Oriental decor or Asian decor is most commonly comprised of different aspects of the interior design found in homes in China, Japan, and Korea. Some people like to keep to one country to get their inspiration while others like to incorporate ideas from all of them when implementing their oriental home decor. When decorating your house using oriental decorations it is up to you to decide how much and from which country. To help you make that decision you’ll need to know what is commonly associated with which type if design.
Korean decor often starts with a soft color for the walls that allows the furniture and accessories to be the main attraction in the space. Incorporating pieces of furniture from Korea is an excellent way to authenticate your design. Furniture made of Korean pine is a great way to stay true to the Korean design along with angular pieces such as a low tea tables or a low scholar’s table. Incorporating rice paper posters of Korean alphabet symbols or words is a great way to bring in the beauty of the language into the space.
Chinese decor is the most well known of the three and usually includes more pieces that tell a story. Feng Shui, a form of design taking into consideration the movement of energy through the home was created in China and often drives the direction of the placement of Chinese decor. Practitioners believe that if the flow of energy isn’t smooth through the house it will cause trouble both in the house and in you. The floor is often wood covered in ornate oriental rugs.
The furniture found in Chinese decor is usually made of bamboo or rosewood and have been painted black with a glossy lacquered finish. Some pieces are often hand-painted with nature or historical scenes using the jewel colors of ruby, gold, sapphire, and emerald. The furniture commonly used incorporate aspects of the architecture found in China’s pagodas and tired towers. Often these pieces include metal inlays with Chinese script or inlays of seashells. Oriental wall decor such as wall art, as well as some pieces of furniture, are commonly accented with vibrant red. Chinese decor likes to incorporate animals and plant life such as peacocks, cranes, monkeys, and dragons along with bamboo and cherry blossoms. Large wall murals or panels can be found in Chinese décor and usually depict scenes from nature, history, or myths. Folding screens can also be painted with murals.
Japanese decor is much more subdued and mellow. It is considered minimalist and has been called contained nature design. Many call it Zen design because the Zen way of life is a big influence on how most Japanese people live. It is not uncommon to incorporate a Zen garden in to your design. The colors used in Japanese decor include natural colors like warm neutral browns, grays, and greens. The flooring is most commonly bamboo that is then covered in tatami mats that are used for walking on, sitting on, as well as sleeping on. They are straw mat bound at the edges by orange cloth.
Accessories in are usually nature related and are made of stone, bamboo, or embellished textiles. Decorative pottery usually has a soft floral pattern painted on the outside. It isn’t uncommon to see indoor water fountains and this is because the sound of water is soothing and has a place in meditation. Shoji screens are used as interior doors or room dividers and have also been used on windows instead of blinds or curtains. Rice paper lanterns are often used to create ambient lighting. Most of the furniture found in Japanese decor is lower to the ground as the traditional place to sit is on mats or pillows on the ground.
You should never feel like you have to stick to one style of oriental decor. You should feel free to take aspects that appeal to you from each type of decor to create a design style that is completely your own. You can also create something wonderful by bringing touches of oriental decor into your contemporary or modern space. Remember, you don’t have to be confined by a single design style.