Add Global Style to Your Design

Add Global Style to Your Design



It is often desirable to bring a feel, or 'taste' of another culture or country into your home via your interior design. Introducing design elements from countries such as China, France or even the Caribbean can add a unique look and feel to your home. The goal is not to create a themed room, but rather to inject 'just enough' to give you a true sense that you have a bit of another part of the globe in your home.

Here are some examples of how you can incorporate international design elements into your home; Lacquer red paint on an accent wall or on a table, a rustic wooden horse sculpture on an entry hall console table or an alter style table behind your family room sofa will bring to mind thoughts of China. The French countryside calls for a palette of cornflower blues and sunny yellow combined with crisp white. Table linens from Provence a top the dining room table topped with a large chipped crockery vase of colorful flowers will do the trick. If you are looking for the more urbane feel of Paris, a chandelier in the master bedroom or the dining room adorned with crystal drops and constructed with curving wrought iron, also bed linens or an upholstered ottoman in the classic Toile de Jouy style of fabric will get you closer to the Eiffel tower. We have the heat, but not the beach, so adding a touch of the tropics to your home can mentally take you to the islands (Pina Colada anyone?). Painting the walls a beautiful shade of Caribbean Sea blue will definitely set the stage. A sisal or jute rug underfoot will bring a bit of the beach to your home. A large wooden bowl filled with real or faux tropical fruits will add color to the center of a kitchen island or the middle of a coffee table in a family room. Rattan furniture with white canvas cushions in the family room also suggests the feeling of the Caribbean. Linens or accessories that celebrate the pineapple motif definitely have a place in Caribbean décor. A fish tank filled with tropical fish surrounded by large scale shells is a great way to accessorize a console table.

Some national retail vendors that represent the wares of foreign lands include Pier One Imports and Cost Plus World Market. Even Target has a Global Markets section in their home goods area. With airfares sky rocketing and the value of the dollar declining overseas, we can still 'visit' another country or culture by bringing aspects of that country or culture into our homes via our interior decorating choices.

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