「The Art of Collecting」The Space Philosophy of Antique Furniture

Collecting an antique piece of furniture is not for “showing off”, nor is it out of a fixation with the past. It is because it accumulates the weight of time, the texture of culture, and the warmth of daily life onto a single object.

Antique furniture lacks the rigidity of industrial assembly lines. The patina on the old wood, the scratches on the tabletop, and the wear on the chair legs are all the life marks left by time and previous generations. Moreover, it also contains the cultural roots hidden in its usage. The Ming-style southern official hat chair has an “outer roundness and inner squareness” shape, allowing the spine to naturally stretch when sitting, which conforms to the Eastern philosophy of “harmony of hardness and softness”; the Qing Dynasty’s noodle cabinet is supported by the mortise and tenon structure, which can bear weight without a single nail or bolt, yet it is sturdy and durable. Every design contains the life wisdom of the ancestors.

Antique furniture is not just idle ornaments; rather, it is an integral part of the space. The official hat chairs in the study add a sense of stability that comes from the passage of time to the modern study; the old wooden desks in the tea room have a richer layer of feeling that combines the warmth of modernity with the elegance of the past.

In the end, collecting and using antique furniture is choosing a “rooted lifestyle”. When the old wood grain meets the modern and lively atmosphere, the home transforms from an icy abode into a warm place that can both accommodate the present and connect to the past. This is the most precious value of antique furniture, allowing time not only to pass but also to become a tangible and touchable warm background in life.

There is much more to collecting. That’s all for today. We’ll continue next time.