Ming Furniture: The Quiet Design Behind Our Eastern Collection

When people picture “modern” furniture, they usually think of the 1950s: slim legs, warm wood, curves that follow the body. But many of those ideas were already fully formed in China centuries earlier, during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Ming-style furniture is the starting point for our upcoming Eastern Collection, so we wanted to share why we love it.

Yokeback armchair, huanghuali wood, China, 17th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.

Restraint as a design principle

The best Ming pieces are defined by what they leave out. Lines are simple, curves are gentle, and decoration is used sparingly, if at all. The aim is strength with as little material as possible, so that the grain of the wood carries the design. Carving, when it appears, is usually small and placed with care: a cloud scroll, a lingzhi fungus, a panel at the top of a chair back.

The woods

The most prized Ming furniture is made from huanghuali (Dalbergia odorifera), a dense, fragrant hardwood with a warm golden-brown colour and a lively grain. Darker zitan, a purple-black sandalwood, was used for some of the most formal pieces. Both woods are so oily and resinous that glue does not hold well, which leads to the most remarkable part of Ming furniture.

Armchair, zitan wood, China, 17th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.

Held together by joinery

Instead of relying on glue, Ming makers developed precise interlocking mortise-and-tenon joints, mitred corners and frame-and-panel construction that lets the wood move with the seasons. One well-known detail, simianping or “four sides flush,” sets the legs flush with the tabletop so the whole piece reads as one clean block. It is engineering you mostly cannot see, and that is the point.

Forms to know

• Yokeback (“official’s hat”) armchair — a tall back with a top rail that extends past the posts, like the wings of a scholar-official’s hat.
• Roundback (horseshoe) armchair — one continuous curved rail forms both the back and the arms.
• Couch, or ta — a raised platform for sitting or resting, often with a woven rattan seat.
• Low couch table — placed on the couch itself, at just the right height for teacups or a book.

Couch, huanghuali wood, China, 17th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.

The Met notes that in warm weather one would sit on the couch’s rattan mat, and in cold weather add quilts and cushions. It is a reminder that this furniture was made for living, not only for display.

Couch table, huanghuali wood, China, 17th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.

From Ming to mid-century

The link to modern design is direct. Danish designer Hans J. Wegner saw images of merchants seated in Ming horseshoe-back chairs and reinterpreted the form as his China Chair, first produced in 1944. The series that followed led to his best-known chair of all. If you love our Mid-Century Modern pieces, you already love a little bit of Ming.

Bringing it to 1:6

Our Eastern Collection will translate these forms into true 1:6 scale, with the same priorities: honest wood tones, slim proportions, and joinery details that read clearly at miniature size. We are starting with a small number of pieces and will add matching textiles, like our Blue & White Table Linen Set, so each piece belongs in a complete room.

Want to see the first pieces before anyone else? Join the list for early access.

Further reading

• The Age of Elegance: Ming Dynasty Furniture — Sotheby’s
• An Overview of Chinese Furniture — Popular Woodworking
• How Hans J. Wegner became the ‘king of chairs’ — Wallpaper*

Museum images: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Open Access (Public Domain).

— Ella