Our mention in House Beautiful magazine!

We are always delighted when our products feature in the press, but this time we were literally jumping up and down, as not only was our stunning Hanoi oriental white sideboard on one of the first pages of Feb’s issue of House Beautiful but it also took centre stage! Doesn’t it look just gorgeous? We are really really proud of this new range of Oriental White furniture and it seems the press love it too as we’ve had quite a few requests for images of it… Anyway, if you are looking to transform your home into a Hanoi haven, you can check out our full range of oriental furniture here!

All things Oriental

It must be so much more satisfying to able to say you truly love every piece in your home.  Why spend money on something which you feel only half-hearted about, especially when you’ll see it every day?  It may be functional and purse-friendly, but do you really like it?

I envy those who have a home full of memories where every piece has an interesting background, be it something picked-up whilst travelling, or a special gift.  At the same time though, it’s important to have some kind of theme going- you don’t want the room looking like a car boot sale!!  Grazia hit the nail on the head last week, saying “your living room is full of cultural markers- the things that identify who we really are”.  Indeed every room in your house is, so be proud and allow your home to reflect your true personal style!

Here at Coco Målé we love the oriental look, with its rich colours, intricate detail and intriguing history.  I’ve sourced these images below to inspire you and to help you get started on a new look!  Obviously visiting the Far East would be fabulous but lots of authentic pieces can also be found on the internet… and remember – make sure you only buy something you love!

Notice the attention to detail in this room above… the unique headboard, the fans decorating the wall and how the flowers in the vase reflect the colours in the bedding and headboard, bringing the whole look together.  Small touches go a long way. For similar items, check out the oriental furniture range at Coco Målé.

This image above has to be my favourite.  I like the bare stone wall (I’m not sure why… I think it reminds me of a converted New York warehouse or something!! ) and the rich, vibrant colours in the patterned rug and throw.  Even the door follows the theme!

I love how the green really ‘pops out’ from the plain white walls, above.  Keep it simple to avoid overkill.

This image prooves that the oriental look needn’t be a slave to a dark colour pallet.  Are you renting?  If you’re not able to decorate your walls, why not use a screen instead to display an attractive design?  Alternatively, opt for patterned blinds or try framing sections of wallpaper, as seen above.

images from Elle Decor and House to Home

Posted by Emily.

The rise in popularity of Oriental furniture

During a meeting with a magazine journalist the other day, I was asked which style out of our six collections was my favourite? No one had ever asked me this before (and it’s actually a very good question), but I must admit it didn’t take me long to respond!

I should have said that I like all our products equally (which is half-true!) but anyone who knows me or has been to my house, knows that I have a soft (or strong) spot for Oriental decor – so as you can imagine my answer was Memoirs of a Geisha (closely followed by Arabian Nights though…).

For those who are new to Coco Målé, our Memoirs of a Geisha range features a great selection of Oriental furniture, including Oriental cabinets, trunks, dining room tables, beds and more, as well as Oriental decorative items such as Oriental lamps, silk table runners, Shoji screens and chinese tea sets. Check out the whole collection here.

Anyway, I digress… Asian décor is not only loved by myself it seems, but is extremely popular across the whole of the West these days; in fact, so much so that the whole of Hall 1 at the Maison & Objet exhibition in Paris (more about the exhibition to come in a separate post) had more oriental furniture and decorative items than anything else this year!

Oriental trunks, chests and jewellery boxes@ Maison & Objet

Chinese tea set display @ Maison & Objet

I guess it’s partly because Oriental design brings an exotic, authentic touch?

But the rise in its popularity must also be due to the fact that both Oriental furniture and accessories have been contemporised/ westernised and scaled down from a few year’s ago. Without losing their uniqueness and antique, rustic look, Oriental furniture has become less ornate and much more sophisticated and elegant, blending perfectly into today’s lifestyle, whilst home accessories now have just small touches of Oriental influence, for example just a bit of symbolism or dragon designs here and there, instead of being covered in them from top to bottom.

Old versus modern style Oriental Chinese trunks: Hanoi trunks £175

Old versus modern style Oriental cupboards: Hanoi large cupboard £720

Old versus modern style Oriental table runners: Bamboo floral silk tablerunner £46