There is a tremendous abundance of home decor styles today, oriental being one of the newest to gain a popular following. Oriental decor has not been popular in the mainstream for very long, but it is arguably gaining popularity faster than any other home decor style has in a long, long time. Just what exactly is oriental home decor? It is important to first define clearly what oriental style is – and what it is not.

Authentic or Cliché?

The most important distinction in determining whether something is an authentic oriental item, or whether it came from a tourist shop in Chinatown, is how “Zen” it is. Real oriental home decor is understated as a rule. Home decor from a tourist shop in Chinatown may decorate your home as well. But is it oriental? The short answer is no. Items from tourist shops are generally everything but understated, and are marketed to appeal to shoppers looking for keepsake items and souvenirs. It does not appeal to a consumer who is leafing through an interior designer’s portfolio, searching for pages that focus on oriental home décor.

Defining Authentic

Decoration that is authentically oriental is usually quite understated. On the one hand, it can involve only color, pattern and the occasional symbol that makes it oriental, such as very detailed flowers or nature scenes. However, oriental home decor does not have to be plain to be authentic. It does have to be absolutely beautiful, and it must be ‘Zen’. It cannot be frantic, and it cannot loudly proclaim its oriental qualities. The most beautiful and authentic oriental home decor would not even be identified as oriental by most people.

The simplest examples of oriental home decor, although they are not always identified as oriental, are vases with birds or flowers on them. Apart from what is depicted on such a vase, you will also notice that, most oriental vases are much smaller in size than their western counterparts are. In addition to vases, there is a multitude of fine china available from Japan that many people use as home decor instead of as dinnerware. Noritake is perhaps the most well-known example; Noritake plates with birds or even with a simple gold rim adorn the walls of many homes that could be showcased for their oriental home decor.

The key to effective oriental home décor is simple; think understated, think balanced and think beautiful. With these three elements in mind you can transform any room into one that is enhanced by oriental home décor.

Decorating with bright sea colors is popular in any geography. Clear blues and bright whites trimmed with a little red for a lighthouse is a décor that is cheerful and clean-looking. And nautical home décor is perhaps the easiest style to create on a budget.

Use your Vacation Days

Nautical home décor is simply a matter of bringing outdoor things inside. Free items like seashells, sand, or driftwood evoke the sea very effectively. Your vacation is the best time to gather up some items for your home. Sea treasures look good displayed in an oversized clear vase, stacked on bookshelves or hung on the wall. All you need is a little basic hardware to turn your found items into a decoration or adornment.

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Life for sailors is brutal; working on a windswept boat, getting knocked around by storms, and being beaten by waves. Boats and seagoing equipment do not look too pristine after they have worked the ocean for years. And luckily for the decorator, this distressed, sea-worn look is inexpensive to use in nautical home decor.

For example, in a Louis XIV room the glassware would have to be fine, French antique vases. By contrast, the glass décor in a nautical home is more likely to be an old, worn lantern, or a retired glass float. It is clear which style is more affordable, and which style you are more likely to find in a quaint collectibles shop or Main Street antique mall.

Likewise, an oar or fishing pole from an antique store does not have to be finely refinished to be a good decorative accessory. Let the oar be splintered or worn; that is how it would actually look at work in the water.

Classic is Everywhere

Ships, boats, sails, and seashells are decorating trends that are always fresh. Sometimes it may necessary to update your fabric choices. But the general themes and colors of nautical home décor never go out of style. This is advantageous for the home decorator.

First, unless you get tired of nautical home décor, there will never be any need to completely overhaul your interior design. Since it is always in style, you can shop for last year’s (or even the last decade’s) nautical accessories. This translates to savings on reproduction nautical home décor at discount stores.

The best fabrics for nautical home décor are cotton canvas, usually in shades of ecru or blue. Coincidentally, this is also very inexpensive and sturdy cloth for furniture and even curtains.

You want to update the look of your home, but are unsure of how to go about it. Your house is filled with a jumble of different looks, and you have no idea which look to keep. Well, if you want to update your home with some modern home décor, you are going to have to completely start from scratch.

Modern Home Décor Rule #1: Simplicity

Modern homes are all about using minimal decoration. Although this look is often associated with artists, if you were to look in a fashionable home décor magazine right now, you would notice that many rooms are decorated with only several pieces of furniture. It is in this way that minimalist home décor resembles minimalist paintings.

This minimalist look has been incorporated into modern home décor as a stress-lessening technique. Nowadays, so many people are stressed that to come home to clutter can make things even worse. Thus, create more space and less stress by incorporating the minimalist look into your modern home décor.

Modern Home Décor Rule #2: Technology

All modern homes come equipped with technology. Technology in home décor means, most often, the incorporation of an entertainment system. It is important to create an entertainment system area in the family room of your home, as it will be the central place for any social gatherings.

Televisions nowadays are coming equipped with built in VCRs and DVD players, so you have the option of purchasing one of those. Or, you can purchase a plasma, or flat-screen television, and connect a DVD player of your choice to it. These kinds of televisions, because they do not take up much space, have become quite popular.

Modern Home Décor Rule #3: Windows

You might notice that more and more homes are being built with lots of windows. Some of these windows are so large that they actually take up an entire wall. The idea behind lots of windows is to make the home look more open. If you own a home that only has a few windows, put lighter shades or curtains on them for the same effect.

Your Choices

In the end, while you can look to magazines and the internet for modern home décor ideas, it really comes down to how you want to decorate your home. Whatever you choose to do, be sure that it allows for more space and less stress.