Such globalization of style takes many forms some designers choose to offset a loftlike space-all white walls and industrial finishes- with a few pieces of minimal Ming furniture. Others mix styles and eras with ease, weaving subtle Chinese influences deftly into a contemporary palette. Shanghai, China's most fashionable city, has produced decorative directions that are as unique as its cultural history An intriguing mix of 1930s art deco mansions, modern skyscrapers and traditional Chinese architecture, Shanghai retains an aura of mystery and decadence. Some residents enjoy living in large art deco 1930s apartments and longtang (lane) houses complete with high ceilings and original fittings which provide perfect backdrops to a blend of Chinese and Western art and antiques. Meanwhile, collectors of Ming and Qing furniture around the world enjoy the thrill of living with precious pieces Some choose a pale backdrop, others employ vivid colours to offset the rich wood pieces But both exemplify scholarly living 21st-century style, with elegant proportions and beautiful symmetry taking pride of place.
Today, Chinese style has well and truly permeated the Western aesthetic with centuries-old ideas being reworked into valid directions for modern living. It is a movement which is gaining pace as more and more China-based designers and architects are drawing on their heritage to provide viable directions for the future This book showcases some of the most innovative and inspirational contemporary Chinese-inspired interiors both in the East and West, revealing the huge variety of decorative influences that Chinese style provides.
With its high ceilings, spacious rooms and private garden, residences like Jean-Philippe Weber's 1930s-built longtang house are fast becoming a popular choice for Shanghai dwellers. After extensive renovations, and a commitment to preserving its original art deco features, Weber's home retains an aura of old Shanghai style. Hanging above a cabinet found in Beijing is a red and gold calligraphy scroll (one of a pair) on which is printed a poem about life. Dangling from the green jar is an old spectacles case.
An antique gold and black painted rice cannister featuring birds, gardens and pagodas stands in the corner of Wan and David Pierce's lao yang fang (old style house) in the heart of Shanghai's French Concession district. Such cannisters were made in the same shape as traditional garden furniture stools and can also be used for seating.
In the 1930s Shanghai-inspired China Club in Hong Kong, the twisting staircase runs up three flights. It is lined with a spectacular collection of contemporary Chinese art by leading painters from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The club has over 350 works in its collection, from avant garde post-revolutionary paintings to socialist realist oils.
Hong Kong's contemporary homeware store GOD (the phonetic translation means ' to live better' in Cantonese slang), draws on traditional Chinese and Asian influences. Here, a pair of Ming-style chairs are juxtaposed against modern sofas and armchairs.
Ming and Qing Elegance Redefined
TRADITIONAL CHINA IN A CONTEMPORY SETTING
Today's fashions increasingly embrace simplicity and purity of line. No wonder, then, that Ming dynasty (1368-1644) furniture is experiencing a resurgence. Produced during what was considered to be the golden age of Chinese furniture, Ming's clean classic lines and architectural elegance are coveted by collectors prepared to pay vast sums for rare, highly grained and intricately constructed pieces. "It is the timelessness of Chinese classical furniture which places it in the forefront of modern tastes," says Hong Kong-based premier Ming dealer Grace Wu Bruce.
But it wasn't always like this. While Ming's famous blue and white porcelain has long been highly valued in China and the West, the almost unbelievable thing about the dynasty's furniture is that it has only been considered collectable during the past few decades. The breakthrough came with a detailed study on Ming furniture published in Beijing in 1986 by the renowned scholar Wang Shixiang, which captured the attention of Chinese collectors.
Before that, Ming furniture had only been recognized by Westerners who lived in Beijing before the 1949 Communist revolution and a small group of connoisseurs in the West. They appreciated its Bauhaus-like lines over the flashier, ornate and heavily carved furniture typical of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Although some early Qing pieces feature clean lines, from the mid-Qing period (around 1736), sumptuous carvings, bright lacquering and inlay were common. Splendour and massiveness were the order of the day.
When China's doors closed, the Westerners left and took their furniture with them. Outside China, interest in the genre remained constant. Then came China's economic liberalization in the late 1970s and the market for Ming furniture began to grow dramatically.
Ming furniture's basic structure possesses distinctly classical attributes. Restraint, balance, clarity and grandeur are seen in a system of assembly that relies solely on joinery without the use of nails. Other features are economy of line, lustrous surfaces, and colour and grain of woods such as huanghuali (yellow rosewood), zitan (purple sandalwood) and jichi mu (chicken wing wood). However, Ming is not just aesthetically pleasing to the modern eye: it also provides an understanding of Chinese culture during an affluent era and offers glimpses into the sophisticated lifestyle of the scholar officials and wealthy merchants of the 16th and 17th centuries. Many lived a quietly ordered life, pursuing artistic and intellectual interests. The scholars preferred plain wood furniture to that featuring Chinese decorative techniques, although some examples of the latter are found in this period.
Private collectors around the world enjoy the thrill of living with these special pieces. But as classical hardwood furniture becomes increasingly rare and expensive, more experts are turning to softwood furniture and re-evaluating its position in the domestic environment. Hence, country style Chinese furniture made from elmwood, cedarwood and camphor wood has become more popular. In addition, light, strong, durable bamboo is making a comeback in the home. China is known as the kingdom of bamboo as it has the most species of any country (more than 400) and for centuries it has been used for furniture, baskets and mats.
For those who like the look of Ming but don't have the financial resources needed to live with the real thing, there is a vast amount of reproduction Ming furniture around. It may not have the aura-or the value-of the antique, but can, if the quality is high, be exceptionally beautiful. Such streamlined, sculptural pieces fit perfectly into a modern decorative scheme.
A Scholar's Office
The owner of this Beverly Hills office has on interest in · Chinese decorative art, with particular emphasis on Six Dynasties (220- 589) ceramics. With this in mind he chose to surround himself with Chinese furniture and accessories which could be enjoyed during the working day.
To enhance the collection of predominantly hong mu furniture in this office, the interior was pointed a deep turquoise which belies the bright Southern Californian sunshine outside. It is a worm, cocoon-like space, condusive to concentration. The furniture includes a spindle-back settee, four horseshoe armchairs and a desk featuring a crocked ice pattern (often seen in window designs in Ming architecture).
The wooden ceiling and wall mouldings were stained to match the owner's huanghuali table and document box. On the table is a 15-piece collection of Northern Wei dynasty (386- 534) tomb musicians. Such tomb figures were port of the elaborate burial rites practised by Chino's Imperial families. Burial customs adhered to the belief that the spirit of the deported must be provided with all that he or she possessed,