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Edo Style Furnishings
When considering furnishings for your home or office, you
want to focus on a particular style. Edo style furnishings are a take it or
leave it taste and here is a guide.
Edo Style Furnishings
Edo style furnishings get their name from a period of classical
Japanese
culture that flourished in the area of Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan,
between 1500 and 1780 AD. Kyoto was a beautiful city with cherry tree lined
avenues, and a highly developed appreciation of the arts. The area
surrounding Kyoto was heavily wooded, and carpentry was a highly respected
craft. Thousands of carpenters from the area were used to build the wooden
castles and palaces of the country's rulers, and they also made furnishings
that were typical of the art of the area and time.
Edo style furnishings are characterized by understatement, simplicity, and
restrained elegance. It is very much influenced by Zen and the harmony of
nature. Many of the pieces are crafted from fine mahogany and beech. The
beech tree makes up the majority of the workable wood in the Kyoto area, and
is used frequently in traditional pieces.
After the isolated culture of Japan came into contact with Western Culture,
some of the western ideas and styles began to find their way into the Edo
style furnishings pieces. It was a remarkable melding of the two cultures.
The older pieces tended to have little curvature in their design, but due to
the western influence this began to creep into the designs. The basic
English chest of drawers that was little known in Japan became a popular
piece and a favorite of the Edo style furnishings craftsmen.
After World War II, the Western World really discovered Edo style
furnishings. It was noticed first by servicemen in the Occupation Forces,
who often brought pieces back home with them. In the industrial rebuilding
of Japan following the war, many of the original craftsman who had been
producing the classical furnishings pieces one at a time in their little
shops, were replaced by modern factories. The beauty and the elegance of the
Edo furnishings style were retained in most cases, and the secrets of the
craft were transferred to the new designers.
In the West, Edo style furnishings are often used as a room theme. Bedrooms
are especially popular. The bedroom was always considered the most important
room in Japanese
culture, and still plays a more important role in modern
Japanese home design than is usual in the West. The result is that Edo beds
and bedroom furnishings represent some of the most popular and finely
crafted examples of the Edo style. Edo pieces do not necessarily have to
constitute the entire theme of a room, but rather they blend nicely with
other styles of furnishings. If you are looking for something subtle,
elegant and unique, Edo style furnishings may just be the answer.
About the Author
Stephan Teak is with FurnitureStoresforYou.com - a directory of furniture stores.
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