Design

Because of all of the above, I was fortunate enough to be able to learn everything the first hand, from selection to refinishing to exporting with so many beautiful, good, and rare examples of antique Chinese woodwork. I was fortunate enough to learn from many of the local experts where the products originated and purchased some of the best pieces available. Many of these items are sold through my work to many beautiful homes. Some of the most rare and fine examples have remained in my collection since.

How do I view Chinese furniture and its design? For many who have read the valuable book “Ming Classic Furniture” and other books by Mr. Wang Shi Xiang know that one could not separate Chinese furniture from its design. Of all the most important things about good Chinese furniture pieces, debates may be placed in between the wood the furniture is made of and the structure of the furniture piece. The later-the structure of the furniture piece, directly links and determines the style and the look of the furniture, which is also the design of the furniture itself.

Like most of other cultural things, an art object, especially an antique item, derives from the past and has its cultural root. When looking at a piece of Chinese furniture, its root came from the great furniture of the Ming Dynasty.

Ming scholar’s style furniture made of exotic hardwood has made its name among museums and furniture connoisseurs in the world. It is famous for its simplicity and timeless form related to its function, whether with or without carving or ornamentation, lacquered, painted, or plain, or where the furniture was made or came from-its origin, all tied with one thing-an unmistakable standard of esthetics.

It is this esthetics standard that allows us to follow and are able to distinguish among the ordinary and the exceptional, among the rarity and the common, whether when examining a partial structure of the wood, a particular part of the furniture body, a paint or a color that was used over a particular type of furniture, and even the reason why certain furniture piece from a certain region was styled and made for certain look and function. The list is unlimited.

< Concept 

The digital drawing presented here, “Lounge (design concept)”, is an abstract one...

I began fascinated with furniture during the mid 1980’s when I began...

Contact us     

2404 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060   

Phone: (831)457-4422   email: customerservice@shensgallery.com