As you walk in the door and head down the stairs, a vast space comes into sight catching visitors by surprise. The store is underground in downtown Guangzhou and the hidden location provides shoppers a pleasant browsing experience. The story behind each piece of the furniture is entirely unique and gives the shopper the illusion of traveling back in time.
The layout of the store bears the resemblance of a home. You can see a living room, a dining room, a tea stall complete with seating, a study and a bedroom. Each piece of furniture has been carefully crafted from wood. The sleek designs and natural grains of the woods emanate an air of elegance.
The wooden furniture is not made of just any wood. Each piece has its own story, a story from the past. Some came from old merchant ships that once traveled the Marine Silk Road. Others are from whale ships which once fought across the high seas.
The hunt for these particular antiques is no easy job. Designers must search all around the world for old ships, later they can pick and choose the desirable woods before polishing, embellishing, and assembling them to create a new piece of furniture. The simplicity of the style accentuates the delicate craftsmanship behind each piece.
Wooden Tea Stall (includes two benches)
Origin: ocean vessel
Designer's story: The wood for this particular tea stall was once the support of an engine shaft. It is of high hardness resisting scratching and damage. Despite its high price, many buyers express interest in this distinctive antique crafted set.
Three-piece Daban Office Set (includes an office desk, one chair, and a book shelf)
Origin: An ocean vessel serving for a Hong Kong shipping company during the 1940 and 1950s.
Designer's story: This wood is one of the designer's earliest collected. The wooden plate used as the book shelf is 12-13cm thick, 200 years old, and had survived on sea for over 50 years. The wooden platform for the office desk is made out of the main partition of the ship's front cabin. The wood's knots, holes and natural crevasses are unique and have not been manipulated.
Add.: No. 470, Huanshi Dong Road (beside the Garden Hotel), Guangzhou
Tel: 8730 1268
(Sophia Li and Erin M. Schaefer)
