Page 22 - VE Magazine - Issue 42

22 / October-November 2018 / ve
www.vintagexplorer.co.uk
A modern day living room with a rare George Nakashima lamp sat on the fireplace designed in 1974, and made from walnut, rosewood, cedar and parchment. Isamu Noguchi’s stylish Rudder Stool for Herman Miller designed in 1944 from carved walnut, and steel
some constants, namely including organic materi- als like wood, which is intrinsic to any Modern Oriental interior, and everything in the room is to be considered.
Now, as with everything, there are top-end ver- sions of this style as shown by the likes of London based dealers, Talisman. They describe this look: “Modern Oriental, incorporates a fusion of several styles. From the innately minimalistic and zen Japanese style to the opulent and grand Chinese style. You can find a balance and harmony between the styles by indulging in key pieces that will not over complicate the interior”. Their exquisite 1950s red velvet ebonised armchairs and 1960s Asian Modern cabinet are stunning examples of such key pieces. Whilst Houston based dealers, The Exchange Int, bring together a selection of rare
pieces to the table from designers such as George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, Vladimir Kagan and Paavo Tynell to create stunning, carefully con- sidered room sets with a subtle Oriental feel.
I however, thought it would be an interesting exercise to take some of these tips on board and create my own interpretation of Modern Oriental from items I had to hand in our showroom space.
We had bought an attractive black lacquered Chinese-looking sideboard at auction recently, which wasn’t particularly old but had the most stylish and simplistic brass handles – this would be a great starting point. I began looking around for pieces to help me create my Oriental inspired shot, and managed to pull together a Japanese Obi wed- ding sash I’d found in a box for a splash of colour; a pair of lamps, very much in the style of James Mont
www.theexchangeint.com