The Art Deco movement of architecture and design appeared in Paris in about 1910–12, and continued until the beginning of World War II in 1939. It came from the International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925. It was characterized by bold geometric forms, bright colours, and highly stylized decoration, symbolizing modernity and luxury.
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present worldwide but more prevalent in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 1970 during the United States's post-World War II period.
MCM-style decor and architecture have seen a significant resurgence, beginning in the late 1990s and continuing to this day.
The term was used as early as the mid-1950s and was defined as a design movement by Cara Greenberg in her 1984 book Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s.
The forms of Chinese furniture evolved along three distinct lineages, dating back to 1000 BC: frame and panel, yoke and rack (based on post-and-rail seen in architecture), and bamboo construction techniques.
Chinese furniture is mainly made of plain, polished wood, but from at least the Song dynasty, the most luxurious pieces often used lacquer to cover the whole or parts of the visible areas. All the various sub-techniques of Chinese lacquerware can be found on furniture and became increasingly affordable down the social scale—thus widely used—from about the Ming dynasty onwards. Carved lacquer furniture was, at first, only affordable by the imperial family or the extremely rich.
Native Americans and their story have become the inspiration for several categories of art. Whether it’s hand-painted art, pieces of furniture, or a sculpture, Native American art has been popular for thousands of years. Sculptures are one of the most beautiful, detailed, and fantastic art pieces. Some sculptures (or American Indian statues) may involve Indian warriors with their weapons. On the other hand, you can also find particular art pieces, like a bust of an Indian chief.
​Tinplate was used in the manufacture of toys beginning in the mid-19th century. The invention of sheet metal stamping machines in 1815 allowed for the mass production of inexpensive toys. Tin toys were a cheap and durable substitute for wooden toys. The toys were originally assembled and painted by hand. Spring-activated tin toys originated in Germany in the 1850s. Production of tin toys in the United States started earlier but began in earnest when tin ore mines were opened in Illinois providing easily available and cheap raw materials. There was a growing demand for American produced products and by the 1920s American firms had overtaken the competition. The largest and most successful firm from the 1920s to the 1960s was Louis Marx and Company.
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This shellfish is named after Capiz, one of the five provinces of Panay Island, located 375 miles southwest of Manila. Capiz is a pearl oyster, commonly known as "Kapis," with the scientific name Placuna Placenta, is a bivalve mollusk, commercially and economically important because of its translucent shell. In the 1500s, during the Filipino Spain period, these shells were used for windowpanes on houses.
Laminated Capiz products are truly works of art as they are handmade by Filipino craftmen. Art and modern science evolved a process whereby the finest quality shells are hand-selected, processed and laminated to produce a unique and highly ornate surfacing ideal for housewares, tableware and gift items. ​
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