Bamboo Style

Flexicover, 14 x 19.5 cm

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The many uses of beautiful bamboo



Besides feeding pandas and making a yummy addition to many Asian dishes, bamboo is also used as a building material, both functional and decorative. The dried stems are extremely sturdy and lend themselves to a multitude of uses. Shigeru Ban, for example, found a way to create lumber from laminated woven bamboo for a house he designed in Beijing. Other houses show off bamboo in more straightforward ways, lining the ceilings or floors with stems, or even forming walls. Bamboo is also used to construct furniture, lending a chair or a bed a warm, earthy feeling. This unique look book captures the many uses of bamboo in houses throughout China, Japan, and Indonesia.



The editor: Angelika Taschen studied art history and German literature in Heidelberg, gaining her doctorate in 1986. Working for TASCHEN since 1987, she has published numerous titles on the themes of architecture, photography, design, contemporary art, interiors, and travel.



The photographer: Swiss photographer Reto Guntli, based in Zurich, regularly travels the world taking photos for international magazines. He has published numerous books and contributed to TASCHEN publications such as Inside Asia and Great Escapes Europe.