Western-style furniture was a relatively late arrival in Asia, where climates and lifestyles were markedly different from those in Europe. But colonial incursions and circumstances of history conspired to bring about profound changes, and furniture design in Asia blossomed into a major decorative art. Each of the eight countries covered here – China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Tibet and the Philippines – developed its own particular designs, creating pieces furniture as works of art. Today these diverse pieces are treasured by collectors worldwide, from Manhattan lofts to Parisian apartments, as well as in the countries they originated.