SFGate

TanCalGal The Upward Bound House by Elizabeth Bomberger

In one of your other posts, you show the photo, "Upward Bound House". Is this the color of your kitchen walls? Here is another kitchen with similar colors. Camilla Molders Design

Here R some low tables & chairs. click. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Low+Asian+Dining+Table&qpvt=Low+Asian+Dining+Table&FORM=IGRE

Cancork Floor Inc. I'm going to suggest a "bamboo" mimic cork floor (because that's what I do...cork flooring). I do this because a tremendous amount of people have used this floor to CREATE an asiatic feel to their space.

Please enjoy the photos as well as the floor. Perhaps there are design elements in the photos (other than the floor) that inspire you!

Aja Mazin ..

inkwitch Suggest you go to a book store and look at decorating books with Oriental style in mind. Most Oriental is either mostly neutrals and earth tones with pops of color (lacquer red, vermillion - what color is that? saffron, cobalt blue). I bet houzz has a few ideabooks about Oriental.

Cork floors will work. It's natural and a renewable resource. It's probably more reasonable than teak. Check out bamboo. It's less expensive too, and comes in various shades.

Re-doing your kitchen to Oriental means pulling out all those lights (which I'd do no matter what style you choose). Your kitchen looks empty. It needs a counter from the wall at the end of what currently exists. Something with a distressed wood countertop and two stools (tall or short). The cabinets can be painted according to your color scheme (lacquer red on top, glossy black below? Remove the inset on the uppers and replace with a carved lattice design?)

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design I would add an Asian style wallpaper to the walls...perhaps only the wall against which you were standing when you shot the photo, if there is a wall there as I suspect there is. The other walls could be painted the background color of the wallpaper. The Asian chest, below, would look great against the wallpaper. I like the glass top table below for the dining area, even tho it's not truly Asian. Adding brass drawer pulls to the cabinets would leand an Asian air to them.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

Darzy Hello Caroyln Albert. Nice to "see" you! As always, great suggestions for this kitchen.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design Thanks, Darzy! How's the new year treating you?

decoenthusiaste Here is a beauty for inspiration.

Darzy @Carolyn.. so far so good! How about you? Have a good New Years?
shannel...I think simple, asian inspired chairs would look nice (in a wood tone closer to your cabinets) and keep the kitchen simple with clean lines. I like deco's photo with the nice oval chandelier.

Cabell Design Studio Hello shannel,

Some nice suggestions for you so far. What is your budget?

For a 'wow' factor you might think about painting in red lacquer either the walls or the cabinets and installing strongly Asian influenced hardware. Neither of these two suggestions would break your budget. Examples below:

For a more invested decision, try a strong oriental rug and/ or an oriental drapery treatment at the window. Of course, anytime you can introduce a piece of chinoiserie you will invoke the orient. Or a rustic chinese table.... And add asian inspired accessories, like the following chandelier:

A few Houzz examples for your inspiration:

Moroccan Lounge

2 E. 63rd Street

Living Room Bar

Cloisonne Chrysanthemum Pull

Chinese Custom Rug Designs 1

Chinese Custom Rug Designs 2

Vintage Chinese Butcher's Table

Low Sideboard

Shanghai Lantern - SALE - LAST ONE


Best of luck with your decorating and please let us know if we can be of any assistance,

Elizabeth
Cabell Design Studio

drop_the_walls Floor idea is good. Light has to go! I like this one: http://www.lightingshowplace.com/maxim-10993wsrc-roasted-chestnut-asian-themed-3-light-23-5-wide-bathroom-fixture-from-the-asiana-collection/f349499

Also, plants are easy to add when you're done with everything else and still have space

Darzy BTW..visit used furniture consignment stores. You can get some really good deals on asian dining sets as people who have had for years looking for a different style take their quality furniture there.

drop_the_walls How much do you want to do? Like new counters, cupboards, paint, etc?

groveraxle Love the pics from decoenthusiaste. Here are some more:
Holt 1
Holt 2
Kim Johnson- renovated kitchen
Asian design tends to be very simple, understated, and elegant. I wouldn't go for the Chinese restaurant look.

