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8 indie wooden furniture brands to kit out your home

Touch wood

By Yu Zhiming Posted: Thursday May 20 2021 11:19AM

Photograph: Marcus Loke via Unsplash
China has a long and rich tradition of carpentry, and people have been making furniture with logs and lumber forever. The earliest wooden furniture can be traced back as early as 1,000BC. Wood is a perfect material for furniture: durable, sustainable and nice to look at. But if you think Chinese wooden furniture is old fashioned or doesn’t go well with modern apartments, check out these indie furniture brands pairing contemporary styles with traditional carpentry.
Howl Box Bed by YEAK

Howl Box Bed by YEAK

Designed to ‘float’ with no visible stands on its sides (you won’t hit your toes!), this bed (1.8m x 2m) has
an entire Midwest Walnut plank for the head of the bed and a massive storage space underneath. The story goes that the founder started the company after failing to find decent wood furniture on the market. Evidently, he made his own.

Find it at yeakfurniture.jiyoujia.com. 23,400RMB (hard maple); 31,200RMB (walnut).

Itrust Stool by ziinlife

Itrust Stool by ziinlife

Don’t let the curves fool you. Made possible by an incredible mortise and tenon work by experienced hands, this stool doesn’t wobble at all. Established by two foreign-trained designers, the design language of ziinlife merges European style with Chinese artistry. Plus, all the furniture is designed for medium and small apartments – perfect for city living.

Find it at ziin.jiyoujia.com. 499RMB (Manchurian ash).

June Locker by Too Black Furniture

June Locker by Too Black Furniture

With the intention to design a locker that doesn’t look cumbersome, this elegant piece has smaller drawers that don’t sacrifice on storage space. Created by wood enthusiast Qiu Erhei in 2014, the brand is known for not sticking with a particular style.

Find it at tooblack.taobao.com. 3,800RMB (cherry wood); 5,100RMB (black walnut).

‘Bamboo’ Chair by FNJI

‘Bamboo’ Chair by FNJI

Drawing inspiration from a bamboo chair that could be seen literally everywhere in China during the ’80s and ’90s, FNJI’s founder Gao Guqi pays tributes to the iconic design while injecting it with new life. In the furniture game for over a decade, FNJI merges styles from northern Europe and Japan with its core deeply rooted in traditional Chinese furniture-making.

370 Wukang Lu, near Hunan Lu (fanjijiaju.tmall.com). 2,900RMB (black walnut; 2,100RMB (American ash).

Ming Yue Cabinet by U+

Ming Yue Cabinet by U+

Founded by Shen Baohong in Jinan, Shandong province in 2008, high-end furniture brand U+ often draws inspiration from traditional literature as well as ancient gardens. The moon-shaped doors on this cabinet can be opened like traditional clothes (hanfu) and the concept plays with the metaphors concerning a bright full moon and a melancholic half-moon in ancient Chinese philosophy.

Find it at yojialife.com. Prices vary.

Animal Chair by Hamuoo

Animal Chair by Hamuoo

Kid-friendly furniture brand Hamuoo was established by Yang Xuguang in 2016 and only designs furnishings that are safe and fun for kids of all ages (from zero to 18 years old). Meeting the EU standards for toys, this natural wood chair comes in various animal shapes – there’s a chick, cow, monkey, lamb and more – all of which are soft to touch with no sharp edges.

Find it at hamudefangjian.tmall.com. 1,680RMB (black walnut, hard maple and red cherry wood).

Frosted Glass Cabinet by Lost & Found

Frosted Glass Cabinet by Lost & Found

Lost & Found made its name by revamping Art Deco and other classical furniture, giving them a modern touch – like this glass cabinet made with North American cherry wood. It’s also available with frosted glass doors decorated with a begonia flower pattern – one of the most popular patterns in China through the ’80s and ’90s.

116 Nanchang Lu, near Yandang Lu (lostandfound.cn). 7,500RMB (cherry wood).

Nude Landing Hangers by Soso Studio

Nude Landing Hangers by Soso Studio

Under the helm of creative director Shen Wenjiao, Soso Studio has been designing playful and imaginative furniture since 2012. And, if you’ve ever played Pick-up Sticks, you’ll love this 2014 Red Dot design award winner. With no metal fittings or glue to hold the wooden sticks together, this simple beauty has 11 points to hang everything from hats to scarves to handbags.

Find it at sosostudio.taobao.com. 1,699RMB (black walnut); 399RMB (beech); 499RMB (ash); 299RMB (bamboo).

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