Interior Home Design: Oriental Theme

I fell in love with Asian themed decor after watching the movie Memoirs of a Geisha. The soft colors, cherry blossoms, and whimsical feel of the scenery motivated me to decorate my living room in such a fashion. At first, I figured it would be a daunting task, but it was relatively quite easy. It's definitely something that can be done on any budget. First, find out how much money you are willing to spend on this project. Pick a room you'd like to "make-over". Evaluate your wall and floor space to see what large areas you would like to hide, cover, or even enhance. You shouldn't completely strip your chosen room from what it looks like now because it takes a little bit of time to completely redesign the whole room. It's going to be a progressive project because finding perfect items for your home in an Oriental theme can be a little challenging.

Some items to look for when decorating in an Asian theme are these: Paper lanterns of all shapes, cherry blossom decor in any form (paintings, plastic foliage, area rugs, etc.), jade statues (fake or real jade works just fine for the illusion), round, painted fans, and anything with Koi fish, dragons and Geisha's. You can find these at any store in your area that sells Oriental supplies. A good way to find out where you can find these types of items is by going to your favorite local Oriental restaurant and inquiring as to where they found their beautiful decorations. Oriental restaurants are a perfect place to gain inspiration for your Asian-themed room. You can always look online and do a Google search for local Asian/Oriental stores in your area.

Think first of what color your want to dominate your room. As for me, I chose to have my room be dominated by a vibrant pink color that reminded me of cherry blossoms. You may choose a warmer room by going with a jade-green, or even a ruby red. Either way, find curtains that match that color that you are imagining in your head. You can find good quality curtains at reasonable prices that range in sizes at Anna's Linens. Then, find an area rug for the room that will match the curtains. Make sure that the color of the rug is very, very close to the curtains for a look that will be complete. The area rug can very well have decorations embedded on it, such as beautiful Koi fish or even a dragon. Now think of what you'd like the central focus or the room to be. In most cases, you have a huge area of wall you'd like to cover. You can buy big beautiful mirrors to create the illusion of space in the room you are working with, and add Oriental fans and cherry blossoms around the mirrors. Obtain some inspiration from a Home Interiors magazine...there you will find how to balance mirrors, candles, statues, shelves and decorations for a look that is uniquely your own. On EBAY, I found a 6 foot tall cherry blossom tree that is absolutely beautiful and looks very realistic. I became a little creative and painted my own Asian-themed art since original Oriental art was a little expensive. You can, however, find good quality Asian-themed art on Ebay. At the local Dollar Store, I spotted some beautiful framed pictures with Asian-markings on them that would have been perfect for the living room that I redesigned. If you can invest in wall scrolls and some original items, it would add to the authenticity that you are looking for.

It's completely possible to create the dream room you want. At first I thought it was impossible, but it was a fun project to partake in. I encourage you to create your dream Asian-themed room. Just remember to think of the wall decorations, the floor area, and decorations. Look around in garage sales, malls, and in word of mouth places that your local Asian friends would know of. Splurge on a few items, and remember to stay on a budget. Have fun and enjoy your new Oriental-themed room.