Artistic Taste for Asian Furniture

With the feng shui movement now deeply engrained in the Western culture, amateur and professional decorators are turning to Asian-inspired décor to complement their new found respect for all things eastern.

This passion for the Far East goes beyond throwing a few silk pillows onto a bed or putting a bamboo wall hanging in the dining area; it extends into furniture, too. And it’s no wonder – traditionally Asian designs mix contemporary simplicity with a millennia-old love of the organic. The resulting designs are functional, but also warm and luxurious.

It’s not a surprise that Europeans and Americans are clambering for Asian elements. After all, it’s difficult to feel anything but introspective and serene when you’re surrounded by the soothing sound of a waterfall and the natural beauty of a reminiscently Japanese or Chinese house.

And it’s not just individuals and families who have swung so far to the east in their decorating tastes. Many business leaders are also starting to realize that a calm, relaxing environment de-stresses employees. Therefore, expect to find more flora- and fauna-motivated décor in office spaces as corporations try to “up” productivity by creating a pleasant working atmosphere.

Hotels, too, have joined the Asian décor bandwagon. Though you won’t find a feng shui suite at a basic Motel 6 or Hampton Inn, you’re likely to be offered an Asian-inspired room at some of the finer luxury hotels and spas and even some smaller, niche-market bed and breakfasts or inns. This translates to rooms filled with warm colors, gentle lines, restrained lighting, and soul-soothing auras. (Many may also offer Asian massages and meals, a definite treat for their guests.)

With the mingling of Asian functionality and artistry comes the ability to create a fabulous room where the necessary is also eye-catching. Painted screens lend an Asian tone to any area, while providing a service such as dividing one room into two or creating storage space behind their lovely designs. That’s the true beauty behind the functionality of Asian furniture and accent pieces; like simple-looking Haikus, they have a much deeper meaning.

Asian chairs and sofas are comfortable, but not oversized, thereby eschewing the recent “couch potato” alternatives to streamlined furniture. Instead, Asian lines are organic and smooth; gone are the flamboyant edges of Rococo stylings and whirling Art Deco scrolls of yesteryear. Celebrating the international 21st century are delicate fans, lanterns, and birds instead of gaudy baubles and strong lighting. But make no mistake – these aren’t boring pieces of furniture. In fact, they subtly call attention to themselves, as they are each rich with textures that come from a variety of coverings, from cool cotton to sophisticated silk.
Matte paints (which can be purchased at any home improvement store) color the walls of Asian motifed rooms in deep reds, oranges, and yellows, consequently adding a spicy flavor to any area of a house or office, and immediately setting the tone for an Asian-inspired, contemplative mood. Complimenting the deeply-hued Asian color palettes are rich woods and other materials typically found in Asian furniture.

One such material often used in furniture from countries such as China, Burma, and Laos is rosewood, incredibly beautiful and, from a practical standpoint, resistant to scratches and major damages. Thus, you can find rosewood jewelry boxes, end tables, and chaise lounges, among other items. Unfortunately, rosewood trees are disappearing from Asian forests; however, some very innovative furniture makers are salvaging rosewood planks from demolished structures.

Other exotic items manufacturers typically choose for Asian furniture include coconut shells, leather, and mulberry paper. Though some buyers might be fooled by imitations, more are becoming wise to rip-off pieces; thus, they want and expect the “real stuff.” Fortunately, there are plenty of unique Asian pieces out there, and they allow anyone to decorate a room, house, or office. Whether someone’s budget is modest or “skies the limit”, he or she can and will find something to fit his or her needs.

Some of the more prolific Asian furniture companies include Deco Siam and Lao Coco. For those persons searching for specific items, websites such as www.asiannouveau.com and www.orientalfurniture.com have plenty of options at many different price ranges. Occasionally, www.overstock.com also has items, though availability will vary. Whether you want to furnish a small extra bedroom or an entire hotel, there’s a supplier for you. However, there is a caveat – some manufacturers who create Asian furniture in the Far East and export to the west do not export their items fully assembled.

Whatever your needs, don’t hesitate to jump on the Asian furniture bandwagon today; you’ll only be grateful that you gave yourself and your loved ones the pleasure of an Asian-inspired living space. After all, when you walk into a room and are greeted by the elegance and balance of Balinese, Chinese, or Japanese design elements, you’ll be pleased you chose to follow the trend.

