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arm, Asia, asian, breakfront, chair, chest, China, Chinese, decorate, design, dining, furniture, interior, Japan, Japanese, lacquer, lacquered, lacquering, Louis XV
Designers and furniture specialists recognize the recent influence Asian design has had on Western furniture and visual culture. Featuring bamboo and exotic woods like ginko and kiri, Asian furniture is a popular choice on the market today.
Symmetry is popular in many Asian styles, and animals are a common motif. The world of Asian design boasts a collection of unique construction and decoration techniques that include beading, painting by hand, and lacquering.
China and Japan play major roles in the Asian furniture and design market, and the two countries introduced the West to lacquering. Lacquer is a wood finish—clear or colored—that yields a long-lasting, resilient seal. Sheen levels range from ultra-matte to high gloss with many polishing options. Lacquer paint is another option as it strengthens and hardens the surface as it dries.
Lacquered 6-piece Modern European Dining Set
The decorative arts call the finished products “lacquerware.” Artisans employ a variety of techniques to decorate and carve different surfaces like wood, metal, etc. The Shang Dynasty officially saw the inception of lacquering; however, lacquered prehistoric artifacts have been found in Japan and China as far back as the Neolithic period. Lacquering is a highly artistic craft that Asian designers mastered thousands of years ago.
Black Ebony Asian Breakfront Chest
Pair of Antiqued, Lanquered Louis XV Arm Chairs
Historians and historiographers place the earliest lacquered object, a red wooden bowl, in China at a Hemudu culture (5000–4500 bce) dig site. Chinese knowledge and methods regarding the lacquering process spread during the Han, Tang, and Song Dynasties, eventually reaching other countries: Korea, Japan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, and Taiwan. Lacquerware trade also followed several routes to the Middle East.
Common applications of lacquer in Chinese design have included coffins, musical instruments, furniture, and housewares. To make China’s traditional red lacquerware, artisans mix powdered cinnabar in with the other materials. Lacquer has been made of many different substances, but used to design furnishings for over 7000 years.
MBW is proud to provide furniture rentals for Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Customers in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida may now take advantage of high-quality rentals. While there are many reasons to rent furniture in Atlanta and the surrounding states, only one company guarantees exquisite service, quality imports, custom solid wood furniture, and rental possibilities: MBW Furniture. Contact us today!