Moving home? Here are some Chinese interior design tips to keep in mind!
Moving house is exciting. If you’ve never lived away from home, you’re finally going to be able to have some independence.
And even if you’re not venturing out alone for the first time, moving house can still be fun. Perhaps you’ll be getting some more space or simply taking the opportunity to downsize.
Regardless, you’re probably frantically scrolling through Pinterest looking for some cool interior design ideas. Either that, or you’ve been taking trips to IKEA, buying everything and anything that takes your fancy. (All the plates! Plastic plants! Endless boxes!)
Spoiler: IKEA is not an ‘aesthetic’. IKEA can help you develop a ‘look’, but you’ll need some inspo to work with.
With that in mind, here are some Chinese-inspired interior décor ideas you should definitely consider.
A brief overview of Chinese interior design
Chinese interior design doesn’t just mean you should stuff your house full of vaguely Chinese-looking items, bamboo sticks and paper lanterns. Not only is that an outdated approach to both design and, you know, life, it also won’t look any good. Plus, these conceptualisations of ‘Oriental’ design are Problematic-with-a-capital-P.
Rather, Chinese interior design focuses on modern luxury and contemporary design. Think sleek interiors, rich, pigmented colours and understated elegance.
However, this is still regularly combined with pseudoscientific concepts such as feng shui, which claims that certain layouts and positions are more auspicious than others.
But how can that be incorporated into your new home? We’re getting to it!
Go minimal
You don’t want clutter in a Chinese-inspired home. Why not? Well, it supposedly stands in opposition to that aforementioned concept of feng shui. So, instead of picking up anything and everything that takes your fancy when shopping for new furniture and homewares, carefully consider what you really need and really want.
A good way to approach this is to buy a statement piece, and develop the feel of your room around that (plus, Chinese design favours bold colour palettes).
It could be a classy, elegant desk. Or, you could find the free-standing lamp of your dreams in a deep maroon colour. Whatever your must-have statement piece, use that to tie together the rest of the minimalist décor. And skip the useless trinkets. Windowsills should, quite frankly, always be left clear.
Embrace the natural light
When you’re weighing up your statement piece options, you’ll want to also think about the natural light sources in your new pad. Maybe you have small windows. In that case, position mirrors strategically opposite them, so the light is reflected and emphasised. And definitely don’t put anything in front of them!
If you have more natural light sources to play with, perhaps consider making one of your windows the focus of the room. If there’s space, pop your bed below the window, but remember that beds should only ever be positioned against one wall if possible!
Get real plants
You might not be a natural gardener, but succulents are robust and cacti are even more so. So, invest in some leafy plants that can help to purify the air in your home and bring in the so-called ‘good energy’.
Besides, any room feels instantly brighter and more homely once there’s a plant in there!
Mix up your textures
Keep your interior interesting by used mixed-material items. The best thing about this Chinese-inspired interior design tip? You can interpret it any way you want, although it’s good to stick to rounded corners and smooth surfaces where possible.
Invest in a luxurious velvet corner sofa, and contrast that texture with a glass-topped coffee table. Then, bring in some visual interest by throwing a mirror into the mix (not literally, of course).
Naturally, if that doesn’t take your fancy, there are plenty of other combos that will.
I know what you’re thinking now though: “how on earth am I going to get all of this stuff to my new home?”.
Well, while we definitely don’t recommend you buy everything before you move (or you’d be drowning in mixed-materials and air purifying plants), you should definitely be buying little by little in the run up to the move.
Then, simply arrange for a removals company to do the hard work of moving it all to your new home for you. You can compare plenty of moving companies over at buzzmove, finding the right one for your needs and price point.
So, are you inspired to incorporate some Chinese-inspired design tips into your home? Let us know in the comments!
Disclosure: This is a featured post.