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The soul
 

What can be called a fine piece of furniture?

Furniture that is serene, authentic, and pure. It should embody and articulate beauty, grace, integrity, and truthfulness. Graceful form married with exquisite choice of materials and meticulous handcrafting to create a piece of furniture that has true lasting quality and appeal. A piece of art that speaks to our inner self.

At the same time, it should be an effective utilitarian item, having a hand in glove relationship to the day to day life of its owner. Like a faithful servant, always humbly performing the intended duties, what one professes should be what one delivers. Best is when function and aesthetics has become one, fused seamlessly.

There should be the courage to stay simple and restraint - an essential quality for a piece to be timeless. A mastery piece may even seem undesigned. Its features should be just right, often the work of much distillation and design cycles to reach the perfect balance. Likewise, novelty shouldn't be pursued for novelty's sake. If a designed form is a beauty and classic, any motivation to change it should only be pursued with much reflection and deliberation. In the design world, it is common knowledge that novelty is not synonymous with goodness.

On a fine level, the piece of furniture should be crafted with the utmost attention to details, inside out. It doesn't need elaborate ornamentation to draw attention, but an air of finesse that is subtlety revealed in the smallest or plainest areas. On a wide context, the piece of furniture should elevate the mood of an interior, enriching the space. Not a piece that falls into the background into oblivion, nor one that draws attention with too much effort.

A fine piece of furniture should age well. Quite in stark contrast to the planned obsolescence prevalent nowadays. Would a piece grow graciously with you over time, or does it lack the quality from day one? Is the piece designed and crafted for the enjoyment for decades, if not even longer as a piece of valuable future antique? Many factors work together to achieve this goal, not the least is the vision of the furniture owner. 

In another perspective, a fine hand crafted piece of solid wood furniture may display certain imperfections. This may arise due to the inherent unpredictability of solid wood material, or to the slight unevenness of hand crafting. Connoisseurs will testify why such qualities is the essence of warmth and beauty that set a lively piece of furniture apart from the rest. Perhaps, like none of us is perfect, this imperfection is the distinctive soul of each piece. 

After all, the piece that stands the test of time can testify to be a fine piece of furniture.

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生命

怎样才算是一件精品家具？

大概是安静，真实而纯洁。它应该蕴含并从内到外散发出美，大气， 正直与真诚。是优雅形态跟高质素物料与手工艺结合而成的家具，具有恒久品质与魅力。是一件可以向心灵说话的艺术品。

同时，这家具也要提供完善功能，跟物主的日常生活配合得水乳交融。像忠心仆人一样，无时无刻怀着谦卑完成任务。宣称的要与履行的一致。最佳境界是功能与美感结合得天衣无缝，融为一体。

此外，精品家具也要显现出不惧简约与内敛的勇气 - 这经常是达成经典的重要元素。简单的外观甚至让设计不着痕迹。它的特征应该是刚好的，不多也不少，是经历无数提炼淳化的平衡成果。创造者也不应为了创新而创新，一个经典款色的改造需要极度严谨的思量过程。在所有设计领域，创新跟美好往往没有关联。

在微观下，这家具的细部处理应该里里外外都一丝不苟。它不需要过度的雕饰来吸引注目，最平凡微小的地方都显露出灵巧气质。在宏观下，这精品家具可以大大另室内空间高雅不少，丰富气度。它的气魄不会给其他装潢掩盖，但也不会哗众取宠。

精品家具经过岁月洗礼会愈见醇厚，留下温暖的使用痕迹。这跟现代工业产品的超短生命周期大相径庭。家具经多年使用后会否变得优雅成熟，还是它的低质量从制造开始已倒数被送往堆填区的时间？家具是否从设计，选料到制造都为了往后起码几十年的享用而用心？甚至其质素配得上变成几百年后的古董？很多因素配合才可以达到这个目的，客户的远大视野不可或缺。

从另一角度看，一件手造的精品实木家具一定拥有某些不完美的地方。这部分源于实木的天然不确定性。另外，尽管精工细作，手工永远包涵不完全平均的这个特质。但家具欣赏者都明白微小的多变正正是赋予家具独特，洋溢温暖的生命力。正如我们都不是完美一样，可能这就是真正值得欣赏的生命。

说到底，一件可以傲然见证时间过去的家具就可以称得上为精品家具。

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