Chinese Classical Furniture

Chinese Classical Furniture

Classical Chinese furniture has a timeless appeal that never goes out of style. Our signature range of traditional Chinese furniture is handcrafted from reclaimed elm or poplar wood, and includes reproductions from China's golden age as well as more contemporary designs inspired by the same period. The range includes oriental cabinets, beautifully crafted chairs, Chinese blanket chests and much more.

Ladies Cabinet, Warm Elm
£995.00

Ladies Cabinet, Warm Elm

CT22N

Popular during the Qing dynasty, narrow tables like this warm version with drawers and doors were normally used in a lady's sleeping quarters as a ...

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£995.00
Ladies Cabinet, Black Lacquer
£995.00

Ladies Cabinet, Black Lacquer

CT22D

Tables like our black lacquer ladies cabinet were made popular during the Qing dynasty, similar style consoles with drawers and doors were normally...

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£995.00
Hundred Eye' Chest, Warm Elm
£1,125.00

'Hundred Eye' Chest, Warm Elm

TK04N

Medicine chests with multiple drawers for holding herbs and other remedies, were used throughout China by apothecaries and pharmacists. The larger ...

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£1,125.00
Hundred Eye' Chest, Black Lacquer
£1,125.00

'Hundred Eye' Chest, Black Lacquer

TK04D

This modern day black lacquer version has larger drawers for more practical use, each one being ideal to hold CDs and DVDs. Multi drawer medicine c...

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£1,125.00
Hundred Eye' Chest, Light Elm
£1,125.00

'Hundred Eye' Chest, Light Elm

TK04M

Our light elm model really enhances the grain of the wood. With larger drawers than original chests for a more practical modern day use, each of th...

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£1,125.00
Ming Console Table, Warm Elm
£865.00

Ming Console Table, Warm Elm

CT07N

This beautifully proportioned narrow console table in warm elm will add oriental chic to any room. The elegant 'horse hoof' feet and S-shape suppor...

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£865.00
Ming Console Table, Black Lacquer
£865.00

Ming Console Table, Black Lacquer

CT07D

Our black lacquer console table has a simplistic oriental style. With typical features of furniture from China's Ming dynasty, for example the eleg...

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£865.00
Ming Sideboard, Warm Elm
£1,365.00

Ming Sideboard, Warm Elm

CW14N

The two doors set centrally in this handsome warm elm sideboard are a feature of furniture from Qinghai province in western China and give it a sim...

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£1,365.00
Ming Sideboard, Black Lacquer
£1,365.00

Chinese Ming Sideboard, Black Lacquer

CW14D

Made from solid reclaimed poplar wood, our black lacquer sideboard has a simple, clean style. This is due to the two doors being set centrally whic...

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£1,365.00
Ming Sideboard, Light Elm
£1,365.00

Ming Sideboard, Light Elm

CW14M

Based on the old grain cabinets of Qinghai province in western China, our light elm sideboard would be ideal for a modern dining or living room. Ca...

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£1,365.00
Mid Size Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,145.00

Mid Size Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW17N

Our warm elm mid size cabinet features solid, simple lines which are typical of the furniture produced by the Chinese in the northern provinces. Th...

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£1,145.00
Mid Size Cabinet, Black Lacquer
£1,145.00

Mid Size Cabinet, Black Lacquer

CW17D

Typical of the furniture produced by the Chinese in the northern provinces, our black lacquer cabinet features solid, simple lines. The round brass...

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£1,145.00
Mid Size Cabinet, Light Elm
£1,145.00

Mid Size Cabinet, Light Elm

CW17M

The 'square cornered' style, with thick outer frames, of our light elm cabinet, gives it a robust feel, while the round brass hardware on the doors...

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£1,145.00
Altar Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,545.00

Chinese Altar Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW15N

Finished in our warm elm, cabinets in this style were used from early in Chinese history to hold incense and other offerings to ancestors. The reli...

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£1,545.00
Altar Cabinet, Black Lacquer
£1,545.00

Altar Cabinet, Black Lacquer

CW15D

Our black lacquer altar cabinet tapers upwards to meet the curved apron at either end of the top surface, giving a sense of movement and fluidity. ...

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£1,545.00
Large Chest of Drawers, Warm Elm
£1,245.00

Large Chest of Drawers, Warm Elm

TK15N

Finished in warm elm, this deeper, wider version of our Ming chest of drawers has a real sense of understated oriental style. Again it is a modern ...

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£1,245.00
Large Chest of Drawers, Black Lacquer
£1,245.00

Large Chest of Drawers, Black Lacquer

TK15D

Our black lacquer chest of drawers is a modern design - the Chinese did not use chests of drawers as we did in the west until quite recently - but ...

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£1,245.00
Large Chest of Drawers, Light Elm
£1,245.00

Large Chest of Drawers, Light Elm

TK15M

Made from solid reclaimed elm, our light finish really emphasizes the beautiful grain of the wood. This deeper, wider version of our Ming chest of ...

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£1,245.00
Double-Sided Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,365.00

Double-Sided Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW07N

This warm elm cabinet shows the clean lines and pure design that was typical of Chinese furniture produced during the Ming dynasty. The style is si...

