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Chinese furniture, mostly made of precious wood, of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties are widely recognized as the best, because furniture before the Ming dynasty did not survive wars.  Traditional Chinese furniture craftsmanship reached its zenith until the Ming dynasty when demand for fine furniture greatly increased due to prosperity of cities and development of growing marine trade so that precious timber could be more easily obtained form southern China and Southeast Asia.

Ming furniture is known for its simplicity with sparse lines and little decoration while Qing furniture emphasizes detail and extravagance. Furniture from southern China tends to be very elaborate whereas northern furniture is big, heavy and grand.

Ming Dynasty Furniture: Ming furniture is simple with sparse lines and little decoration. It usually features fine and durable precious woods, such as Mahogany, sandalwood and rose wood etc. So the Ming furniture usually has simple structures, unique shapes and minimal decorations which would reserve the natural beauty of the wood. Lines were ingeniously applied to emphasize details such as the back of an armchair and the legs and resting bars of chairs and tables. Main emphasis was placed on the application of the natural beauty of the wood texture and adopting latticework and openwork carving. On eye-striking places such as the backs of armchairs, there would be simple patterns by relief engraving or openwork carving.

Qing Dynasty Furniture: In the early Qing dynasty, furniture inherited characteristics of the Ming dynasty. From the reign of Emperor Yongzheng to Emperor Jiaqing, after political power was stabilized and the economy improved, people began to pay more attention to their material lives and demanded decorative and luxurious furnishings so that gaudiness and sumptuousness are basic features of Qing furniture, which is usually heavy, sizable and massive, and features exquisitely carved patterns. Some pieces were carved from head to foot and had inlays of stone, mother-of-pearl, porcelain, metal, and enamel. Qing furniture's curved decorations and exaggerated shapes demand attention. In the late Qing dynasty, antique Chinese furniture waned.

Chinoiserie, a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences. It is characterized by the use of fanciful imagery of an imaginary China, by asymmetry in format and whimsical contrasts of scale, and by the attempts to imitate Chinese porcelain and the use of lacquer-like materials and decoration.