Take the Oriental route...

Running a single theme across an entire home sounds like a lot of work. The colours have to match, furniture has to be complementary, and the accents shouldn’t repeat. But, here are some ideas to decorate your home in an Asian theme that is both simple and easy to implement. All you need is an eye for detail and a bit of creativity and you are set to rule in your Asian-inspired home. Salient features

Asian decor is all about simple, rustic elements, love for big spaces and bold colours. Asia is a colour-loving continent. While the colour red is considered lucky by the Chinese, the colour yellow is considered royal in Thailand. So, go bold and bright in terms of colours for your Asian-themed home. 

Shades of red, yellow, green, saffron and gold suit Asian homes well. Go in for shades that make you feel warm, cosy and inviting. You can always mix and match different shades that are complementary to each other.

As soon as the word ‘Asian’ comes to mind, all we think of is a Buddha or Krishna statue in terms of artefacts. But it’s time to move beyond that and explore many other options. You can choose among Chinese porcelain figurines, terracotta pots, wicker baskets, bamboo vases and metal works of art.

You can spread these artefacts across the entire home or just create a small display in any corner. Something as simple as a bonsai plant in your room can lend an Asian feel. Get a Chinese painting to adorn the walls of your home. 

You can also get scrolls that either depicts certain rituals or beautiful calligraphy. Get a Shoji screen — a Japanese sliding door made of translucent paper and wood for your bedroom, and let it speak for itself. Source some local artefacts from different places and use them to lend a unique appeal to your home. 

Get the marbled artwork of Turkey, terenang (angular-shaped jar to store water) from Malaysia, or thundukunaa mats from Maldives, or the singing bowls from Nepal for your Asian home.

Water features are an important part of every Asian decor. Invest in some small-sized water-based decor artefacts that have cascading water and a simple statue or a bonsai plant amidst water.  You can also go simple with some window blinds that have oriental designs on them. Curtains with Asian prints can themselves be charming and alluring. Delicate Chinese porcelain accents render any space Asian.

Go in for porcelain plates, vases, lamps, jewellery boxes and pots. Adorn the floors of your home with some authentic Asian rugs and mats like a tatami mat. This is a traditional mat made of rice straw and wood and even has its own placement style.

Local materials like grass, bamboo, maize and wild straw are used in Oriental mats and are great comfort during the winters. Asians have always been known for their intricately-designed rugs. So, bring in an adraskan Afghani rug or get a hand-knotted floral-designed Kashmir rug for the floors in your home. The Persian carpets are so detailed that you can put them on the wall as an art display.

A right mix

If you want an Asian-inspired home, let wood dominate your spaces. Look for wood common to a certain region. Like Burmese teak for your coffee table, Indian rosewood for cabinets, Chinese elm wood for your bed and Japanese red pine wood for floors. Make sure every aspect of the decor is ethnic and true to Asia. 

So, get some antique trunks to store all your knick-knacks and handmade screens that can save big on space. You can also use an antique wooden door with brass handles to lend a rich appeal to a space. 

Bring in an Indian wooden swing and deck it up with rich Balinese cushions to present a beautiful combination of two cultures. For a more ethnic touch, go in for low-style seating for your dining space.

Get bedspreads in traditional prints like natural scenery, wildlife, local art and abstract designs. If you love colours, then bedspreads in Afghani crochet pattern are the ones for you. Turkish throws are an easy way to bring the Asian theme to life in your home.  

Go crazy with fabrics

Fabrics are a huge factor to be considered here. Since Asia is the hub of some of the most beautiful fabrics the world has seen, you can indulge your home in them. Go in for silk suzani, which is an embroidered textile from Central Asia, for your cushions or just frame them for your walls. Cotton, mohair, silk, felt, wool and lace can be used across your home furnishings.

Lighting can play a major role rendering your home Asian. A group of differently-sized Chinese lanterns hung above your bed can make every night magical.  Use native oil lamps of India as a part of a display on your shelf. Paper and screen lamps, and porcelain lamps in oriental designs can make any space look spectacular. 

Move beyond your local boundaries and travel to corners of Asia within the four walls of your home with some Asian decor.