Chairs are thought to have evolved from the earlier and most basic stool by a slow process of adding ever larger backrests. A chair once sat in by an Egyptian pharaoh now sits in the British Museum. Made of cedar imported, most likely from Lebanon and inlaid in ivory in the shape of Lotus blossoms in the backrest. The legs end in the curved claws of a lion. Beds were made from wooden slats and often reeds. Sometimes they had the luxury of a ‘mattress’ made out of wool and linens for sheets.

The Egyptian furniture that you see today are made more for decoration rather then the truly functional furniture they originally made. The true Egyptian pieces were very impressive, they believed in melding of the beautiful and aesthetic with the practical. Today’s pieces just don’t show the same reflection or portrayal of what they used to be.

Edo style furniture gets its name from the classical Japanese culture that flourished around the area of Kyoto, the ancient Japanese capital between the time of 1500 to 1780 A.D. Kyoto was described as the most beautiful city in existence at that time, with avenues lined with cherry tree’s and a highly developed appreciation of the arts. The area surrounding Kyoto was highly wooded which allowed for beautiful resources of wood for the craftsman. It was a highly respectable form of art during that time and craftsman were in high demand. Thousands of craftsman created wooden castles and palaces for the country’s rulers, it was considered one of the highest forms of art available.

Edo style furniture is characterized by the simplicity and beauty found in the functionality of the pieces. Restrained elegance influenced by the Zen and harmony found in nature. Many of the pieces are crafted from mahogany and beech due to the wide abundance found around the area of Kyoto.

After the isolated culture of Japan came in touch with western civilization, some of the western ideas and styles began to find their way into the Edo style. It was remarkable to see the transition and melding of the two cultures.

After World War II, the Western world discovered Edo style furniture. It was first noticed by the servicemen in the Occupation Forces, who often brought the pieces back with them. This is when manufacturing of Edo pieces became extremely popular and the traditional craftsman were forced out of business. Some say that the beauty is still retained in the modern manufactured pieces although its up to debate as they are no longer created with the same purpose as the craftsman once had intended for them.

In the West, Edo style furniture is often used as a room theme rather then a whole house. Bedrooms are the most popular places for Edo style furniture as the Japanese considered the bedroom as the most important room. The result is Edo beds and furniture which are extremely popular. If you are looking for subtle, unique, and purposeful furniture then Edo style might be for you.

There is nothing quite like a night gathering with family and friends and sitting around a dining room table to have a fabulous meal and equally great conversation. Dining rooms are things that typically stay in the household for many years so you want to make sure that you buy a style that is timeless and will withstand the time to come.

Typically the dining room table is considerably larger than the kitchen table in order to accommodate large gatherings, especially during the holidays. Dining room tables come in a wide range of styles which can be incorporated into any home; whether its modern, conservative or in a different decor. When buying a quality dining room set you should first decide what types of woods you would like to use. As that typically defines the styles of the room surrounding it. Most tables are designed out of solid wood or use a very strong veneer over a wood frame such as pine, cherry or oak and sometimes even maple. Finishes are usually high gloss, although this depends on the household decor.

There are endless traditional styles to choose from including Chippendale, Colonial, Mission Oak, Queen Anne, and Sheraton style. Often characterized by the periods such as Victorian, federal, modern, or mission to name a small few. Traditional and conservative dining room tables typically outlast other tables in their timelessness. Although others prefer to mix a formal table with modern chairs to give a modern hip look. Decide your personal style before choosing a dining room table so that you can make it fit with the rest of your pieces.

If your home is more modern, then consider the clean lines, sharp edges, and a light wood finish. Herman Miller, Dutch minimalistic pieces really tie a room together beautifully and show this well. On the other hand if your house has a coutnry look then you may want to consider a French looking traditional dining room table. This will add age and character to the room as well as complement other similar pieces in the house.

There are literally so many different styles to choose from, from an art-deco based theme, a Windsor table, a rustic contemporary, to just about anything you can imagine. Use your creativity and understand the theme of your house BEFORE purchasing a dining room table. Rooms are designed around this piece, and not the other way around.

The Craftsman primary influence came from the ideals of the pre-industrial revolution. It was a return back to a time where items were not mass produced and had a sense of individuality. Pieces which were made from Glass, wood and metal from local sources were used to create these elegant designs. Simplicity of style was the true root, consisting of sturdy lines and built for the long haul these pieces were extremely sturdy. The true importance of these pieces were the natural materials used rather then the cheap materials and plastic forms.

