Tim Roberson and his parents have been making miniature faux-bamboo furniture for thirty years and the initial inspiration came from the Brighton Pavilion which has a very fine staircase made of metal but painted to resemble bamboo.

Some of the earliest Chinese furniture, dating back to the Ming Dynasty, was made from common bamboo.
This type of furniture caught the imagination of the Victorians in particular - it fitted in with their love of the chinoiserie style. Soon virtually every home would own at least one piece! The larger, more elaborate, pieces are rare now as the real bamboo became somewhat unstable.

Tim's pieces are obviously made from metal too as the real bamboo wouldn't work out on the one twelfth scale.