Asia Inspires 2014’s Hottest Home Designs


Exciting new home design trends debuted during the early months of 2014. From Asian accents and botanical gardens to feng shui-inspired interiors, homes are more stylish than ever before. Here’s how designers are completely revitalizing rooms’ look and feel:

Introduce a Touch of Asia Into Your Home

Asian influences and details continue making a grand appearance. More designers are working with bright red, yellow, and gold accents and color schemes. Orchids are a staple in most modern homes, and designers are increasingly embracing the notion that rooms must inspire a feeling of overall harmony, or feng shui.

  • Asian Accents: It’s in the Details

“Mix traditional and Asian elements into your design scheme for an elegant yet eclectic look,” HGTV advises. The TV network continues, “Oriental blue and white wares were developed in China in the 14th century, and by the 17th century the pieces were considered prized possessions and collected by European royalty. These porcelain pieces, along with the bamboo shade, Japanese tatami mat, and bronze accessories, pull in familiar Asian elements while adding some unexpected cultural flair.” Simple gold details, frosted glass, and Shoji screens (Japanese room dividers) are other popular, Asian-inspired additions.

  • Botanical Gardens

Designers are no longer working with a single, stately orchid. The hottest home designs of 2014 incorporate groups of the iconic flower — and often in new and exciting ways. “Get orchids out of a windowsill, designers say, and try framing them as art, setting them in a bookcase, or even hanging them upside down from the ceiling,” Cleveland.com suggests. Dark purple orchids can be used as a color pop in rooms with neutral color schemes. Orchids are also available in white and yellows, perfect shades to contrast dark furnishings or black walls (another top trend this year).

  • Learn the Art of Feng Shui

“The art of feng shui has been practiced in ancient Chinese cultures for centuries but is now being integrated into Western interior design and architecture. According to feng shui, everything has a positive or negative energy,” HGTV reports. Although the concept of feng shui may seem complex (and it is), homeowners can relatively easily draw inspiration from the art by dividing up spaces in a harmonious and aesthetically pleasing way.

Japanese or Shoji room dividers are great pieces to get started. Shoji dividers, typically manipulating light with frosted glass or paper screens, date back to the 16th century. The paper screens remain trendy today. They’re light, portable, and easily adjustable — should you need to rearrange or rethink the design of a particular room.

Today, trendy Western home’s include a lot of elements that evoke the serenity of Asia. Infuse your home with well-placed Asian accents, including bamboo, Chinese porcelain, and frosted glass, decorate interiors with elegant orchids, and feng shui rooms using carefully chosen furnishings and classic Shoji screens.

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