A Stunning Metamorphosis

In the antiques trade, dealers fall into this profession not entirely by choice, but mostly by circumstances.  However, they stay because they like to shop and buy.  I am no exception, though I prefer to think I am a rescuer of objects.  When Michael and I go furniture hunting in the antique furniture market in China, I frequently would see a quality piece standing alone among its inferiors.  Sometimes a Chinese idiom loses its punch in translation, but this one that relates to plucking a flower growing among cow dung is pretty straightforward.  During one of our trips, I found this well constructed elm cabinet.  It caught my eye standing in the back of a dark and dusty shop.  Dirt and dust covered the beautiful graining of the fine furniture wood.  It was appealing because of its clean lines and square corners and a plain apron without ornamentation.  This simplicity of form is a classic style of the Ming Dynasty (CE1368-1644.)  The top portion of the cabinet is accessible through the pair of doors, and the only access the to the lower portion is through a hidden inside panel.  This was the acceptable usage of the cabinet and it served a dual purpose – seasonal changes of clothing were rotated between the top and bottom which also stored the family’s valuable possessions.  However, the last owner had reconfigured the cabinet by adding drawers and opening the closed bottom section with a pair of doors.  The alteration allowed easy access but it also affected the antique quality. So it was banished to the back and judging from the layers of dirt, for a good long while until we recognized its useful qualities. Its simplicity of form blends well with contemporary furnishing. 

As the focal point of a room, a single piece of Chinese furniture does well. However, size, shape and finish do matter, so the elm cabinet stood waiting in our warehouse until Sarah van Assche of Sarah van Assche Interiors found it useful in one of her projects.  She needed a large, well made piece of furniture with good storage for a sophisticated lady with young children.  Sarah has vast experiences incorporating antique Chinese furniture in her designs and she saw beyond the cabinet and visualized its transformation into something of beauty that would be compatible in a contemporary setting.  A new blue grey slightly distressed finish, new hinges and hardware completed its metamorphosis.  When I saw a photograph of the cabinet in its new abode, I was totally stunned!

www.svainteriors.com

From Sarah Van Assche Interiors - Tranquil Harbor Country Master Suite