Exotic Oriental and Feng Shui Influence

This is a minimalist décor that uses natural textures and soft muted colors in willow and sage greens. Streamlined teak wood furniture is distinctive mixed with rattan and bamboo pieces. If you are lucky enough to find a hand carved Coromandel screen it can be stunning as a headboard. Accessories that go well with this look are Chinese porcelains, lotus-themed dinnerware and table settings and brass-trimmed objects. Figures carved in stone are used selectively to maintain the clean, spare lines for this uncluttered look. A Japanese silk kimono makes a statement as a unique wall hanging. Traditional Mandarin red is a great accent color along with black lacquered items. Carved wooden statues from the South Pacific mix well with grass floor mats on marble or stone flooring.

Outdoors, the soft trickling sounds of a waterfall lend tranquility to a Zen-style garden, a restful place for reflection and meditation. A black-bottom koi pond gives a focal point for arranging stone benches, gravel pathways and sculpture. Provide shade with paper parasols and illuminate at night with paper lanterns. Palms, azaleas, feathery bamboo and cultured bonsai add another touch of East Asia and the islands.

by Jacque Ramsey