Shimu offers you the beauty and simple elegance of classical Chinese furniture and antiques. Based on the pure, clean styles of the Ming Dynasty - China’s golden age - our classical furniture range is made to be both functional and to bring a touch of oriental style into your home, while our exclusive range of antique Chinese furniture is individually selected from the finest pieces available - skillfully restored by craftsmen to bring them back to their original luster.
About our Classical Chinese Furniture Each item we offer is hand made by craftsmen at our workshop in Shanghai, where traditional construction methods are used as far as possible. This involves wood selection, cutting, joinery, assembly, sanding, lacquering and finishing.
Most of our designs are originals from the Ming period, but as you will see as you browse through our online catalogue, the timeless simplicity of these pieces means that they look perfectly in keeping with even the most modern home. Other pieces are more contemporary in design to allow for greater functionality, but still hold fast to the spirit and traditions of the Ming style.
About our Antique Chinese Furniture We work with suppliers in Beijing and Shanghai to source the finest antique furniture from China’s regions. Each piece is selected for its beauty, form and functionality in a modern environment and is carefully restored to bring it a new lease of life without losing the rich patina that has formed over decades. The range of antiques we stock is constantly changing as we discover and ship new pieces and we are also able to source individual pieces on request.
About our materials Our classical range of oriental furniture is produced using only reclaimed wood, mostly local elm known as ‘Northern Elm’ (or ‘Yumu’ in Chinese). This type of wood was used for most furniture making around Shanghai and the north of China even in Ming times. The sapwood of Northern Elm is yellowish-brown, while the heartwood is a darker chestnut brown. Its surface often shows a delightful wave-like pattern in the grain which has made it a popular material for furniture making over hundreds of years.
Our use of reclaimed wood, seasoned over decades and kiln dried, is not only friendly to the environment but also reduces the risk of cracking or splitting of furniture in the UK’s less humid climate. However please note that, as with any wooden furniture, some shrinkage and cracking can still occur over time and should not be considered a defect.
About our services We try to be as flexible as possible in meeting our customers’ requirements. For this reason we will be happy to discuss alternative finishes and colours for any of the furniture in the Shimu classical range. We also provide a bespoke service to produce individual items of furniture that are not available in our current range, and we can help to source individual Chinese antiques through our network of suppliers. For full details of these services click here.
Buy with Confidence At Shimu our philosophy is simple - we want you to be delighted with any item you buy from us. For this reason we offer a returns policy that gives you complete peace of mind.
If for any reason you are unhappy with your purchase when it arrives, you can simply ask our delivery driver to remove the item and return it to our warehouse. We will then either replace it for you or provide you with a full refund.
We also provide you with a 14 day cooling off period. Simply inform us within 14 working days of the item being delivered that you wish to cancel the order. We will then arrange for the item to be picked up at our expense and will provide you with a credit for other Shimu products or a full refund. All that we ask is that the item is returned to us in an unused condition and in its original packaging. For full details see our terms and conditions.
Where to find us Our new 3000 square foot showroom will be opening soon in Greengates, West Yorkshire. There you will be able to view a large selection of our handcrafted solid wood furniture, as well as most pieces from our current stock of Chinese antique furniture.
Opening Hours Tuesday to Friday: 10:00am - 5:00pm Saturday: 10:00am - 4:00pm Sunday by appointment Monday by appointment
Unit 37, Albion Mills Albion Road, Greengates Bradford West Yorkshire BD10 9TQ
Phone: 0800 088 6800
Fax: 0844 4128009
Directions: For directions and a map of our location please click here.
Shimu Ltd. Registered in England and Wales number 5376989. Registered address: Unit 37, Albion Mills, Albion Road Greengates, Bradfore, West Yorkshire, BD10 9TQ
Quick thanks to you at Shimu regarding the furniture we had delivered this week. The finish is very good and they are good, solid pieces - just what we wanted, thank you ...
Ms N. Giles, Worcester
• Bespoke Furniture • Antique Sourcing • Alternative Finishes
FREE DELIVERY!
Free delivery in May when you spend £500 or more! Plus savings to be had on selected antiques. See our special offers for details
