much” which touches briefly on this subject.

” A nightstand is a small piece of furniture, with or without doors and drawers, normally placed beside the head of a bed. It provides a surface to set a lamp or place a glass of water, a book, or pair of reading glasses. BUT…a nightstand might not be a nightstand at all. It may, in fact, be a chairside commode. It also may be a telephone table or a stand for a small 20” TV set.

Sometimes showing a piece in a unique way, suggesting a purpose for which it wasn’t originally intended, may give a customer an idea of how to use it at home. Transferring the piece to the clearance area is certainly easier, but in the end, it may sit for quite a while and ultimately be sold for much less.”

So with that said, the following are real examples (take from Flickr) from real photos of peoples homes.

This item was in a store… and they were considering purchase…

A great blend of European and Oriental style

Stools make easy plant stands…

One of my favorite ideas for a rustic farm table.

If you have more examples, please feel free to send them.

This content comes from The specialists guide to Chinese antiques. located at http://www.antique-chinese-furniture.com/blog/ For more articles please visit The specialists guide to Chinese antiques. - A unique insiders peek at the world of Chinese antiques & reproductions, Asian culture, exotic decor and oriental-inspired design from the far east. Everything you ever wanted to know!

More on Asian-inspired interior design…

Roger — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:29:20 +0000

A while back in our post “Are Asian design influences here to stay?” we were discussing the longevity and staying power of Asian Design Influences and Asian Decorating Style. I must say, that when poking around in the interior designer blog community this really seems to be the case. Asian style furniture is really here to stay and as the world continues to become a melting pot due to the internet and global travel I think this will become even more so. Today I stumbled upon another excellent Interior Design Blog by Los Angeles-based celebrity designer, Mark Cutler who has a good post on the “ Asian-inspired” look. Some of the looks are difficult unless you are on the west coast or in say, New York but nevertheless its great stuff.

I absolutely love the Buddha bedside lamps with the black edges on the shade. I think its a perfect example of the “zen look.” Very contemporary! Asian, but yet not too Chinese – this look seems to work in a modern home without any trouble whatsoever. Seems the ceramic garden stools are another hot item that keeps popping up. Take a moment and have a look at the rest of Mark’s blog for a few other good examples of whats “hot.”

A few more items coming up on the radar recently:

Fu Dogs are still popular…

Katie, over at “katiedid: diary of a design devotee” has an interesting post on Fudogs and their recent popularity…

Check it out along with the rest of her post here…

Scroll Tables are in too…

If you haven’t figured this one out then you must be blind. Scroll Tables are low, they are curvy and they just plain neat. And apparently timeless classics which can can go modern to antique to European. They fit with almost anything. Katie over at Girl Meets Glamour puts its just right:

“Hi my name is Kate and I’m addicted to any furniture with a scroll! Doesn’t matter the shape, size, color, I just love them. It’s been a problem for a while now, but I’ve just started to seek help. “

Check out her posting Come scroll with me… for some great examples of what people are doing in the home with scroll tables. She also has an article on Chinese “Chippendale” chairs which I find interesting…

What Chinese Style Furniture is hot this year?

Roger — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:08:46 +0000

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

Are Asian design influences here to stay?

Roger — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:16:49 +0000

Landfair Furniture has an interesting blog which seems to cater specifically to topics of interest to interior designers. As interior designers tend to drive the market I would assume looking to them for clues as to whats “up and coming” would be a good idea. Which is why I think its interesting they have an article discussing a long-standing trend towards oriental as one of the five primary design styles employed by interior designers:

“In the world of design, Asian or Oriental style has long cast a spell over the Western world with its air of elegant exoticism and mystery. Always in fashion, this design tour de force sometimes wanes in the interior scene, only to spike in popularity yet again as the season’s newest trend. Whatever the current status, this centuries-old theme continues to captivate in settings from classic to contemporary.”

The article then goes on to highlight and illustrate (with specific time frames and examples) the dynamic yet, steady stream of dips and peaks in the popularity of oriental looks. And though at times, while this look appears to drops off it seems its only temporary and always reemerges shortly after in fresh new variations. A good brief article, well worth the quick read. And if correct, a solid affirmation for anyone carrying Asian furniture and accessories in their store.

The full post is here.