Tag Archives: Zen Garden

How to Decorate a Living Room in the Asian Way

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The Asian way of decorating can create a real sense of serenity in the home. It also works well in smaller spaces, like condo rooms because it is a style that does away with clutter.

Simplicity is at the heart of this style. Keep your lampshades as paper ones. You can get white ones or red ones which are the most authentic. However many China town stores have them in an attractive yellow color that can make quite a style statement. Places like Ikea also have paper hanging or free standing lanterns that add a real sense of atmosphere to a place. Bamboo place mats are also appropriate. Straw mats look very elegant in any room. You can use one to define the seating area of any room.

Oriental parasols can also make very elegant lampshades. You simply saw them to the right length and use them to cover the fixtures. This is a good way of covering over ugly pot hole lighting.

Another classic type of room divider is called a Shoji room divider and using one in a room can really give a room an Eastern flair. These are wood with bamboo paper.

Simplicity and harmony are also at the heart of the window blinds used in this culture. Opt for simple bamboo blinds to give your home a sense of airiness. Bamboo room dividers can also be used to separate one area from another.

To really give your home that Asian look try using an Asia Scroll painting. Hanging a large Asian scroll on your wall gives it a lovely counter point.

You can also make a big Buddha or a collection of Buddha figures the focus of your room. Deerknocker fountains and koi ponds, (fake or real) also make a beautiful addition to any décor.

Another Asian touch is to hang a pair of crossed swords on the wall. This is an ancient placement to protect against evil. Make sure the swords are not that sharp and hung securely on the wall.

Most Asian homes also have an aquarium or fountain of some kind in the room. These can be large or small. A poster of fish, mountains or peonies or a similar type of image printed on your linens can also help.

At tabletop Zen garden is the kind of decoration that also gives your room that Asian Flare. This is just a patch of sand with pebbles in it and a rake. You then use the rake to make patterns in the sand.

Decorating a Meditation Space With Feng Shui

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Are you looking to create the perfect room for meditation? If so then take these tips from the ancient Asian art of object placement known as Feng Shui for creating the perfect peaceful room.

First off, empty the room or area that you are thinking of transforming into a meditation space of absolutely all furniture and clutter. Remove all clunky or annoying looking light fixtures. If any fixtures need fixing, such a plate for an electrical socket, be sure to replace them. There should not be one single thing that is broken or annoying in a meditation space.

The mind is going to be blank and the walls should be too. This means getting out the plaster and covering up any seams or holes in the wall. The room should also be painted in a meditative color of your choice. Choose any color except for white because in Asian cultures that is the color that symbolizes death. Purples, browns, greens and blues are best for meditation rooms.
A meditation room should also be absolutely spotless. Contacting your higher power is easier without the distraction of dirt or unpleasant smells. However it is acceptable to burn incense. There are many types of Asian incenses on the market that are conducive to meditation and even manufactured specifically to facilitate it.

The meditation space itself should be decorated with bamboo mats. This is not necessary if the floor is already bamboo. Wood floors are fine as well as long as they are clean, polished and shiny.

In general there should be no distractions in the meditation space at all but you could hang pictures of Buddhas or other deities if appropriate. This really does depend if your meditation practices are wrapped up with your religious practices. No pictures at all are necessary if your meditation practice is separate from your religion.

Some meditation spaces are augmented by large gemstone rocks. A large crystal quartz or amethyst can give a meditation space a natural flare. Flowers are not really prominent in a Feng Shui’d meditation space however bamboo plants or inconspicuous greenery are allowed.

Another feature of a meditation space might be a Zen Garden. The size of a Zen garden can vary. It depends whether they are indoors or out. This type of garden consists of sand and rocks. Large gardens are made of sand and large boulders. Raking the patterns in the sand with a large or small rake is part of the meditation process. This type of meditation garden is actually Japanese in origin but you also see this type of raked sand in Chinese gardens as well.

Some meditation spaces also have fountains. One of the dangers of having a fountain in your meditation space is that you can end up focusing on the fountain rather than on meditation. However having a fountain in a sacred space is becoming more and more common and is considered acceptable in Feng Shum.