At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal brown and white chinoiserie for your home. Each brown and white chinoiserie for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using
wood,
ceramic and
metal. There are 317 variations of the antique or vintage brown and white chinoiserie you’re looking for, while we also have 6 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. You’ve searched high and low for the perfect brown and white chinoiserie — we have versions that date back to the 18th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 21st Century are available. When you’re browsing for the right brown and white chinoiserie, those designed in
Hollywood Regency,
mid-century modern and
louis xv styles are of considerable interest. A well-made brown and white chinoiserie has long been a part of the offerings for many furniture designers and manufacturers, but those produced by
Century Furniture,
Baker Furniture Company and
Raymond K. Sobota are consistently popular.
Emerging in the 17th century, chinoiserie appropriated the aesthetics and imagery of popular East Asian design for European-made versions. Reflecting the exoticization of China, Japan and other countries in this era, the word directly translates from French to “Chinese-esque,” which reveals its shortcomings as a style of furniture and decor that often stereotypically and reductively mimics Asian culture rather than showcasing and paying tribute to its artistic traditions.
The enthusiastically decorative chinoiserie style was propelled by influential tastemakers including French King Louis XIV, whose Trianon de Porcelaine in 1670 was inspired by Chinese architecture. Expanded trade between the East and West led to a demand for porcelain, lacquer objects, silk and other goods, which further informed the fanciful furniture being crafted in Europe.
Artisans working in the chinoiserie style used materials and elements like pagoda shapes, bamboo, lacquer surfaces, bird and flower motifs and other interpretations of Asian design on pieces that were frequently set against vibrant wallcoverings. This whimsical approach yielded chinoiserie furniture that boasted dramatic flourishes drawing on the natural world and reflected the dominance of Rococo during the 18th century.
As chinoiserie was shaped by approximations of Asian design by European creators, it had regional variations, such as Chinese Chippendale in England where cabinets, chairs and tea tables had wooden fretwork designs and “japanned” surfaces intended to resemble lacquer work that was created in East Asia. In North America, furniture makers in Boston and New York integrated chinoiserie-painted scenes into Queen Anne furniture.
Antique chinoiserie furniture has continued to be fashionable, from its popularity with decorators of the Hollywood Regency era — James Mont, Tommi Parzinger, William Haines and Samuel Marx favored the style — to contemporary interior designers, although it brings with it a complex history.
Find a collection of chinoiserie bedroom furniture, cabinets, decorative objects and more on 1stDibs.