Asian Furniture

The delicate and timeless beauty of Asian furniture is currently experiencing an unparalleled popularity in American interior design.

An Overview of Asian Furniture

The name “Asian Furniture” is a general term, describing all home dÈcor products - including art and furniture – from the countries of China, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and often India. It also includes the (now antique) items crafted during the British occupation, mostly of furniture from India and Burma, including contemporary reproductions in this style.

Although very similar in basic design, each of these countries produces furniture and art that is specific to its own culture. For instance, while the Shoji screen originated in China, it was then reinvented in Japan and is now considered a wholly Japanese export. Feng Shui design philosophy is singularly Chinese, while Southeast Asian furniture often displays Hindu-influenced carvings over very dark wood.

Origins of The Oriental Style

Also known as “Oriental Furniture”, Asian-styled furniture is very often crafted from teak wood, and is usually based on the Buddhist principles of living simply and in harmony with one’s surroundings. Asian furniture is a blend of form and function, where art and design are intended to be both beautiful and purposeful. In the interest of blending Western and Eastern styles, it is increasingly popular to find Shoji screens that reflect traditional Western tastes. More colors are becoming available, and designers have begun to take liberties in creating more daring and expressive fusion pieces.

Perhaps the most famous Asian dÈcor item is the Shoji screen. Made from latticed wood and rice paper, it is becoming increasingly common to see Shoji doors, Shoji lamps, and Shoji room dividers, even in traditionally Western homes and offices. Other popular Asian furniture items are cabinets and accessories, typically ornamented with striking mother-of-pearl inlay.

Asian Furniture Today

Today the largest markets and manufacturers of Oriental furniture are Korea and Taiwan, although much is also manufactured in the US, Europe and Australia. The top importers of Asian furniture and home dÈcor are the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada.

Whether you are creating your very own “Dojo”, crafting an intentional meditative space, or if you are simply drawn to the beauty and craftsmanship of Asian furniture, you are certain to find inspiration in the timelessness and transportive qualities of this truly dazzling style.

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Asian Decor Infuses Your Home with Peace and Harmony

To counteract the frenetic pace of today's hectic lifestyle, you probably want your home to be your sanctuary. And, when it comes to decorating your home, Asian decor is unique in its ability to convey that sense of peacefulness and harmony that is all too often missing from other elements of life.

One of the wonderful things about Oriental decor is that it's extremely flexible. You can add soothing Asian touches throughout your home, or go all out and transform your living space into a serene Asian paradise. Either way, here are some ideas to inspire you:

Asian Lamps

Asian lamps can add a decorative touch and infuse warm light in your living room or bedroom. Saa paper lamps are typically square, and are constructed from natural materials like bamboo, teak, or rattan, with handmade and hand-painted saa paper covering the frame. While some Asian lamps are painted with a decidedly Asian theme, others complement any style of home decor. Available in a variety of colors and designs, these lamps bring both artistry and harmony to a room.

For the Table

Asian-inspired table settings stand out for their elegance and simplicity. Bamboo placemats can be used every day or paired with silk table runners to bring more formality to mealtime. Bamboo skin candleholders and tea lights add to the ambiance created by good food and great friends.

Accents for the Home

Whether you'd like to recover throw pillows on your couch or want to accent infuse your bedroom with an Asian influence, you can't go wrong with cushion covers. Handmade using natural fibers like Thai silk, wool, and cotton, you can easily slip them over your existing pillows or slip a pillow form into them.

Another way to bring contemporary Asian decor into your home is through the use of silk photo frames. Thai silk gives your treasured photographs an elegant touch, while the fabric patterns easily coordinate with modern home decor. Similarly, silk jewelry boxes are like art, in that they add a touch of elegance to your decor while allowing your precious jewelry to shine.

Silk shawls and silk scarves can also bring color and texture to your home decor. Hand-woven in both rough and smooth textures, silk shawls and scarves come in virtually every color and finish imaginable. Use them to drape over nightstands, as runners across dressers, and over lamps (not too close to the bulbs, though!) to add elegance and a touch of romance.

Beyond the Home

While you're shopping for silk scarves, you may want to select silk handbags for your wardrobe. Elegant silk evening bags are the perfect accessory for formalwear, while totes and backpacks are beautiful and functional for everyday use.

Shopping for Asian Decor

In times past, shopping for Asian decor meant traveling to exotic locales or paying high-end designers to discover exquisite pieces. Thanks to the Internet, though, you can shop for and buy Asian decor directly from Asia-based wholesalers who work on behalf of an artisan who crafts the pieces by hand. In other words, creating a home filled with tranquility and harmony can be achieved with a few clicks of your mouse.

Ultimate Asian Adventure Vacation

Asia is the world's largest continent and probably one of the most misunderstood. Since the beginning of civilization Asia has been regarded as the place of mysticism, diverse culture economy and invention. A lot of modern inventions and progress spawned out of this continent and at the same time some of the oldest traditions and practices can be traced here.

Aside from that you can find some of the top adventure vacation destination in Asia. Places that would mystify you and your family and take you on a time traveling adventure back to the time where emperors reign and dynasties ruled the land. Nomads roamed and monks hold sway of the ancient teachings.

For some people the mere mention of Asia denotes kung fu, martial arts, fighting monks and a variety of stereotypes thanks to Hong Kong made action films. But more than flying daggers and mystic dragons that give eternal life, there is more to Asia than meets the eye. Asia is one of the most massive continents in this tiny little planet. Perhaps the biggest land mass in a single concentration, because of this it allows itself to be home to numerous species of flora and fauna.

This massive concentration of natural beauty is enough to capture the interest of top travel and nature related businesses to consider Asia as a big contender for the world tourism economy. In fact, according to a study in the year 2019, there would have 13,000,000 travelers who would’ve made their way from their home countries to Asia both for business and for leisure.

Though relic hunting, temple visitation and cultural showcases are some of the things that countries in Asia offers right now, there are more than the usual available to the growing market of tourist looking for an exotic but familiar sight to see away from home.

One of the most popular sports in the scene right now is wakeboarding. In some countries in Asia you could go wakeboarding with having to look for a boat. Yes that’s right, no boats needed. In some of the resort hotels and destinations in Asia waterparks dedicated to wakeboarding have come up with an interesting way of making waves without the use of a boat.

They call it the motorized pulley system. A motor runs at top speed while a series of pulleys located all throughout the man-made lake pulls on the rope of the wakeboarder. Pretty neat huh?

Another new trend in Asia is the equivalent of western theme parks, when I say equivalent that means creating a theme park that answers to the popularity of them parks in the USA like Disneyland, universal studios and Disneyworld. Some of these theme parks are found in Japan called Sanrio world, one in Korea called Lotte World and one in the Philippines called Enchanted Kingdom.

Check out the places on the internet, they different information that they can give you about the price range and others.

So for people looking out the best things to do in the mystifying region of Asia go check out the different attractions that would best suffice your need to have an exciting adventure vacation, it will surely show you what's it like to cross the heritage of the ancestors and the modern convenience of life. Be sure to capture that one special moment when the best of both worlds combine.