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.

End Cabinet, Warm Elm
£495.00

Small Chinese Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW09N

This warm elm end cabinet is based on the solid framed, simply styled pieces that were commonly used in northern China for centuries. Ours are slig...

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£495.00
Television Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,795.00

Chinese Television Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW16N

Our warm elm version of this ingenious cabinet uses the design elements of classic Chinese furniture to solve a very modern problem. Ideal to hide ...

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£1,795.00
Large Tapered Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,745.00

Tapered Elm Chinese Cabinet, Large

CW11N

This classic Chinese cabinet is finished in a lovely warm elm colour. The tapering 'A-frame' profile of this wardrobe gives a wonderful sense of fl...

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£1,745.00
Blanket Trunk, Warm Elm
£625.00

Blanket Trunk, Warm Elm

TK01N

Finished in warm elm, the grain of the solid reclaimed wood really stands out. Ideal for storing everything from bedding and clothes to toys and ga...

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£625.00
Horseshoe Armchair, Warm Elm
£625.00

Horseshoe Armchair, Warm Elm

CT02N

This version of our horseshoe armchair is in our 'warm' finish, chairs like this one were symbols of status in Ming dynasty China. Known also in Ch...

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£625.00
Carved Coffee Table, Warm Elm
£1,445.00

Carved Oriental Coffee Table, Warm Elm

CT05N

This lovely warm colour, solid wood, coffee table is in a contemporary style but still with some classic oriental features, such as the 'horse hoof...

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£1,445.00
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
Chinese Circular Display Shelf, Warm Elm
£2,345.00

Chinese Circular Display Shelf, Warm Elm

TK19N

Finished in our warm elm, this iconic Chinese display shelf comes in two parts that easily fit together with mortice and tenon joints, so they can ...

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£2,345.00
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
Book Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,395.00

Book Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW18N

This particular model is finished in our warm elm colour. The Chinese refer to cabinets like this, with open shelves above a closed section, as dis...

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£1,395.00
Low Apothecary's Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,395.00

Low Apothecary's Cabinet, Warm Elm

TK12N

This handsome low cabinet in our warm finish is a wonderfully versatile piece of furniture and although designed by us with the modern home in mind...

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£1,395.00
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 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
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
Ming Wardrobe, Warm Elm
£1,895.00

Ming Wardrobe, Warm Elm

CW04N

This solid, simply styled wardrobe in warm elm is a reproduction of the thick framed 'square cornered' cabinets that were commonly made in Beijing ...

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£1,895.00
Small Kang Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,125.00

Small Chinese Kang Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW10N

This low warm elm cabinet is ideal as a TV stand with unmistakeable oriental style. It shows the same simple, balanced design of our double sided c...

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£1,125.00
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
Display Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,595.00

Display Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW19N

Finished in warm elm and based on a type of cabinet used by the Chinese to store food, we have updated our version to add bevelled glass panels in ...

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£1,595.00
Wave Trunk, Warm Elm
£945.00

Wave Trunk, Warm Elm

TK06N

The largest of our oriental trunks and chests, this elegant warm elm blanket box looks beautiful at the end of a bed and is strong enough to provid...

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£945.00
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
Carved Lattice Screen, Warm Elm
£1,945.00

Carved Lattice Screen, Warm Elm

CSR01N

This simple, beautifully crafted lattice screen in warm elm finish is made up of four hinged panels. Each one is created with mortise and tenon joi...

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£1,945.00
Carved Ming Screen, Warm Elm
£1,945.00

Carved Ming Screen, Warm Elm

CSR02N

The lattice design in the upper panels of this beautiful warm elm screen, made up of individual pieces of wood fitted together with mortis and teno...

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£1,945.00
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
Square Trunk, Warm Elm
£395.00

Chinese Trunk Square, Warm Elm

TK02N

Made from solid reclaimed elm wood this smaller, cube shaped Chinese blanket chest. Great as a side table next to a sofa, for storing towels in a b...

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£395.00
Low Scroll Table, Warm Elm
£1,195.00

Low Scroll Table, Warm Elm

CT03N

This beautifully simple low table in warm elm is based on the 'lute tables' used by the Chinese when seated on the floor to play musical instrument...

