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The Chinese civilization dates back 4,000 years, making it one of the four recognized ancient civilizations. As you’d expect from a culture so ancient, the Chinese people have developed highly specialized and unique foods, music that can’t be found anywhere else in the world, and holidays and traditions that many in the Western world still don’t fully understand.
Chinese aesthetic design, whether you’re talking about architecture or interior design, is one of the first things that comes to mind when you’re talking about China. Curved rooftops, crimson columns, dragon seals and family crests — these design features, even today, dominate the Chinese landscape. Here in the West, these aesthetic features are part of a new interior design trend that’s being put to use by many of the best interior designers in the country.

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Chinese Wallpaper Wallcoverings, Design Features Once Considered Outdated

As reported by The Buffalo News, the last few decades saw many interior home designers looking down on the classical Chinese aesthetic. Windowed, wooden paneling, sloped rooftops, so-called tranquil gardens — all of these features were considered outdated. Taken together, many home interior designers saw their continued prevalence as a sign that Chinese culture, at least as far as design was concerned, was stagnant.
Now, as China’s economic influence spreads, so, too, does its influence over home interior designers. From classic calligraphic prints to design features that evoke the image of Beijing’s Forbidden City, more and more homeowners are looking for a designer that can bring the ancient wonder, the ancient magic, of Chinese design into their homes.

buddha-statueThree New Interior Design Trends That Scream China

 

Eastern Iconography is Huge

One of the hottest trends right now is also the simplest: more homeowners want to incorporate the image of the Buddha into their homes. Typically, a stone Buddha is added to the center of a room to draw it together, with bright, floral plants spread around the room to give it a more natural feel. In some instances, a red sandalwood deity is used, particularly when hardwoods like maple or cherry are used in the space, to pull everything together, as HGTV points out.

 

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Natural Wallcoverings, Earth Tones in Living Spaces

As the popular interior design community Houzz details, few Chinese-style trends are getting the same amount of traction as the use of natural wallcoverings and earth tones. This typically entails using bamboo wallpaper and large, floral tapestries to give rooms the look of temples that you’d typically only see nestled away in the mountains. The use of these natural colors is said to promote relaxation.

 

An Emphasis on the Flow of Energy

Feng shui, “wind-water” in English, is the method of arranging everything in a room so that energies, both good and bad, can properly flow. Feng shui has been increasing in popularity over the last few decades, and it’s now considered an absolute must for many homeowners. This typically requires a designer with a background in Chinese mysticism to arrange each piece of furniture in a particular way, promoting a healthy home for good spiritual energy.

What do you think of these Chinese-inspired trends? Will you be asking home interior designers to implement some of these trends in your home? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Interior Design 777
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