Decorating Your Home The Japanese Way

By Andrew Caxton

If you're looking for authentic Japanese furniture, there are quite a few sites on the web where you can see what's on offer, what they look like, and how much they cost.

But ask yourself...what is authentic Japanese furniture? There are the classic designs everyone thinks of - the mats, the screens, the pillows, the futons. But Japanese furniture design has not stood still, any more than any other country's furniture design has, and there is plenty of modernistic looking stuff out there with just a soupcon of the oriental flair about it.

Asian Culture

If you see an interesting piece of sculpture or ornamentation, or an excitingly designed piece of furniture, purchase it by all means. It all comes down to what you like. But, your appreciation of these pieces can be enhanced if you know the history behind each piece (if any). So do a bit of research into the history of the domestic life of these countries.

A Few Sample Web Businesses

Haiku Designs offers furniture, bedding and artwork, in both traditional and modern Japanese designs. All of their offerings are illustrated with large photos so you can get a good idea of what you're looking at.

I really liked their Kyoto Japanese Style platform bed, which comes with shoulder rests so you can sit up and read before retiring for the night. Very elegant looking. Among other offerings is the Kenso Platform bed, which is what one typically thinks of when thinking of Japanese beds!
Haiku Designs also offers indoor water fountains, but oddly enough not the Lotus Pool that set off their Europa bedroom set, in the descriptive photo!

Greentea Design also offers exclusively Asian-inspired designs for all rooms in the house.
I thought it was interesting that they offered Maru Tables, which are constructed from "original slabs of century-old Korean flooring". These boards are three inches thick and were "used in aristocrat's homes for their main rooms and porches." Well...better that these antique boards should still see use than be burned to create fuel, but what a pity that the buildings from which they come must no longer be in existence...

I like the fact that all of their furniture is made from salvaged wood, however - that is a point of pride with them and I think it makes a lot of sense. "Keep it green" is their motto.

Oriental Furniture is another of the many sites on the web that offer furnishings and decorations - statuary, etc. from Japan and China. I particularly liked their statuary and silk paintings, and they also have jade carvings.

Andrew Caxton is the editor of different articles published at http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com/ , with reference to oriental interiors and gardening . A website with tips on japanese decorating.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Caxton

The Joy of Asian Furniture

Through my years in the Asian furniture import business, if there is one thing I have learned, it is that no piece is perfect in the traditional sense. Whether it's a brand new daybed, antique or an antique reproduction daybed, every Asian furniture piece I have ever imported has had a quirk. Be it natural color variation in the wood, a dresser that is an inch taller than expected or even a complete design change I hadn't requested or been notified about, it is always an adventure unpacking the containers of Asian furniture I import.

Certainly undesirable variations are unacceptable, but small variations are part of the charm. The furniture I import for my customers is mostly handmade from reclaimed wood which makes it subject to more variations than mass produced furniture styles. Reclaimed wood is solid wood that has been taken from old structures, refinished and then used in new construction. The benefit is that since the wood is old, it has had time to dry and harden. Furniture made of reclaimed wood will not warp or crack and will be far more reliable and durable than furniture made from new growth trees. Plus using reclaimed wood is easy on the environment. However as expected, reclaimed wood can have more inconsistencies particularly when not over processed. It is these inconsistencies that give our line of modern Asian furniture so much character.

Every piece of Asian furniture we import at Tansu is inspected, cleaned and repackaged to guarantee its quality before it is shipped to our customers. We make sure every drawer slides smooth and that all pieces are present and fit for proper assembly in our customer's home. We make it our mission that any variations that are inevitably present are not undesirable. Beyond the quality and durability of the construction and the beauty of the raw materials used, to us the joy of Asian furniture is the uniqueness of each piece.

For many shoppers, handmade imported Asian furniture is not the right product. There are ways of making furniture that will turn out virtually the same piece every time using machines and man-made materials such as veneer and particle board. The good news for these shoppers is that the majority of furniture sold in America is made to these standards and any given dresser, platform bed or table will look identical to the next. However for those looking for unique, one of kind solid wood furniture such as our Japanese platform beds deigned to last a century, we invite you to take a peek at our line of exotic modern Asian furniture.

http://www.tansu.net/ Features sustainable harvest Asian furniture from across the continent of Asia.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Benjamin_Harvey

Decorating Your Home The Japanese Way

By Andrew Caxton

If you're looking for authentic Japanese furniture, there are quite a few sites on the web where you can see what's on offer, what they look like, and how much they cost.

But ask yourself...what is authentic Japanese furniture? There are the classic designs everyone thinks of - the mats, the screens, the pillows, the futons. But Japanese furniture design has not stood still, any more than any other country's furniture design has, and there is plenty of modernistic looking stuff out there with just a soupcon of the oriental flair about it.

Asian Culture

If you see an interesting piece of sculpture or ornamentation, or an excitingly designed piece of furniture, purchase it by all means. It all comes down to what you like. But, your appreciation of these pieces can be enhanced if you know the history behind each piece (if any). So do a bit of research into the history of the domestic life of these countries.

A Few Sample Web Businesses

Haiku Designs offers furniture, bedding and artwork, in both traditional and modern Japanese designs. All of their offerings are illustrated with large photos so you can get a good idea of what you're looking at.

I really liked their Kyoto Japanese Style platform bed, which comes with shoulder rests so you can sit up and read before retiring for the night. Very elegant looking. Among other offerings is the Kenso Platform bed, which is what one typically thinks of when thinking of Japanese beds!
Haiku Designs also offers indoor water fountains, but oddly enough not the Lotus Pool that set off their Europa bedroom set, in the descriptive photo!

Greentea Design also offers exclusively Asian-inspired designs for all rooms in the house.
I thought it was interesting that they offered Maru Tables, which are constructed from "original slabs of century-old Korean flooring". These boards are three inches thick and were "used in aristocrat's homes for their main rooms and porches." Well...better that these antique boards should still see use than be burned to create fuel, but what a pity that the buildings from which they come must no longer be in existence...

I like the fact that all of their furniture is made from salvaged wood, however - that is a point of pride with them and I think it makes a lot of sense. "Keep it green" is their motto.

Oriental Furniture is another of the many sites on the web that offer furnishings and decorations - statuary, etc. from Japan and China. I particularly liked their statuary and silk paintings, and they also have jade carvings.

Andrew Caxton is the editor of different articles published at http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com/ , with reference to oriental interiors and gardening . A website with tips on japanese decorating.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Caxton