Chinese Style: Living In Beauty And Prosperity Edited by Madelyn miller

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Chinese Style: Living In Beauty And Prosperity

THE PERFECT CHINESE NEW YEAR HOME GIFT FOR YEAR OF PIG

Edited by Madelyn miller

As China's rising star power beckons travelers and businesses to expand their horizons to China, Sunamita Lim's book, Chinese Style: Living In Beauty and Prosperity (Gibbs Smith, $39.95, 2006, ISBN 1-4236-0021-5) , is also a timely resource for this Chinese New Year of the Pig, on February 18th. Chinese Style updates Chinese design elements for today's living with beautiful photography by principal photographer Chris Corrie and others; plus research from experts, museums, and galleries to integrate centuries-old Chinese design to stylish homes and offices today.

I met the author, Sunamita Lim a few years ago. I still remember how the rest of our travel group looked exhausted and harried. Sunamita looked calm and serene. The rest of us wore travel-friendly clothes. Sunamita was dressed simply but elegantly.

What did Sunamita know that the rest of didn't?

Drawing upon her heritage, Lim shares the poetic significance of Chinese symbols that continue inspiring millions around the world.

I have thought about her frequently, as my loft piles up with stuff. What would Sunamita do?

"This book is a warehouse of information and guidance, filled with images of great beauty that will inspire the fortunate reader," writes Clodagh, one of the world's top 100 designers, in her foreword.

The Seattle Times review of 12/23/06 by Sandy Dunham notes, "The big, beautiful photos are elegant and refined, but not condescending or pretentious. The colors are bold but not scary—lots and lots of red, which makes sense, Lim says, since it invites good fortune to bless a house and its inhabitants. And we're especially calmed by the notion that you can incorporate Chinese style into your home without making the whole place look like the New Peking takeout joint. Lim shows how even a centuries-old piece here and there can bring feng shui sensibility—as well as a distinctive sense of style—to any home's design."

Chinese Style: Living In Beauty and Prosperity effortlessly shows how living spaces can revitalize sagging spirits, and divinely re-inspire mind and body with sacred energy at the end of the day. It takes the popular decorating concept of feng shui to a whole new level with authentic information on how to create a Chinese aesthetic. More than a home reference, Chinese Style offers timely cultural and historical insights into a society that has been hidden behind the veil of antiquity for centuries. Discover how:

Elements of western-style furniture design such as the Chippendale chair, cabriole leg, and chair back splats are influenced by Chinese furniture design going back to millennia.

Classical Chinese furniture fulfills form and function; for example, the official's armchair.

Connoisseurs learn how to hone a fine eye for recognizing authentic Chinese antiques.

Collectors glean nuances behind the selection and use of Chinese symbols on everyday items, from ceramics to embroidery and furniture, to enhance the art of gracious living.

Our fascination with blue-white china continues—since George and Martha Washington set their tables at Mount Vernon with it—to signature tableware and display items today.

Sunamita Lim is a freelance journalist from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Lim's other books are: Japanese Style: Designing With Nature's Beauty and Spa Life Style: Nature's Gifts For Well-Being, to publish August 2007; also by Gibbs Smith, Publisher.

Madelyn Miller is a food and travel writer who lives in a loft in downtown Dallas that desperately needs Feng Shui.
Too busy to get her life organized, She sits down and looks longingly at Sunamita's book whenever she gets overwhelmed with the clutter in her life.