- Welcome to Forbidden City
- Fine Oriental Furniture and Artefacts
Forbidden City is a developing family business that has arisen from our interest in Chinese furniture and artefacts. The many friends and family that have come to visit us over the years have always enquired about our many oriental furnishings and it has been this expression of interest and love for the actual product itself that has inspired us to set up this business venture.
Our interest in oriental furniture is as much cultural and historical as it is a love of beautiful things and an appreciation of extraordinary craftsmanship. The more we visit China on our hunting expeditions, the more our excitement and enthusiasm for these pieces continues to grow. In part, this comes from the pure diversity of the furniture on offer, from the simple and elegant Ming pieces through to the more elaborate Qing items; each unique piece with its own charm. The beauty of Chinese furniture results from the marriage of design, elegance and simplicity; they are triumphs of economy of style and function.
Classic Chinese furniture is enjoying a strong revival, both in Asia and the West and we are always thrilled to see how well selected pieces sit next to other styles and genres of furniture. We feel passionately that Chinese furniture has a place in enhancing any home, no matter how small or large. The range of styles and woods used is spectacular from everyday pieces made of elm, to impressive pieces made from Huanghuali or Zitan (that was so much in demand that it has been cut to extinction). The natural wood finishes look spectacular, but so also do the beautiful lacquer and paint finishes, frequently in red or black. Those products with a less “polished” finish also sit well against modern items of furniture, complementing them by contrast rather than through similarity.
There is also a range of size and scale, from the very large cabinets to smaller altar tables, trunks, chests and bedside cabinets. Some of the newer pieces like cocktail cabinets and CD cabinets can of course be replicated to order or modified to satisfy individual designs, whilst the older, original cabinets are ‘one off’ items but we really do enjoy travelling and searching out these pieces, so whilst we cannot guarantee that they will be identical to something else that you might have seen, we will certainly be able to find something very similar that you may even prefer.
We also offer a wonderful array of artefacts and other ‘objet d’art’.
We hope that our products provide you with as much pleasure as they have us over the years.