Interior design has eastern promise at Tai Tam Studio

If the answer to "What does the Qing dynasty mean to you?" is 'little' you're not alone, yet its influence and that of two Northern Ireland sisters with a personal interest in the Far East is beginning to shape views in interior design.

Karen Crockford of North Down and Sheryl Nutland are daughters of a local property developer and are introducing to home lovers and collectors exquisite and unique Oriental handcrafted furniture from the Tai Tam studio.

Qing dynasty brings more than eastern promise to Northern Ireland homes as their collection at the studio includes antiques dating from the days of the last Chinese emperors as well as exclusive designer accessories such as rice carriers, water buckets, food boxes - even an old Shan wood baby bath and baby chair.

Karen said: "We have been impressed and pleased at how the collection has been received - it shows a real thirst for something different among new home makers and a genuine interest in focal point pieces by those with established homes."

With no agency or 'middle man' involvement in the Tai Tam, the sisters travel to the Guangdong Province in South China where they personally select each item of furniture.

Sheryl, who now lives in New York, was formerly based with her husband in Hong Kong and Tai Tam is the outcome of the sisters' love affair with the craft of the East.

Some of the antique furniture items of the period are already beginning to command high prices in the West as the East Asia continent opens up to trade but the intimacy of contact with the market means that prices to Tai Tam customers are extraordinarily keen.

Other items such as exquisite camphor wood cabinets, a 'Beijing stone' coffee table and scroll music benches are well within the range of the first-time buyer.

Karen operates the Hollywood-based studio during normal hours - Monday to Friday 10am- 5pm - but is happy to make evening appointments for those travelling from across Northern Ireland or from the Republic of Ireland where the Tai Tam collection is already attracting attention.

(SP)