East West Style: A Design Guide for Blending Eastern and Western Elements at Home
The blending of two vastly different styles achieves stunning results inEast West Style. It's far more than simply adding a Japanese painted screen to your comfortably overstuffed living room--it's about finding beauty in clean lines, unusual textures, and an overall balance of simplicity and opulence. With dozens of glossy photos and simply written text, author Ann McArdle clears the path to a wholly new style, using only the best of both worlds.At first glance, many of the rooms seem a little spare by western standards. On closer examination you'll spot comfortable couches with down-filled cushions, silk bed coverings, and deep baths meant for long, relaxing soaks. One sunny spot behind the kitchen sink is filled with a small rock-and-bamboo Japanese garden, a delightful new use of the ubiquitous bay window. Furniture ranges from the classic Eames chair to a plump, bright-yellow loveseat to an elegantly stark raised platform bed, each looking equally at home in its setting. Dramatic carved screens, Chinese silks, and unique ceramics are added in small doses, rather than as full-blown themes--the idea is to achieve harmony, balance, and a sense of peace that incorporates every element in your home and garden, paying attention to shape and ultimate effect rather than strict conventions.  Accompanying the pages of inspiration is a shopping resource list, which will prove a great help as you head off on your way to a whole new interior style.--Jill Lightner