This Week's Top 5 Favorite 1stdibs Items: Stories

Furniture pieces and accessories don't just have to be stationary objects that only look pretty; they can be huge sources of interest and story in your spaces. How does a furniture piece or accessory tell a story? Lots of ways. It can be visual, as in a image conveys a visual message that tells a story or tale. Or, a piece can tell a story of how it was made by the kinds of details visible. The craftsmanship of a piece of furniture can be evident if the furniture maker wanted it to be so. We've gathered five pieces from this week's newest listings from 1stdibs that we think tell great stories. Click through to see why!

 

1) Inuoumono, Dog Chasing Screen

From the Edo Period of Japan, this gorgeously painted antique screen is a perfect example of how a piece of home decor can tell a visual story, quite literally! You and guests will love absorbing all the details of this visual story for years to come.
Price: contact dealer
Dealer: Erik Thomsen Asian Art

2) A Byzantine mosaic panel
Another ancient piece of art, this time a Byzantine mosaic panel. Though it's just a pattern, the pattern was no doubt symbolic in ancient homes of that time, and you can also get a great story of how patient the crafts person must have been to be able to work with all those little pieces!
Price: $39,000
Dealer: L'Antiquaire & The Connoisseur

3) Ikebana flower basket titled Crouching Tiger
Another beautiful piece from Japan, this time from the 1920s. This gorgeous basket tells a story in the perfection of the weaving of the natural fibers. We also like the symbolism of how stories are often woven tapestries of time and characters, and how this is represented in the woven elements of the basket.
Price: contact dealer
Dealer: Erik Thomsen Asian Art

4) A Large Sailor's Woolwork of H.B.M. Packet Crane
Ahh, the colorful tradition of tales from the high seas. Those this actual tapestry doesn't depict a story as detailed as the painted panel above, one can see how such a colorful illustration of a slice of life of a sailor could illicit and inspire equally colorful stories in the imagination of those viewing this piece.
Price: $15,000
Dealer: Vandekar

5) Ceylonese Carved Ebony and Specimen Wood Table
Marquetry is the incredible beautiful art of inlaying pieces of wood into a base piece of furniture in intricate and good-looking patterns. We think that in of itself tells a beautiful story of amazing wood craftsmanship.
Price: $10,400
Dealer: Guinevere

Don't forget to check out the rest of this week's listings from 1stdibs, where you can find more fabulous, one-of-a-kind, show-stopping pieces, as well as a number of other great items! Also: please visit our revamped Facebook page for more information about us and follow us on twitter (@swanklighting) to always be up-to-date on Swank Lighting happenings.