Eastern Influences On Western Interiors: Japanese Décor - Part I of II - Color, Texture and Contrast

Article by: Catherine McGivern

The topic of eastern influences on western interiors , A Look at Waterbed Sheet Sizes is a very broad subject. Many countries, such as China, Japan, Tibet, etc., have had an influence. Therefore, I have chosen to focus on one country for this article, Japan.

Characteristics of Japanese Interiors

1. COLOR:

Japanese interiors , Clueless About Decorating Your Rented House or Apartment? generally use neutral, natural , Dining Chair Slipcovers – A Great Way to Impress Your Dinner Guests! colors, to provide a simple background. Interiors , 7 Feng Shui Fundamentals for Children's Bedrooms emphasize architecture, and as a result, provide a sense of geometric order. In addition, natural , Space bags creates more closet space colors minimize a feeling of clutter, which is also essential to eastern design , Laminated Flooring is the Hottest New Product in Floor Covering and its philosophy of simplicity. When a statement is made in a Japanese interior, , 7 Feng Shui Fundamentals for Children's Bedrooms it is usually through a single strong exclamation of color , Principles of Interior Design or a predominant texture.

Eastern art colors , Slipcovers - Make Them Yourself are pure. Unlike western art, which mixes color , A Themed Bathroom Vanity is Fun to Decorate and refines sketches, eastern art is original. This means the initial color , Unique Wall Clocks - Elegance And Style For Every Room and/or brush stroke is the final result. Western art is often complex, whereas eastern art is simple, strong, and graphic.

Black is often considered a "non-color" in western society, yet, it is very important in eastern interiors. , How to Take Care of Your Teak Furniture The use of black in oriental rooms , Feng Shui Synchronicity lends definition and form. For example, black is a color , Canopy Beds in its own right, when used with white , Cleaning Aluminum and Wooden Window Blinds rice paper in a shoji screen.

2. TEXTURE & CONTRAST:

Some Japanese textures and materials that immediately come to mind are cedar, rice paper, maple, bamboo, , The Thrill of Triple Bunk Beds stone, , Pendleton Blankets- What's Behind This Famous Functional Art and woven wicker. One might also think of textured silk, tatami floor , East meets the West - Evolution of Indian Furniture mats, and the elaborate needlework of kimonos and obi's.

Japanese culture seeks to balance opposites in all aspects of life (yin and yang), and interiors , Canopy Beds are no exception. Interior , A Review of Popular Water Softener Products finishes can be highly opposing and contrasting, and yet achieve balance. Examples are, highly polished floors , Thomas Chippendale and His Legendary Chairs with heavily textured mats, a lacquered box displayed on top of a rough wooden , Home Staging-Starting A Lucrative Home Staging Business Part 3 Meeting the Client, Getting the Job table, or white , Furniture Slipcovers are a Simple and Easy Make-over for any Room pebbles on a polished black granite ledge around a tub.

3. DISPLAY:

Western homes , Where to Buy Discount Down Comforters typically use an object on the perimeter as a focal point, such as a fireplace, a painting, , Where to Buy Discount Down Comforters or an elaborate window , Dining Chair Slipcovers – A Great Way to Impress Your Dinner Guests! treatment. Eastern interiors, , Furniture Slipcovers are a Simple and Easy Make-over for any Room on the other hand, focus on a central object, such as a hearth (irori), a garden, , Hurricanes are Perfect Times to Plan Interior Decorating an altar, or an elaborate still life composition.

Japanese homes , East meets the West - Evolution of Indian Furniture also commonly have display alcoves, called tokonoma. Objects placed in these alcoves generate two types of feelings, either (1) a natural , A Sampler of Faux Finish Techniques or organic , Invasion of the Bar Stool - Are you Prepared? feel, by displaying an odd number of objects together, or (2) an ordered and disciplined environment , Principles of Interior Design by using an even quantity. For example, three calligraphy brushes in a cup would be organic, , Thomas Chippendale and His Legendary Chairs and four pebbles on a dish would be disciplined.

Japanese displays are fluid. In other words, a Japanese alcove may display a scroll one-week, and a set of pots , Invasion of the Bar Stool - Are you Prepared? the next. Eastern cultures tend to store and rotate objects. (This is probably for two reasons; (1) limited space, and, (2) visual pollution, , Cleaning Aluminum and Wooden Window Blinds outside , Clueless About Decorating Your Rented House or Apartment? the home, , Laminated Flooring is the Hottest New Product in Floor Covering as the population increases.) Japanese displays are a reflection of the season, , Evolution of Kitchen celebration, or honored guest. This minimal approach focuses on the quality and craftsmanship.

Instead of rotating objects, westerners tend to "display it all." (I guess its because they we're afraid someone whose given us something may come over and we won't have it out?) A westerner would also tend to add to a display to create a balance, whereas an easterner would create harmony by taking away. To easterners, less is more, order is harmony, and there is a place , Dining Chair Slipcovers – A Great Way to Impress Your Dinner Guests! for everything and everything is in its place. , 7 Tips For Owning A Fire

This concludes Part I. Part II of Eastern Influences on Western Interiors: Japanese DÃƒÂ©cor will focus on the Tea Ceremony, Furnishings, and Antiques or Reproductions.

About The Author

Catherine McGivern is a professional interior designer , Dining Chair Slipcovers – A Great Way to Impress Your Dinner Guests! who hosts www.aboutdecorating.net. About Decorating , A Review of Popular Massage Chairs is devoted to home , 7 Feng Shui Fundamentals for Children's Bedrooms decorating information , Hurricanes are Perfect Times to Plan Interior Decorating and resources. And, to helping visitors find the best decorating , 7 Tips For Owning A Fireplace products at economical prices. The site also features , Shared Bedrooms - How To Make It Work a free newsletter, and free 20MB community web , Desktop Wallpaper sites.

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