Interior Styles: Chinese

Hello there and good evening! How was your weekend? I hope it was whatever the promise of Friday gave and more. My weekend was jam packed full of learning as I attended a 2 day workshop called Starting out as a Freelance Writer that was taught by Joanna Moorhead. It was an amazing course and ever so inspiring. I will post about it in more detail over the next week or so. As a result, my brain was in need of some light relief, so instead of blogging which I usually do on a Sunday night, I was mind blanked on the sofa watching George Clarks Amazing Spaces on Channel 4.

So, I sincerely apologise for the extremely delayed post today and hope that with the latest Interior Styles it was worth the wait.

Chinese New Year is just around the corner being February 10 and is the celebration of the Chinese Lunar Year.  So I thought that I’d talk about this style today.

The Chinese style is a representation of an aesthetic that is associated with the Far East. In particular, China and Japan. But before I start, it would be negligent of me not to talk about the concept of Feng Shui which is a philosophy that the Chinese strongly believe in. It is an ancient art that considers the placement of objects within the home as a way to increase energy or chi to enhance prosperity, health and even creativity. The Chinese have a strong belief that in order to have a prosperous and happy life, the energy in you home should be balanced and harmonious.

Chinese Style is one that has a history of thousands of years. For this post, I have decided to showcase a modern interior that has a lot of it’s elements.

THE KEY ELEMENTS

• The colour palette in this style is rich and earthy, typical colours include Red, Yellow, Green and Gold, however walls are mostly a muddy, earthy colour.
• Furniture is usually wooden (such as teak, red cherry, mahogany or bamboo) then covered in a dark gloss lacquer.
• Ornate detailing is used in the furniture, window frames and screens used to segregate spaces. The detailing usually consists of straight lines that form a geometric type pattern.
• The floor is made of wood, stone or even marble
• Fabrics used are rich in texture such as Silk

 

THE REALITY CHECK

A lot of elements in this style can be incorporated into the modern home. For example, Silk bed sheets and pillows would give the bedroom a luxurious feel that is in the essence of the style. A wooden chair could be a quirky twist on an armchair. The images that I’ve provided do prove that the elements can be modern. Though for me personally, it’s a little dark for my taste.

So what do you think? Could you have a Chinese style interior in your home?

No post on Tuesday, due to the lateness of this one. I’ll be back for inspiration Wednesday though. Have a good couple of days. xD

Image source: All images are from Andrew Martin Interior Design Review Volume 15. Title, Image 2, 4 & 5 are from Designer Ivan Cheng, Image 3 from Design Firm, Beijing Newsdays