Furniture

• Furniture in this style is made from wood painted in intricate designs with brass hardware. Oriental furniture is lower to the ground than that of Western cultures and gives a light and airy feel. Living room chairs have wood frames, with straight backs and just the seats padded. Dining room tables are made of wood and tend to be round instead if rectangular.
  
  

Color Schemes

• The Japanese use white and black with minimal red accents. Other oriental color schemes focus on neutral colors with accents in shades of copper, amber and honey, all colors found in nature. Colors have powerful meanings in Oriental decorating. Red stands for happiness, marriage, prosperity; yellow fights evil, while green represents family, harmony, health, peace and posterity. Blue and purple are for wealth. White also has multiple meanings--children, helpful people, marriage, mourning, peace, purity and travel. Gold is for wealth, gray is for helpful people and wealth, and black is for career, evil influences, knowledge, mourning, penance and self-cultivation
  
  

Accessories

• Accessories used in Oriental home decorating include wall fans, which have frames made of bamboo and panels made of hand-painted paper. These fans can be as large as 60 inches wide and 35 inches high. Shoji screens originated in China and have been an important element in home decorating since the 8th century. They have three panels that fold together and range from 48 to 84 inches high. Wall scrolls come from China and Thailand and measure about 12 inches wide and 24 inches long. They depict traditional Oriental pictures such as dragons, bamboo and delicate flowers. Wooden vases can be small enough for a table or large enough to display on the floor. They can be made from bamboo or exotic woods like mango wood, which is native to Thailand.
  
  

Window Treatments

• Oriental window treatments differ from one county to another. For Japanese-style decor, color choices include green, black, beige and yellow. Embroidery is a big part of Japanese decor and curtains are no exception. A Chinese theme will use the bolder colors from the spectrum, such as darker shades of brown, green, burgundy and mustard. Blinds will be made of bamboo, light colored but woven so tight that they are very effective in keeping light out.
  
  

Floors

• Wood flooring is very popular, especially bamboo. Tiles with an oriental theme are another. Area rugs can be used to tie in with the type of window decor. Bamboo mats will blend with the bamboo shades and embroidered rugs with the curtains.