Western art is often complex, whereas eastern art is simple, strong, and graphic. The use of black in oriental rooms lends definition and form. For example, black is a color in its own right, when used with white rice paper in a shoji screen. Some Japanese textures and materials that immediately come to mind are cedar, rice paper, maple, bamboo, stone, and woven wicker. One might also think of textured silk, tatami floor mats, and the elaborate needlework of kimonos and obi's.
Interior finishes can be highly opposing and contrasting, and yet achieve balance.
Examples are, highly polished floors with heavily textured mats, a lacquered box displayed on top of a rough wooden table, or white pebbles on a polished black granite ledge around a tub. These striking dessert plates boast a traditional Japanese peony design known as karakusa . In Japanese lore, rabbits symbolize longevity. Reproduced from an 18th-century ivory original by Toyomasa. Inc. All rights reserved.