As stated above the philosophy of the Craftsman furniture era was the individualness of the piece. Taking away the sense of mass produced and copied furniture and moving towards the artists individual perception of a piece from the materials they had to choose from. Natural materials, and joint work was usually exposed with a lack of additional decoration. Using clean lines. Purpose over pointlessness. No need for anything more than the true essentials can be found in the Craftsmans pieces of work.

Craftsman style furniture focused primarily on woods, coppers, and justification of the pieces used. The pieces can be used in nearly any type of home. The simple and elegant designs fit into any modern home and also those focusing on the homey classic feel. The pieces are extremly versatile because the designs are so clean, and they make an excellent addition to any home.

Cap cod style furniture is more than just a furniture itself, its really a way of life. It’s about the feeling of ocean breezes, open air, and the clean natural emotion experienced when relaxing at a beach.

The style originated in the 1930’s to the 1950’s when people were looking for a way to slow down and enjoy life. The Cape was a very popular location at the time, a vacation spot which people would travel to for days off. it was the haven of serenity and tranquility with the creative and artsy scene. Such as artists, poets, performers, and those with an extreme passion for art. It was as if you were arriving in a different era when visiting Cape Cod. Houses were clean, simple and neutral. We would call this ’shabby chic’ by today’s standards.

Easy colors such as pale yellows, seaside blues, sandy creams and plums replaced the previous dark cherry and oak. Furniture was still elegant and modern although less imposing as previous styles. Less was more was the motto of the Cape Cod revolution. Pieces were painted and snded down to give a worn yet comfortable look. Light woods were used (if at all) and usually made to look like the color of sand. Everything was fresh, clean and lively, just like Cape Cod itself. Furniture makers began using nature for the inspiration, taking the colors, feelings, and surroundings of cape cod. Things like sailboats, water, rocks, and even the seagulls became inspirations for the craftsman.

The furniture is basic with a slight French flair. It’s traditional yet elegant and modern at the same time. Consider it a melting pot of many different styles found worldwide. The true secret to the Cape Cod style furniture is to haev light or neautral pieces and accent them with bright colors in drapes, rugs, pictures, or other nautical pieces. This is why Cape Cod styles include pale or white pieces of furniture to not take away from the beauty and accessories of the ocean.

When one reflects and considers Cape Cod furniture they realize the rustic calm cottage feel. It shows the soothing way of life and everything was made around that philosophy. Its a refreshing style of furniture that leaves you feeling as if you are in a constant abyss of vacation.

Art Nouveau was a short lived period of design which was used in art, architecture, and furniture design. It began around the nineteenth century and lasted until the beginning of World War 1. It was a very popular design in Europe around this time with Belgium and France as the centers of the movement. The name itself means ‘new art’ in french, but is a miscontrued definition for what it truly is. Art Nouveau began as a reaction to the rather rigid form brought on during the Victorian age. It was felt as an entirely new style which needed to be developed to move the art and expression into the industrial day and age. Although its inspiration came from older styles found during the gothic and rocco ages. Consider it a blend if you will of Gothic, Rocco, Japanese and Java with a flair of Persian and Celtic backgrounds.

Art Nouveau was and has been highly stylized. Free of form with flowing lines. Decorations incorporated the japanese sense of nature and moved away from the classical subjects that were used before. Seaweed, grass, and even insects gave not only to the designs but implementation of form. It stressed the exuberance via its bright colors and less rigid form. The lines themselves made their own statement with line after line seemingly exploding into spirals and growing out of control.

The turn of the century is when it hit its peak. Pieces were eagerly sought after by many famous and well known people of the time. Art Nouveau peices found their way into the homes of the rich and famous. Although it was not a ‘timeless’ piece and people soon became bored.

Between the time of 1920 and 1950 critics panned Art Nouveau as the moribund and even ugliest style ever created. Life turned to practicality and function over art and flair. Until 1960 that is, when the Psychedelic movement rediscovered the Art Nouveau and felt that it had a long kinsman ship. Swirling lines and rejected Nouveau pieces quickly became sought after and began to soar in value. Art Nouveau is blend of new and old, and invokes the vision of what a generation of dreamers envisioned would be their 20th century, before wars and economic crisis ruined their dreams.

1. Verify Emails and correct providers
2. Check Who Is information
3. Fair pricing or fake pricing?
4. Google results
5. Common Sense

Verify Emails and correct providers. Real legitimate wholesale suppliers will not use free email addresses like Gmail or Yahoo for contacting/receiving emails. A wholesaler’s contact email should be based on the domain name of the wholesaler’s website. If the contact is chinesedirect.com then the email should be person@chinesedirect.com and not chinesedirect@gmail.com. That’s an obvious sign to stay away.