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£1,195.00
Ming Bookshelf, Warm Elm
£1,145.00

Ming Bookshelf, Warm Elm

TK03N

Bookshelves like our warm elm version were used by the Chinese scholarly classes, but unlike in the west, they preferred to stack books on the shel...

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£1,145.00
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
Corner Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,565.00

Corner Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW01N

This unusual corner cabinet, seen here in a warm elm finish, is a great way to make the best use of space in a room. The simple style and thick, so...

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£1,565.00
Apothecary's Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,445.00

Apothecary's Cabinet, Warm Elm

TK09N

Chinese herbalists have used chests, like our warm elm version, with multiple drawers, for centuries, to hold the herbs and remedies of their prof...

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£1,445.00
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
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
Yoke-Back Side Chair, Warm Elm
£425.00

Yoke-Back Side Chair, Warm Elm

CT11N

The name 'Yoke-Back' chair comes from the curved top rail seen on this timeless Chinese design and seen here finished in our warm elm. The style fi...

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£425.00
Yoke-Back Armchair, Warm Elm
£495.00

Yoke-Back Armchair, Warm Elm

CT12N

Our warm elm armchair has the same beautiful curves and detail as our yoke-back side chair, including the dragon in carved relief on the curved bac...

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£495.00
Square Daybed Table, Warm Elm
£765.00

Square Daybed Table, Warm Elm

CT09N

This square shaped warm elm coffee table is based on original Chinese daybeds, but reduced in size to be more practical in a contemporary setting. ...

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£765.00
Low Kang Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,495.00

Low Kang Chinese Cabinet, Warm Elm

CW06N

This long, low cabinet in our warm finish, is ideal for use as a TV stand, with three central drawers and two cupboard sections, each with a remova...

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£1,495.00
Kang Style Coffee Table, Warm Elm
£995.00

Kang Style Coffee Table, Warm Elm

CT04N

Low level tables and other furniture were used throughout northern China, where they would be placed on the 'kang' - a heated platform of brick or ...

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£995.00
Altar Table, Warm Elm
£895.00

Altar Table, Warm Elm

CT06N

Chinese altar tables, like our warm elm version seen here, were actually used not just for holding offerings to ancestors, but also as more general...

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£895.00
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
Apothecary's Chest, Warm Elm
£745.00

Apothecary's Chest, Warm Elm

TK05N

This little warm elm multi-drawer chest provides a beautiful way to store a CD or DVD collection. Each of its eight drawers can hold up 25 CDs and ...

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£745.00
Ming Chest of Drawers, Warm Elm
£1,045.00

Ming Chest of Drawers, Warm Elm

TK07N

Our warm elm chest of drawers features the usual frame and panel construction with a simple apron below the lower frame and round brass handles tha...

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£1,045.00
Ming Two Drawer Chest, Warm Elm
£445.00

Ming Two Drawer Chest, Warm Elm

TK08N

This little warm elm bedside chest is our own design rather than a reproduction of an old Chinese piece, but the construction and overall look are ...

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£445.00
Ming Tall Boy, Warm Elm
£1,345.00

Ming Tall Boy, Warm Elm

TK10N

This beautiful warm elm tall chest of drawers offers modern bedroom storage but with a strong oriental style. The chest is in the classic frame and...

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£1,345.00
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
Ming Carved Bed, Warm Elm
from £1,445.00

Ming Carved Bed, Warm Elm

CSBD01Ns

Made from solid elm wood, this beautiful bed in warm finish is available in a range of sizes from single to emperor. The lattice work on the headbo...

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from £1,445.00
Butterfly Drawers, Warm Elm
£545.00

Butterfly Drawers, Warm Elm

TK11N

The butterfly is a symbol of joy for the Chinese, and especially of happiness in a marriage. Traditionally it was used on decorative painted cabine...

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£545.00
Filing Cabinet, Warm Elm
£1,365.00

Filing Cabinet, Warm Elm

TK13N

This tall, warm elm filing cabinet is not just practical but would be a beautiful addition to any home office. Made from solid elm wood, it include...

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£1,365.00
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 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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