Imported furniture can be found in local shops

“On the road to Mandalay

Where the flyin’ fishes play

An’ the dawn comes up like thunder outer China

’crost the bay!”

— Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), English author, “Mandalay” (1890)

One of the joys of having the fabulous World Market Center here in Las Vegas is getting to preview the latest and greatest before it actually appears in retail outlets.

The markets do not disappoint with hundreds of showrooms jammed with new product displays, both from domestic manufacturers and suppliers, and a huge number of international ones. I happen to be a big fan of import furniture, not that it’s any better or fancier or has more status — I just happen to appreciate a lot of the designs.

Regular readers may recall that I have mentioned many times that Asian design, in particular, is one of my favorites. These designs can come from China, India, Bali or any of the far-flung places that invoke mystique and romance.

Not so long ago, the perception was that having furniture that had been manufactured in another country was only for the rich or eccentric; and those folks who had it in their homes always had wildly exciting stories about “picking up this bombé chest in a dark, curvy alley in Marrakech where the shopkeeper served strange, aromatic tea, and you were at once in love and frightened by the whole experience.”

Well, maybe not to that extent, but you get the picture. Let’s just say everybody didn’t have imported furniture, and those who did were “special,” or whatever adjective we could use that emulated “different.”

Not today — on several levels. For many years now, a variety of imported furniture has been available to the masses in any number of import stores, the most familiar being Pier 1 and Cost Plus World Market. These furniture pieces are reproductions.

And import furniture has found its way into mainstream showrooms at markets such as our World Market Center; High Point, N.C.; and the L.A. Mart. Also, fortunately for us here in Las Vegas, we have wonderful local shops that just import furniture from Asia and other world spots.

It’s always a great shopping experience and you also gain so much knowledge about the pieces they have. You can find reproductions and originals in some of the shops.

Today, if you have pieces of imported furniture in your home, you just — plain and simply put — have good taste! You may not want a houseful of Asian chinoiserie or heavy Mexican carved wood pieces, but when sprinkled in with other furnishings, import pieces just make everything more interesting and exciting.

Needless to say that since I like imports, I am instinctively drawn to these showrooms and stores, especially Asian. I had the awesome experience of going on a buying trip to China with a friend who had — guess what — an Asian import store. It was such an exhilarating experience and it gave me an entirely new outlook on imported furniture — and a great appreciation how most of the furniture is refurbished.

There are differing opinions about previously domestically produced furniture being manufactured overseas. That’s not the definition of imported. That just happens to be a U.S. manufacturer that for whatever reason is producing their products in another country.

Imports are furnishings that actually have a history in the country of origin and have found their way to the United States. Those are the ones that appeal to me. As I said before, some are considered antiques, having been restored to their original appearance. Some are reproductions, copies of antiques.

So if you’re open to having some deliciously exotic piece of imported furniture in your home, there are many options. If you live in Las Vegas, go online and search around. You’ll be surprised at the vendors you will find in our town.

Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and past president of the Architectural &Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.