Q: I want to redecorate my living room by bringing in some Asian elements like black lacquer and bamboo. My husband has warned me not to overdo it. I could use some guidance!"A: (Bea Pila) I’ll show you how to combine a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles to create an Asian-themed room that's both visually interesting and comfortable.
Doing this type of room properly means combining different styles. You can avoid having this room looking like a clichè by using modern furnishings with clean lines. Keep in mind that it's important to add texture without being too loud -- and please, keep the Buddha in the garage! - Start your design with a large anchor piece. I started with the armoire -- a large-scale red-lacquer piece whose color and style serve as the inspiration for the rest of the decor. This one is an antique, but you can easily find reproductions in the $1,000 range.
- Next I brought in a black-lacquer china cabinet with clean, modern lines (many modern pieces mix well with Asian styles) and a dull finish. If you wish to invest in black lacquer, shop around: it's easy to find cheap, poorly made balance the heights of the armoire and the display cabinet and also to help tie the colors together.
- A bar cabinet in the same lacquer finish but a smaller scale is surmounted with still more dramatic accessories with modern lines. The accessories on the smaller side table, however, are completely Asian in design and theme.
- I added a rug to help tie everything together. You can use a traditional Oriental pattern if you wish, but I suggest a more modern approach: the rug I chose has circular elements with a definitely Asian theme nonetheless.
- Seating in an Asian room should be low, but not just pillows! I used a pair of slipper chairs and two rattan-and-bamboo chairs. To do double duty for both seating and storage I also added a large upholstered ottoman.
- Pillows -- lots of them, in beautiful fabrics -- provide a chance for you to add more texture and pattern to the room. For a touch of whimsy, try attaching a cute colisonnè pin shaped like a lizard, a frog or an insect to the corner of one of the pillows.
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