Oriental Designs - article about Oriental Designs

Oriental designs are sweeping the nation, becoming some of the most popular decorative motifs in America today. Oriental tattoos, oriental posters, and oriental stencils are just some of the many products that incorporate the rich artistic heritage of the East into the modern, well made consumer products of the west. And of course, oriental rugs, with their complex, beautiful weaving and unparalleled craftsmanship, are an enduring classic which grace the floors and even walls of many homes.

Some of the more popular oriental designs come simply from the Chinese alphabet. These are called Conji, and are not letters in the traditional western sense. Rather, each character is what is known as an ideogram – a symbol representing a whole word or concept. This is very useful, because it allows Chinese people speaking widely different dialects to write in mutually comprehensible script. The Conji are very beautiful, and are incorporated in many oriental designs – particularly in tattoos. If you are going to get Conji tattooed on you, be careful. Sometime the oriental designs shown in the tattoo shop do not mean quite what they are supposed to. Most American tattoo artists do not know Chinese, and it is safe to assume that they have never checked to make sure that the oriental designs which they tattoo incorporate the correct symbols.

Many people use oriental designs in embroidery. They have a sort of exotic grace and decorousness that western designs don't, and so add a little spice to any craft project. Oriental designs can also be used to decorate dishes, furniture, and many other household products and surfaces. There is even wallpaper with oriental designs on it, which can lend any living room an exciting elegance that will surprise you. Some of my favorite Asian products are Korean blankets, which are soft, heavy, warm, and covered in beautiful oriental designs depicting animals, forests, and other scenes from nature.

Of course, the only way to guarantee the authenticity of the oriental designs which decorate your home is to by actual oriental products instead of assembling your own. I live in San Francisco, where there is a large Asian community, so it is easy for me to find all types of household goods decorated with beautiful oriental designs, but you might live in an area where they are more scarce. Nonetheless, we import so heavily from Asia that, if you look hard enough, you should have little trouble finding its influence in the consumer goods which you purchase.

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