Detail from a Chinese armorial screen of the Qing Dynasty, Peabody Essex Museum. Intricate black and gold scene of people and animals in a Chinese walled palace, circa 1725.

Chinese Interior Design

A Long Tradition of Formal Elegance What westerners tend to think of as traditional Chinese interior design has primarily been the style of Chinese aristocrats and successful merchants. It emphasizes wealth and status, and tends toward formality. Symbolism is deeply embedded in many elements of Chinese culture, and this is true of not only the […]

Detail of a 17th century Persian carpet with a traditional design based on botanical sources. A balanced, bilateral design showing a stylized flower on a stalk is in blue, gold, orange, and white tones on a red background.

Asian Interior Design

The term “Asian interior design” is misleading—there’s no single Asian design style. Sixty percent of the world’s population lives in Asia’s nearly 50 countries. What Westerners describe as Asian design is usually a combination of elements from multiple cultures. Rooms described in North America or Britain as Asian-inspired usually have a few easily recognizable Japanese […]