To find out more about Asian Furniture, log onto http://www.Furniture-Asian.com

When considering hotel furniture the U.K. hotel owner, whether a large hotel chain or a single owner must think about finding a balance between choosing hotel chairs and tables that are of a quality that attracts customers and encourages them to come again and recommend the hotel to their friends and being affordable enough that the cost of them does not wipe out any benefit that replacing the old hotel furniture may bring. In these toughest of economic times when banks are at their most cautious with new lending this consideration is especially important and many private owners may consider deferring renewals until the economy improves. Many may not be able to – if their hotel furniture is to the point that it is worn out then the owner has little room for manoeuvre – to wait could mean disaster because they will lose their clientele and so their revenue stream. Of course another consideration is that the disastrous U.K. economy has led to a rapid and extreme fall in the value of the GB Pound again every major world currency, especially the U.S. Dollar and the Euro.

While this has had a real negative effect in terms of the cost of hotel furniture from the USA, Europe and the Far East, the positive effect is that U.K residents considering a holiday for their family this year are sure to be aware of how much extra a holiday to any European country will cost them and must have heard horror stories from their friends about how much more a pint or a meal costs now, let along accommodation if they are arranging this themselves. So there will be many potential holidaymakers in the UK planning a British holiday this year rather than a US or European one. So for the coastal trade and established areas of tourism this must be good news this year with rising demand giving the hotel owner the opportunity to enjoy high occupancy and even – heaven forbid – increase their room rates a little.

Right now there is a bewildering range of hotel furniture available. A simple internet search of hotel furniture will bring up many Companies offering anything from the most modern to the most traditional ranges of hotel chairs and tables in wood or steel, fully upholstered or with solid seat. When choosing a style that is right for their hotel the owner can consider the kind of client that they are attracting already and think if they need to keep the style the same or make changes to reinforce the style they have created or make changes in order to attract a different kind of customer. Of course the interior of the rooms must play a part in their choice too, as a hotel with oak timbered rooms is likely to look more than a little strange with modern chrome plated stacking chairs and steel framed tables!

A traditional hotel looks very attractive with wooden chairs for the bar area, with wooden framed bar chairs with some upholstery at least, traditional designs like the ‘Mates’ or ‘Captains’ chairs being favoured. With these, wooden framed tables with turned wooden legs can be bought in a variety of sizes, round, rectangular or square. Because these are made of natural timber they can be finished in any colour from the natural shade of the timber used through to an attractive rich brown walnut, deep red mahogany or dark Jacobean oak colour. So whatever interior style the dining room has, the hotel tables and chairs can be made to complement it.

For the breakfast and dining areas steel framed chairs and tables are often chosen because they offer good strength at a low price and the chairs can be bought as stacking chairs to give the added advantage of being stackable to save space when the room is required for another function. Right now there is fierce competition between Companies selling this kind of chair, so prices are at their lowest for many years. The frames are available made of steel or aluminium which is lighter but carries a premium in terms of price. These chairs are available with a wide choice of colours, the most popular being gold, silver or black. Recently special printed coatings are also available, so a wooden effect can be achieved. With these chairs it is important to remember that when they are stacked they are heavy, so it is necessary to buy a transport trolley so that staff members can move them without risk of injury. These are not expensive and are often given free of charge with a large order of chairs if the customer requests it.

When choosing the hotel furniture for the bedrooms, the most welcoming look is created with real wooden framed beds and drawer units. Once again, since the recession hit, many Companies are competing hard to retain sales so the hotel owner should be looking for good discounts.

The cheapest timbers for bedroom hotel furniture are rubberwood, from Malaysia and China and Sheesham or Thakat wood from India. These are acceptable timbers for furniture use and again can be stained to colours from natural light colour through to dark Jacobean oak. Good medium priced timbers available are Ashwood, Oakwood and Birchwood, all of which can be bought from factories using ecologically sourced timber farms.

For the more exotic timbers like Mahogany, Kingwood, Rosewood and Cedar, deals are available, but the purchaser should consider the effect buying new furniture of this kind has on the remaining rainforests, as these slow growing timbers are very rarely available ecologically sourced and any claims to that effect should be treated with the greatest suspicion.