Chen Hao Furniture is a furniture store located in Shunyi, and is popular amongst the ex-pat community. They design their own furniture, incorporating traditional Chinese influence. From medicine cabinets and horseshoe armchairs, to altar tables and Chinese daybeds. Everything is competitively priced. Crafted in a variety of natural woods, some with lacquer finishes, they sell a great range of pieces for furnishing your home. They also custom make furniture, to a design and style of your choice. All of their furniture is handmade using high quality wood, and made in the workshop behind their store.
A major part of the joy of owning high quality handmade furniture is in the knowledge that the people who made the pieces have brought years of experience, and take great care in their work. These subtle differences are only found in true craftsmanship and give the furniture that special something. We recently took delivery of a beautiful elm wood dining room table with eight chairs, handmade to our design by Chen Hao. The tall ladder back chairs have a distinctive curve to them, the table a very simple design. We chose elm because it’s a beautiful color wood. We wanted this key piece of furniture to be a little bit different from standard design tables and chairs, in a style which reflects our personality.
Whilst the table and chairs look great in our Beijing home, the design and style we came up with, is really for our home back in the UK. So for us, this purchase is a long-term investment. In fact, it would have cost us more to have a similar table and chairs made by a British furniture maker. Over the years, we have inherited a few unique pieces of furniture, from both my parents and my husband’s parents. The hope is that one day some of our furniture will be passed on to our children. When you’ve come up with your own design, had it crafted by hand, and then dragged it all the way across the world, there’s a good chance it will remain in the family.
The exact cost for custom made furniture at Chen Hao will depend on the piece, materials, and designs involved. You may be able to negotiate a discount, if you’re commissioning a number of items. If you have friends also looking to have some pieces made, it might be worth ordering together. Delivery for custom made pieces is usually 30 days after the order is placed. For our purchase, Chen Hao offered a two year guarantee. The dry climate of Beijing means it’s worth setting your humidifiers to high, whilst the wood is finishing its drying out phase.
Chen Hao Furniture
Open Daily 9.30am-6pm. Tian Bei Lu; (5145 1102, chenhaofurniture@163.com); 天北路
www.facebook.com/chenhaofurniture
beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.
Photos: courtesy of Chen Hao Furniture, Carolyn Mackin (Flickr)
