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.

I was quite inspired by the Gotthenburg apartment mentioned in our last post, so thought I would research the subject “small open plan apartments” and found this little treasure in the heart of Manhattan (although you wouldn’t think so…) Owned by artist Anne Becker and decorated with the help of interior designer Gregory Bissonnette, this place is the definition of a well- travelled home, with a wealth of carefully- selected and mostly mismatched objects and home accessories from around the world…

The flat actually looks much bigger than it really is, thanks to some great planning and clever finishing touches. Nothing in the apartment is actually closed off. Instead the rooms are separated by shutters, folding screens and curtain partitions, making the space and light just flow through…  The furnishings are also mostly really low, giving the area an oriental, zen like feeling on the one hand, but also contributing to making  the ceilings look higher and the space larger.

The living area is a mismatch of furniture in different styles, from different continents and even different eras (see disco ball to the left of the window!). I love the tiny hints of colour and although there are many colours at work here – I can see red, yellow, purple, beige, brown, blue, to name a few - it all works as they are muted, soft tones rather than bright shades. Note: The sofa looks scarily similar to our very own Tribeca corner sofa and the mini black tea set sitting on the Moroccan style table looks exactly like our bestselling Chinese tea set!

This is Anne’s office space apparently, doesn’t it look cosy? I would love to work in an office like this, although I can’t imagine I would get a lot of work done! Our office feels quite boring now in comparison to this – we have the dog part covered, but that’s about it really!

Not quite sure what this room is, maybe the yoga- practising/ meditating area? It does seem to be an extension of the living area, but I can’t imagine it is used a dining room? The pouffes are far too low and there’s no dining table for a start…

With the large hanging lantern, carved white painted shutters and colourful linen, this bedroom screams Morocco and it’s such a pity they haven’t gone for a chunky, gold headboard or something – it would have literally taken the bedroom up a notch – the bed just looks empty and “poor” now…

Ahaa, so this must be the dining room! It’s a great room, so calm and exotic. I absolutely love the rustic low- level table (don’t think you can find that type of furniture anymore, have to get it custom-made these days) and the curtain separators remind me of those flowing curtains that you can see hanging from pergolas in beach houses in LA.

At first glance, the kitchen seems quite boring in comparison to the rest of the flat, but actually it has some genius finishing touches, like the chunky wooden beams on the ceiling, the mismatched bar stools and the carved out area on the kitchen bar, which Anne has used to display large stones she’s brought back from her travels!

The master bathroom is a tribute to concrete, a little too rough – looking for my taste, but impressive nevertheless.

As great as open-plan living is,  it’s not usually a good idea to extend this to the bathroom… In this case though it works – the view out to the living room  makes the bathroom feel much larger, and with the help of a roller blind, you can decide whether you want to bathe while watching TV (on your living room flat screen TV and not on some tiny bathroom TV hidden in a hole that costs the earth) or if you prefer to take your shower in privacy.

All-in-all, this is a great little find and shows how much one can do with a small space… Well done Anne and thanks to Elle Decor for these fab photos. Now that Domino is gone, we’ll be using you more and more for inspiration!

Made from reclaimed Pine, solid Alder wood and Ash wood in traditional oriental black or red, every piece is a work of art. Both streamlined and incredibly luxurious, the whole collection, from the coffee table to the wardrobes to the dining chairs is sure to complement any space.

Here is a little taster…

Bali coffee table £490, Bali cube table £195

Bali dining table £490, Bali leather carving chairs £249, Hanoi console table £299

Hanoi large wardrobe £720, Hanoi double chest of drawers £699, Bali bed £699

Hanoi trunks (in black or red) £175

Bali carving chairs £198

Bali dining chairs £159