Oriental Furniture in the West

by todd harmon

Asia is the largest and most culturally diverse continent on Earth, with thousands of years of complicated history and cultural evolution to its name. Asian cultures take great pride in their diversity and distinguished histories, and these values are quite apparent in even the smallest piece of oriental furniture. Oriental furniture as a whole is difficult to categorize, once again on account of the sheer number of unique cultures and stylistic variations therein, but in America, it is generally recognized to be modern Japanese or Korean style furniture.

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British colonials in Burma first started the Western fascination with oriental furniture, introducing Indian styles to the British Empire. Eventually, as trade negotiations with the far East became more prominent (and bloody complicated, but that is a different story), the West was introduced to Chinese, Japanese, and Korean style furnishings. To this day, oriental furniture is a very popular choice in modern American homes.

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The allure of oriental furniture is largely due to its subtle beauty. Asian style furniture is noted for its minimalistic approach, opting for function over form. The beauty lies within its unassuming designs, representing great but subdued artistry. Oriental furniture is often built from very sturdy elm, gingko, and kiri wood, although of course some oriental furniture is built from sturdy bamboo. Asian style furniture often comes in a rich, dark hue that is sumptuous and visually intriguing. dorientfurn

The pride of Asian furniture is in its lacquer finish. One of the major differences between Eastern and Western furniture design is that westerners tend to value sleek, shiny objects. Easterners, on the other hand, tend to value a natural look more. Oriental furniture is not so much beautiful on its own, as much as it is stunning in the way it interacts with the rest of your furnishings, and the way it subtly plays with light and shadow.