Asian Fusion-Combining distinctive styles to create a new harmonious, symbiotic, unique style or theme featuring Asian style furniture, art, and accessories.

The design world is rediscovering Asia and its ageless, classic design styles. Discover for yourself the beauty of combining Chinese furniture, art, and home decor accessories into your contemporary, traditional, or eclectic home and office design.

In this how-to or do-it-yourself (DYI) article, I use Asian and Chinese interchangeably, as China has traditionally dominated design style and furniture, but I fully appreciate that all Asian countries contribute their unique style and traditions.

An additional benefit of investigating Asian style home decor will be that you will discover the endless possibilities that each culture and tradition offers to each of us. Not only in designing our living spaces but also in the manner and way in which we see ourselves, each other, and our world.

How do you design a room with Asian Style fusion in mind?

Begin at the beginning…

I recommend you begin with what you have already; after all it’s about fusion. Review the elements you already have in your room-the furniture, the accessories, the natural light, the artificial light, the art, the colors, the floor or rugs, the plants, etc.

Next, consider how you currently use the room and the home decor elements in the room. Is this a formal or informal area, is it a room that is used by children or adults, is it used in the morning, for eating, for receiving guests or evening for sleeping? Every room’s interior design must accommodate its use.

What are the natural architectural focal points of the room (windows, fireplace, ceiling height) and what are the designed focal points of the room (armoire, sectional sofa, area rug)?

And last in your review is to consider what design elements-natural and/or designed-make you feel good about the space and about yourself, what inspires you? Are you moved by the spectacular view from your bay window, are you comforted by your grandmother’s marble-top table, are you excited every time you see your new contemporary art piece? Feelings that might be desirable to you include excitement, harmony, balance, simplicity, spirituality, serenity and elegance.

Keep the end in mind

Don’t settle on just cliché Asian or Chinese ideas; like the color red, a dragon, a tea pot, or a scroll painting. I challenge you to investigate deeper and develop a clearer understanding of Asian style and Chinese style.

The Asian home decor style is more about the proportion of furniture and its aesthetic simplicity but can also be about its opulent carvings or lacquer. It is about how colors affect us emotionally and the balance of contrasting hues. It about designing to achieve a lack of clutter, and instead focusing on nature, connecting to your spiritual core, and welcoming a peaceful energy into your home and life.

Your Asian fusion decorating journey

1. Unclutter your room. Keep only those pieces of furniture and accessories that are most useful and meaningful to you.

2. Maximize or focus on the visual impact of the natural elements already available to you-morning sunlight, the view from a window, shadows from trees, etc.

3. Stick to simplicity. Allow only one or two pieces in the room to have the focal point “stage”. The focal point can be an antique Chinese bench-rustic with aged patina or a beautifully carved and lacquered armoire.

4. Mix textures and elements-wood, stone (pottery), plants, silks, paper scrolls, etc. into your design.

5. Mix styles. The geometrical design of Chinese furniture compliments the sleek style of contemporary furniture but can also beautifully contrast with European curves.

6. Choose colors that will evoke the mood you desire. There are many articles that discuss color, emotions and moods. Your coloring choices include the walls, ceiling, floor, furniture, window treatment, art and accessories. Most Asian designs will focus on the natural color of the wood and stones, contrasted with one painted or lacquered red piece of furniture and/or accessories. Black lacquered furniture is also very easy to “fuse” into a contemporary room.

7. Select art with an Asian theme. This will automatically create an instant Asian fusion but it is not mandatory.

8. Select accessories that are iconic of the Orient: blue and white vases and jars, a painted box, a multi-tiered food basket, or a silk lamp shade.

9. Allow imagery and symbols to speak. A statue of a reclining Buddha can immediately make a statement of quite inner peace.

10. Use objects in unintended manners. Place the TV remote(s) in a red lacquered water bucket. Place a collection of polished rocks on a tabletop. Convert a Blue and white ginger jar into a lamp.

Allow your discovery of Asian style home decorating to be a journey-a journey in design, a journey in home decorating, a journey in culture and tradition, a journey in do-it-yourself(DYI) and a journey in self-discovery.

These are books that I recommend to aid in your journey of Asian style home decorating ideas and Asian fusion:
“Chinese Style” by Sunamita Lim
“China Style” by Sharon Leece
“Essence of Style” by Robert Hatfield Ellsworth

Visit our website for more resources on Asian-style home decorating.