You’re sitting in a standard office chair, staring at a white wall, illuminated by the light of your computer monitor and you’re thinking, “Is this really better than my grey office cubicle?”
You started up a home business and thought how exciting it would be to work from the comforts of your own home. Right now, it doesn’t feel all that comfortable. The drab interiors and clutter surrounding you isn’t helping with your productivity, not one bit.
Hey, all isn’t lost. Unlike your company cubicle, this is your home office, and the power is within you to make your office space a more creative and conducive working area. You need to make your space soothing, but invigorating at the same time. Organize your clutter, but have none of those metal file cabinets that remind you of your pencil-pushing days in the corporate world. You want the power of the Ninja with the peace of Zen. The solution could very well be in a piece of furniture called the tansu.
Tansu is actually the Japanese word for “chest” or “cupboard”. In our part of the world, “tansu” refers to the traditional Japanese-style chest of drawers, made of wood materials such as elm, cedar or cypress. In practice, the use of the tansu in Japanese culture was very practical, used in the home for storing items, or stowed by peddlers carrying goods. High-quality tansu with decorative hardware adorned the homes of wealthy citizens.
There are antique tansu that can be found in the market, while there are furniture makers who specialize in creating high-quality replicas. Their craftsmanship and classic Asian-style elegance make a tansu a worthwhile addition to any room in your house.
For the office, the varied storage system of a tansu make it an ideal piece for a working space. This Asian furniture raises the style factor of the office while helping with the organizational needs. The rich wood of the tansu is at once calming and rejuvenating. Natural materials always exude a better ambiance for any space, and having at least one piece in your office not only contributes to the overall design but to your mental well-being as well. If you want it bigger, there is also the step chest type or kaidan tansu.
The tansu embodies luxury and practicality at the same time. It’s old-world class but still modern with the popularity of incorporating Eastern flavors into a Western home. Don’t let boring, drab office furniture drag your business savvy down. Invest in a key Asian piece such as a tansu and inject some energy into your home office.



