Oriental Decorating: Whether it’s Japanese interior design with interior lattice work or Chinese feng shui with its arrangement of home furnishings to help create a calm psychological landscape, oriental decorating tends to place a premium on minimalism and using open space as its own style of decorating. his type of modern architecture is in many ways timeless and enduring as it is free of clutter and trend oriented characteristic which are accentuated by the all white interior and exterior.
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The advent of Swedish furniture giant Ikea in Japan in April was likened by domestic rivals to the arrival of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry’s “black ships” in 1853 ending the country’s 200 years of isolation, but some see it now as a chance to expand the nascent home furnishing market in this densely populated country.
Ikea opened its first directly operated outlet in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, just east of Tokyo, boasting a floor space of 40,000 square meters. It is the global retailer’s second attempt to crack the Japanese market after a bid with a joint venture ended in failure 20 years ago.
Weighing its impact, the government’s Japan Investment Council headed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi referred to Ikea in March as a good example of foreign investment in Japan, saying it offers customers “one-stop shopping” service. (more…)