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£1,365.00
Double-Sided Cabinet, Black Lacquer
£1,365.00

Double-Sided Cabinet, Black Lacquer

CW07D

The style of this black lacquer cabinet is simple and beautifully balanced - the two sets of doors mounted on circular hinges and with the characte...

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£1,365.00
Double-Sided Cabinet, Light Elm
£1,365.00

Double-Sided Cabinet, Light Elm

CW07M

Ideal as a dining room sideboard or for bedroom or living room storage this cabinet in a light finish has a single removable shelf inside each sect...

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£1,365.00
Tapered Cabinet, Warm Elm
£795.00

Chinese Tapered Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW08N

This style of Chinese cabinet, seen here in a warm finish, with the doors mounted on wooden dowels that fit directly into the frames and a slightly...

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£795.00
Tapered Cabinet, Black Lacquer
£795.00

Tapered Cabinet, Black Lacquer

CW08D

Cabinets like our black lacquer version were sometimes known as 'Scholars' Cabinets' as they were often used to store the books, papers or writing ...

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£795.00
Tapered Cabinet, Light Elm
£795.00

Tapered Cabinet, Light Elm

CW08M

With two removable shelves inside, our modern day light elm version is a great size to hold a stereo unit, or even in a bathroom for toiletries. Th...

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£795.00
Ming Dining Table, Warm Elm
£1,645.00

Ming Dining Table, Warm Elm

CT10N

This chunky, solid wood dining table in a warm elm finish, is simple in style but with some features that are typical of Chinese Ming furniture. As...

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£1,645.00
Ming Dining Table, Black Lacquer
£1,645.00

Ming Dining Table, Black Lacquer

CT10D

With some features that are typical of Chinese Ming furniture, our black lacquer table has the usual 'horse hoof' feet and large 'S' shaped support...

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£1,645.00
Qing Oriental Dining Table, Warm Elm
£2,595.00

Qing Dining Table, Warm Elm

CT21N

Made from solid reclaimed elm wood, this gorgeous dining table is in our rich, warm elm finish to show the beautiful grain of the wood. The design ...

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£2,595.00
Qing Dining Table, Black Lacquer
£2,595.00

Qing Dining Table, Black Lacquer

CT21D

This stunning oriental dining table is made from solid poplar wood, finished in a sleek black lacquer. It is based on a design from China's Qing dy...

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£2,595.00
Scroll Altar Table, Warm Elm
£995.00

Scroll Altar Table, Warm Elm

CT08N

Simple and almost contemporary in looks, this style of table, here in our warm elm finish, actually dates from China's Ming dynasty, although the r...

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£995.00
Scroll Altar Table, Black Lacquer
£995.00

Scroll Altar Table, Black Lacquer

CT08D

Tables like our black lacquer model were used to hold offerings to ancestors but also for more general decorative items. They were usually placed a...

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£995.00
Tall Trunk, Warm Elm
£545.00

Tall Trunk, Warm Elm

TK17N

This warm elm, taller, narrower version of our very popular square trunk makes a great lamp table or vase stand. Like all of our blanket boxes, it ...

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£545.00
Tall Trunk, Black Lacquer
£545.00

Chinese Black Lacquer Trunk, Tall

TK17D

Made from solid reclaimed poplar wood, our black lacquer blanket boxes use proper dovetail joints and the distinctive circular brass hardware and r...

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£545.00
Tall Trunk, Light Elm
£545.00

Tall Trunk, Light Elm

TK17M

Like our very popular square trunk this light elm, taller, narrower version makes a great lamp table or vase stand, It's also great for linen or la...

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£545.00
Cross Legged Desk, Warm Elm
£1,395.00

Cross Legged Desk, Warm Elm

CT16N

This beautifully shaped warm elm desk is more in a Chinese concession or colonial style than Ming Chinese, but it still comes with plenty of orient...

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£1,395.00
Cross Legged Desk, Black Lacquer
£1,395.00

Cross Legged Desk, Black Lacquer

CT16D

Our black lacquer desk is made by using two 'S' shaped legs that cross at each end to form an elegant hourglass shape, while the rear legs are supp...

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£1,395.00
Cross Legged Armchair, Warm Elm
£645.00

Cross Legged Armchair, Warm Elm

CT17N

Based on the classic Chinese horseshoe armchair but in a more colonial style, this lovely warm elm chair goes perfectly with our cross legged desk ...

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£645.00

The history of Chinese Classical Furniture

Classical Chinese furniture refers to a style and an aesthetic taste, of restraint, balance and grandeur, rather than to a particular period. Plain hardwoods, like the reclaimed woods we use for these reproductions, were always accorded high esteem by Chinese craftsmen from the Qing dynasties onwards. Trade had recently opened, and tropical hardwoods from South-East Asia were beginning to be imported. It was these strong hardwoods which allowed the craftsmen to create austere, slender legged chairs and tables which showed off the beauty of the precious wood, alongside the lacquered furniture which was equally prized. Here at Shimu, we’re very happy to be continuing the tradition of Chinese classical furniture, and to be bringing you these beautiful pieces of furniture to show off in your home.

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