Host Susan Blake introduces designer Andrea Hawkins, who created an interesting and eclectic living room with an elegant Asian theme. Expensive imported antiques like a tonsu chest, and gilded and embroidered textiles work beautifully with the neutral background, layered wood tones and intricately detailed accessories. The soothing color palette uses the colors of nature in off-whites to browns, greens, and as an accent, a deep, rich red.Transforming the Makeover Room
Below are steps used to transform a rather bare white living room with dark wood trim and plenty of space into a serene but visually interesting Asian-themed space:
- Moved the neutral white sofa away from the window to the center of the room and replaced the white shutters on the window with bamboo Roman shades.
- Used a $400 drop-leaf Chinese chest with deep wood tones to establish the room’s focal point and a clear Asian style.
- Switched the wall sconces on either side of the chest to ones with crinkled rice paper shades to further enhance the Asian theme.
- Stamped sage-colored Asian designs on cream-colored fabric to make throw pillows for the couch and finished them with leather ties.
- Draped a fuchsia-colored sari over the edge of the couch for contrast and drama. Using the bright pink fabric helped reduce the cost of the sari, since red is used for weddings and is much more expensive.
- Placed a black iron scroll console table with a glass top behind the sofa to anchor it.
- Accessorized the table with a Vietnamese wood carving.
- Spray-painted a damaged birch table with simple lines in black to use as a coffee table.
- Accessorized the table with a black cotton floor pillow; a pedestal created by turning a red bowl upside down and placing a red platter on top of it, then dressing it with three pillar candles and walnuts around their base; a Japanese teapot; a red lacquer dish; and a Chinese dragon.
- Used a white canvas armless chair for extra seating and draped it with a sari and pillow.
- Placed a round cherry wood drum table ($140) beside the chair and added a tea service and rice bowl to a black lacquer tray for accessories.
- Used a wood Chinese chair for more seating and embellished a cream satin pillow with beading in an Asian design to imitate the pattern of the pillow from the Inspiration Room.
- Accessorized the large cabinet with items in a variety of heights, like stacked boxes spray-painted red, three unmatched pots filled with willow branches, tall candles and holders, baskets, gourds and a contemporary Japanese painting
The Bottom Line
To see where the savings are, take a look at this direct cost comparison of some Inspiration Room items and the creatively comparable ones used in the Makeover Room:
Silk throw pillows and accessories, $1,725 / Stamped pillows and sari, $160
Black Chinese bench and accessories, $3,900 / Birch table and accessories, $265
Designer chair and drum stand, $3,800 / Table and chair, $265
Black lacquer chair, $1,775 / Chinese chair, embellished pillow, $85
Imported Japanese designer urns, $1,900 / Sensible substitutes, $165
Red lacquer wood boxes, $900 / Spray-painted gift boxes, $35
The $500 Challenge
If you have only $500 to spend to create the eclectic Asian look of the Inspiration Room, makeover designer Andrea Hawkins recommends starting with a tonsu chest as the room’s focal point. Add inexpensive elements like the red stacked boxes, candles, and natural touches like the willow and walnuts for an Asian feel.
console table, #1856793; bamboo wood screen, drum storage table, ceramic urns, dark woven baskets, iron candleholders - Pier 1 Imports
carving - Tuesday Morning
birch table (Bonde), sconces (Orgel) - IKEA
red lacquer platter - Z Gallerie
black floor pillow - Burlington Coat Factory
bamboo Roman shades (Levelor) - Target
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