Cancork Floor Inc. Groveraxle, love the "Japanese" side of Asia presented there! I guess a basic question would be for Shannel - "Chinese", "Thai", "Japanese", "Indonesian", "Mongolian"?

Which "Asian" is your "favourite"? (I personally like the sleek design elements of traditional Japanese with the "Wow" factor of one major piece...but that's me!).

lwilson126 I actually have an oriental rug in my kitcen. Takes a beating and looks amazing. All bugets on these.

lpmenache You really have a blank slate to start with and that is good. I would paint the walls a cinnabar color which is an orangy red, add a pagoda style tole chandelier and Funritnure that has an oriental feel. Put some blue and white blue willow plates on the walls. The best place to get ideas is a blog called Choisserie Chic. Daily posting with great ideas.

shannel thanks for your suggestions. i do aplogize for being to basic. I when I say oriental, i meant to say Japanese. I guess because i grew up there I automaically think everyone knows. Im glad u agree.

shannel i really appreciate everyones ideas! I am definatly drooling over the shoji dividers!! My budget is very cheap! LOL. im taking it one step at a time.

shannel here is a pic of my kitchen with the walls painted blue. I like the red, was thinking about doing a different acccessory color but since im going for japanese style i think the red looks good. let me know wha you suggest to this now that you see the embellished blue on the wall.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design I never lived in Japan, so I hesitate to say this, but the shade of blue I see on your walls is not what I think of as typically Japanese. I think of the blue that is in the blue and white porcelains as a Japanese blue, and I see it in a blue and white scheme, not blue and red.

shannel here is a seating arrangment that i was crushing over when i first got my condo. I was thinking of putting a straight low table against the left side wall with the round seats and directly across i was going to do a high bar table for company who does not want to sit on the floor.

TanCalGal I like the colors.

Very much like your inspiration photo of "upward bound house" (above).

The flooring tiles are shoji screen in shape!

shannel caroyln there is no limit when it comes to japanes style/fashion. your eye will only let you see as far as you let it. if you look at the pic that olldj22 posted with the blue , red, gold etc you may get a feel of the look im going for. Maybe i should not have said japanese. i just want an oriental style kitchen, feng shui feel to my home...

shannel olldj22 thank you for your inspirations, i was thinking of covering my tile flooring but i love it so much! a friend suggested i add a wooded baboo type covering once i get my table situated.... maybe i should just leave it bare?

TanCalGal I'd leave floor bare. Easier to care for bare. Also, floor looks in good condition & matches appliances. If you look at your Asian inspired inspiration photo, the designer used quite a bit of white (bedding, lamp base) as a contrast to the blue, red, cream & yellow colors.

FYI: The inspiration photo was described as Asian or Asian inspired by Becky Harris and several other designers here.


Possibly after you get low table, a tatami mat under the table?

shannel YESSSS Olldj22 you are in my head!!! LOL! I was thinking the same thing about the tatami mat under the table. So do you agree with a high table directly across from the low table?? for those who cant sit that low?

shannel the color of my kitchen walls is Embellished Blue, a color I got from Home Depot.

shannel loving the camilla molders design , olldj22 posted!!

TanCalGal Most kitchens do not have room for 2 tables. Measure the tables that interest you and the floor space, too. Start with the low table and maybe use a temporary folding bridge table for the few times you'll need it?

shannel my dining area is HUGE!!! :) i would just have to have the tables against each wall, but the low table would look beaut in the middle!

TanCalGal Sounds good.

kitasei If your taste runs to Japanese rustic, this Canadian company makes beautiful components: http://www.greenteadesign.com/kitchen-cabinets.html.

kitasei Carolyn, blue and red actually is a very Japanese combination. The blue is the faded indigo of yukata and the red is the bright red of wedding kimono linings. The red can also be the shibui red of old lacquerware.

shannel kitasei, genki? Thank you so much for the site that you posted! it really helped me get a good look on how i want my home to be. Domo.

kitasei I came across this kitchen island with a Japanese flavor and thought of you!