Verify the Who Is information. If you want a legite wholesaler and not some fly by night scammer then you need to lookup the website domain on WhoIs.net. This will give you information on where the website is registered too, how old the website is, the owners name and other great and critical information.

Fair prices or fake pricing? Simply put before you even consider purchasing products from a wholesaler then its time to take a good cold hard look at the pricing. Is the pricing WAY too good to be true? Then it usually means something is up. Check out competitors pricing to get a good idea as to where market price should be. Of course you will be able to find some good deals, but good steals mean that you need to be hesitant of the seller.

Search Google and see what you could find. If you can’t find much information on the website, business or anything then its a good chance that this is a fly by night operation.

Finally be smart and use your common sense. That’s really what will make or break deals with international businesses. Use your judgement, if it is too good to be true then I bet you it is. Start out with a small order if possible and move your way up to larger orders. That way you don’t lose everything if you go for the big order and get scammed.

1. Pay attention to the product
2. Do a background check
3. Evaluate the domain
4. Contact information available?
5. Paying for items

Pay attention to the product means just that, if the chinese wholesaler website that you are looking at carries any of the fraudulent items I listed on my last post then stay away, far away. This means that the company/manufacturer is trying to make a quick buck selling ‘real’ items which are indeed knockoffs. However, if the company you are evaluating sells unmarked and quality items then this is a good business to start up a relationship with.

Do some background research on the website where you found this information. Things like Alexa ranking and Google Pagerank are a good place to start. How long as the website been around? Do a Google search like this “EXAMPLE.com review” to see if there are scam reports and feedback on transactions done with those sites. You should steer towards websites that have ratings, reviews etc.

Domain evaluation includes what I stated above as well as determining if the website’s domain contains the branded product name, such as the iphone, or garmin. If it does then the website is absolutely a fake and steer clear.

Is their contact information readily available? While ready contact information doesn’t guarantee reliability, a lack of contact information constitutes a deficit in credibility. Do not do business with websites that don’t list a physical address and a phone number.

Finally be careful on how you pay. Credit cards and PayPal are usually the safest ways to conduct transactions. However, most chinese wholesalers do not accept these methods on a regular basis.  A common form of payment is wire transfer. Make sure that it isn’t a personal account and a business account and steer clear of Western Union and Money gram since those are likely a scam.

Here are some ways that you can import products from China and sell them, legally and effectively. There are some general rules that you must follow if you do decide to import electronics from China.

Never buy branded products from China. Things like branded electronics shipped directly from China have a high possibility of being a fake. The wholesaler will almost always try and convince you that since most products are made in China anyway you will be able to save by buying directly from Chinese factories. This isn’t the case and the reason for that is because the distribution of these products are almost always handled by companies outside of China. Don’t get caught buying fakes!

Designer clothing is also something that is nearly always fake. Never risk purchasing designer clothing with names such as Gucci and Nike. These are NEVER sold directly from Chinese factories. Designer fakes, which are typically sold at a fraction of the retail price of the genuine article are always fakes. If it sounds to good to be true, then it typically is. Stay away.

Never buy DVD box sets from China. Chinese made box sets are fakes created. There is no way to get around box set of DVDs are being sold for next to nothing. It’s always consisting of entirely pirated DVDs.

The fastest growing trend in furniture is hands down the Asian themed imports. Although Asian theme furniture is typically referred to as Chinese and Asian it has now expanded to many other countries.  Because of this, furniture made in this theme can vary greatly.

Asian theme furniture really gained notoriety when the ideas of feng shui became westernized. Fen shui is a way of interior design that focuses on energy in a room and maintaining that positive energy in your home. This philosophy began in Asia and has spread across the world, with it came the desire to incorporate Asian themes into the home. Starting with things like wall hangings, bamboo plants, or paintings, now you can find Asian theme furniture in many homes located throughout North America and Europe.

One main reason that Asian theme furniture became so popular is because it incorporates elements of nature, invoking the calm and peaceful feeling. This is why you will also find these elements in doctors offices, and business settings. Painted screens are also extremely popular as they can separate a room, or to block off a storage area. Asian themed couches are also quite comfortable, but are understated and minimalistic. Typically associated with clean lines and subtle yet beautiful fabrics which draw the attention to the piece in a subtle yet sophisticated manner.

Asian themed pieces typically use rich woods such as rosewood. This beautiful wood comes from places like Laos, Burma and China. It is the prime choice in furniture because of its sturdy yet beautiful appearance.