Made to Last: The Craftsmanship of Chinese Furniture

In a world where so many of the objects around us are designed to be replaced, there is something particularly appealing about furniture that has been made with longevity in mind.

Traditional Chinese furniture provides some wonderful examples. Antique cabinets and tables that were originally made for homes more than a century ago are still being used today, while many of the principles that informed their construction continue to influence furniture makers working in China now.

From the selection of timber to the way individual components are joined together, Chinese furniture making developed around an understanding of the material itself. The result was furniture that could be practical and durable while retaining an elegance and simplicity that still feels relevant in contemporary interiors.

It Starts with the Wood

For traditional furniture makers, the character of the timber was fundamental to the finished piece. Different woods were used according to region, availability and the type of furniture being produced. Elm became particularly associated with furniture from northern China, while poplar, walnut, camphor and other timbers were also widely used.

Each wood has its own characteristics. Elm can have a wonderfully expressive grain and develops a warm surface with age. Walnut offers rich colour and beautifully figured timber, while poplar or pine were often used as a practical material for painted and lacquered furniture.

Rather than disguising these natural qualities, many pieces allowed the timber to become part of the design. This was certainly the case with the more precious hardwoods used at court or in high society, such as huanghuali or zitan, but also with more common woods such as elm. The wood selection for the doors of a scholar's cabinet, for example, would be carefully bookmatched or the top panel of an altar table chosen for it's attractive grain. In natural wood furntiure in particular, the grain, knots and subtle variations in tone also mean that no two pieces are ever quite identical.

The Art of Joinery

One of the most celebrated aspects of traditional Chinese furniture making is its joinery. Rather than relying entirely on nails or screws, craftsmen developed sophisticated ways of connecting individual sections of timber. Mortise-and-tenon joints, for example, allow one piece of wood to fit precisely into another, creating strong connections within the structure of a cabinet, table or chair.

Variations of these techniques were developed for different purposes, allowing frames, legs, rails and panels to work together as part of the structure. Each component needed to be carefully measured and shaped so that the individual pieces fitted together correctly. This approach required considerable skill, with more and more complex joints developed over time until what is considered the zenith of furniture making during the late Ming dynasty, when furniture was produced with a visual simplicity that disguised just how much work went into its construction.

Designed with Timber in Mind

Traditional furniture makers also understood that wood is a natural material that responds to its surroundings. Changes in temperature and humidity can cause solid timber to expand and contract. Rather than trying to prevent this completely, traditional construction methods could accommodate a certain amount of natural movement.

One familiar example is the framed panel. Instead of constructing a large door or side from one rigid piece of timber, a thinner panel could sit within a stronger surrounding frame, allowing some movement as the environment around the furniture changed with the seasons. The principle is practical, but it also became an important part of the visual language of Chinese furniture. The clean arrangement of frames and panels gives many traditional cabinets their distinctive architectural appearance.

Proportion Before Decoration

Chinese furniture can sometimes be wonderfully decorative, but much of its beauty comes from something simpler: proportion. The relationship between the top of a table and its legs, the width of a cabinet in relation to its height, or the spacing of doors, drawers and panels can determine whether a piece feels balanced.

This is particularly evident in more restrained pieces of natural elm furniture, where there may be relatively little decoration to distract from the underlying form. Well-designed furniture doesn't necessarily need elaborate ornament. When the proportions, materials and construction are right, the structure itself becomes part of its beauty.

Lacquer, Paint and the Finishing Touch

Of course, not all Chinese furniture was intended to celebrate natural wood. Lacquered and painted furniture forms another important part of the tradition, ranging from deep reds and blacks to richly decorated cabinets covered with flowers, landscapes, birds and auspicious symbols. These surfaces served both practical and decorative purposes. Finishes could help protect the timber while transforming relatively simple furniture into something much more expressive.

On antique pieces, those surfaces continue to change long after the furniture leaves the workshop. Edges become softened through use. Layers of colour wear away to reveal earlier finishes or the timber beneath. Brass fittings darken and polish differently where they have been repeatedly handled. The resulting patina is something that can only really be created by time.

Furniture That Has Already Stood the Test of Time

Perhaps the clearest demonstration of traditional craftsmanship is the fact that so much antique Chinese furniture remains usable today. A cabinet made more than a century ago may have travelled thousands of miles and passed through several generations before reaching its current home. It may bear evidence of that journey - an old repair, a worn corner, faded paint or marks in the timber. Yet its basic construction can remain remarkably sound.

We don't see these signs of age as flaws to be erased. They are part of what makes an antique individual. When restoration is required, the aim should be to make a piece practical and structurally sound while retaining the surfaces and details that tell its story.

A Tradition That Continues

Traditional craftsmanship doesn't have to mean antique furniture. Many of the same principles can inform newly made pieces too.

Our Classical Chinese Furniture ranges draw on traditional Chinese forms and construction, using solid wood to create furniture designed for modern homes. The designs may be newly made, but their proportions and details have their roots in a much older furniture-making tradition.

This offers a different choice from an antique. A newly made piece can provide the consistency and practicality some interiors require while retaining much of the character that makes traditional Chinese furniture distinctive. Our regular shipments of Classical Chinese furniture are made the old way using traditional joinery and frame and panel construction. The range includes faithful reproductions of classic designs from the Ming dynasty, along with more contemporary pieces for modern living. We also regularly produced individual, bespoke pieces for individual customers, hotels or interior designers.

Craftsmanship Beyond Furniture

The same appreciation of craftsmanship extends beyond furniture. Our next arrivals at Shimu will actually begin with ceramics, including a new shipment of our blue and white porcelain from Jingdezhen, as well as new designs.

Jingdezhen has been an important centre of Chinese porcelain production for centuries, and its name has become closely associated with China's ceramic tradition. The familiar combination of blue decoration against white porcelain has an enduring quality that allows it to work in very different interiors. A pair of large temple jars can make a statement in a hallway or living room, while smaller vases and jars can introduce pattern and colour more subtly.

Placed alongside the warmth and texture of solid timber, ceramics also provide a beautiful contrast - one reason they have always formed an important part of the Shimu collection.

Choosing Things That Last

For us, the appeal of craftsmanship isn't simply nostalgia for the way things used to be made. It's about choosing objects with permanence.

An antique that has already survived for generations, a solid wood cabinet designed to be used every day or a beautifully made ceramic vase all offer an alternative to objects that are quickly bought and just as quickly replaced. They can acquire marks, move between rooms, adapt to changing interiors and, ultimately, become part of the story of a home.

Over the coming months, three very different shipments will be making their way to us in Yorkshire: porcelain and ceramics from Jingdezhen, newly made furniture from our Classical Chinese ranges, and a collection of restored vintage and antique Chinese furniture.

Each represents a different aspect of the Shimu collection, but they share something fundamental - an appreciation for good materials, thoughtful design and craftsmanship. Because whether something was made a hundred years ago or is being made today, the qualities that make it worth keeping remain remarkably similar.