10 Decor Favorites: Asian Styling at Bungalow 5

Shanghai 2-Drawer and 2-Door Cabinet

Home goods and furniture companies are preparing their fall collections, and we've been receiving previews of what will be coming your way in the consumer interior design market. Today's collection previews to the professional design trade will trickle down to stores and design clients' homes in the future. One trend we noticed from the new collections from Bungalow 5 Furniture is a focus on Asian influences. In fact, with mirrored furniture like the Shanghai Cabinet (above), we're getting an interesting mash-up of Hollywood Regency glamour injected into more traditional Asian styled pieces.

Legend Temple Jar

This will definitely help designers fit these Asian-inspired pieces into a wider variety of decorating schemes: the mirrored looks will go well with practically anything in the range from contemporary to traditional, while truly eclectic spaces will benefit from a sprinkling of Asian accents. A good rule of thumb: if the colors and forms of the pieces are harmonious and appealing, relating well to other elements in the room you're decorating, then go for it! Here are a few more Asian looks we found in the upcoming Bungalow 5 collections; click on each photo for more product information.

Kyoto Lamp

Roxanne Covered Mei Ping Jar in Turquoise Glazed Porcelain

Shanghai Console

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Mirror, Mirror on the Floor!

(Perth Mirrored Chest from Hayneedle)Which furniture is the fairest of them all?  All right, it’s not Snow White but since Hollywood has been churning out endless remakes of this fairytale, I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and transform it to an interior design fairytale – my kind of bedtime story!

My client, Miss Dina Dithering, (all names changed to protect them) can’t decide on the style of furniture she wants in her home.  First she wants contemporary then she wants classic.  Last week she loved the silver colors; this week it’s only true blue.  Do you have one of these clients?  We can’t move forward; we’re stuck in a murky, sticky swamp.

I offered her some tempting styles:  how about Scandinavian? Georgian? Arts and Crafts?  NO! She cried, “That style is too cold; that one is too expensive; the other is too heavy!”  And down the line, she crossed them all off.

(Mirrored Chest from Elizabeth Austin)Oy vey, help me. And then like a fairy godmother on speed dial, my vendors came to the rescue!  I was showered with some glorious photos of mirrored furniture. Ahhh, glamorous, contemporary or classic, and they reflect any color in the room. Here were some selections that I showed to my client. The above two were chests: the Perth chest from Hayneedle a more neoclassically-styled chest and the Elizabeth Austin chest, a contemporary version with etched circles.

(Amelie Lingerie Chest from Neiman Marcus)To introduce some old-world glamour into the bedroom, I showed her the Amelie Lingerie chest from Neiman Marcus.  The lingerie chest has a warm golden burnished finish.  Another classically-styled furniture is the Bethel Mirrored Vanity which shows off Greek swags and rosettes with gold painted details.

(Bethel Mirrored Vanity)After some further hemming and hawing, Miss Dina Dithering finally picked a few of the pieces to complement the rest of her furniture in a very eclectic design.  When you want to provide a touch of glamour and an unusual contemporary note, go ahead and bring in mirrored furniture to mix with the usual wood pieces. You may finally get a happily ever after! 

Interested in learning more about furniture?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.