Chinoiserie

Chinoiserie style was very popular in Europe in the XVIII. century. By the vivid trading activities with the East, at the early XVII. century a large amount of furniture, usage- and ornamentical objects, silk arrived to the continent. The fashion of chinoiserie has spread in France thanks to Madame Pompadour (1721-1764). As a mistress of the king, she defined the fashion and most of the orders are placed by her also. In England, the style got known by the drawings and plans of Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779), who was a brilliant designer and furniture maker.
Chinoiserie style appeared as a part of rococo. The porcelain from China has always held in high esteem, because its price, they took place in the interiors of the aristocrats. In 1709, the secret of manufacturing porcelain has been deciphered, since that time, the Chinese pieces could been copied. Main characteristics of the furnitures of the style was lacqering technique. This was a time consuming procedure, even 30-50-100 layers cover a piece. Black, red and green lacquers were the most popular. The best replica was Vernis Martin, but not as good as the original. Often applied with golden decorations for higher contrast. In Europe the wallpaper was also a novelty, till then only painting or upholstery covered the walls. Main motives of chinoiserie style are birds (parrots and cranes), dragons, monkeys, grids, flowery branches, chinese genres and landscapes as the central decorations of furnitures. The pierced-backed chair became popular such as the pagoda like structures on beds and vardrobes, the rice paper covered paravan and the bamboo-like carvings.
From these features an interior designer easily can create an interior that fits to the present taste, providing classic and elegant solution for the nowadays popular oriental style.

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