Creating a genuine Asian interior design is much more difficult than simply putting some oriental characters on your walls and hanging up a gong. To create a really good themed room you need to put a lot of thought into it. Asian interior design is very complex and dates back centuries, over which time they have perfected the science behind it.
Asian cultures are very good at remembering what had been learnt by previous generations and then adapting and improving on it. They will continually evolve the Asian interior design ideas so that they become part of contemporary design methods. Asian interior design is actually highly popular in the United Sates, and you will probably see examples all over the place. You can't only get your inspiration from your local Chinese restaurant, you need to look wider otherwise you're not creating a genuine theme.
Real oriental interior design is completely different to western design, few westerners will be aware of this but have experience of it every day.
Perspective
Perspective is very important when it comes to Asian interior design. If you take a walk around a real Asian building then you will notice a lot of open space, the illusion of space is created by lowering the ceilings, or raising the ceilings of the surrounded space. This creates perspective which helps the room look a lot bigger, spacious rooms are great in oriental design.
Westerners will often use mirrors to create the illusion of space, however Asian cultures use changes to the room to do a similar thing. This is a very difficult way to make a room appear bigger, and with the advances in modern technology it's not really required. However if you do it properly then it is very effective.
Golden Dragons
All Asian cultures are well known for their golden dragons, however that's not really the case. The dragon isn't really that important, what they do is create a mural which tells a story. This mural may or may not contain a dragon. Dragons are just something which Americans have latched onto. If you see a real Asian interior designed room then you will see some bamboo scrolls with stories written onto them. This practice of telling stories through wall hangings has been going on for a very long time, and still survives today.
Asian interior design focuses on allowing the light to flow freely throughout the space without having to use any form of additional artificial lighting. They make draperies which allow the light to come through. Asian homes are basically created using the principles used to create homes before the electric light was widely available. Allowing outside light in is a very Asian idea.
There are many professional interior designers who specialize in creating Asian interior designs, you can also look for inspiration and advice on the internet.
By:Ray Walberg
