!8: Shop For Uttermost Floor Lamps: October 2011

!±8± There is More to Chinese Lamps Than The Round Paper Lanterns

Whether you are Chinese in ethnicity or just hope to visit one day, Chinese decorating styles have made their way around the world and are popular all over. The intricate use of porcelain in the build of Chinese lamps that are used for interior decorating with Asian influences is highly regarded in all cultures. In addition to lighting, the unique and ornate furniture that is created with influences of China and Japan, along with their techniques on arranging the items in the home make the Asian culture stand out when it comes to interior design.

Feng Shui is the Chinese art of placement and is essential when using Chinese influences to design your living space. Whether you actually believe that the way you position your furniture has an impact on your financial and physical well being really has nothing to do with it. However, the general principles will also help the furniture flow together a little better and maximize useful space in your room. Lighting will also be placed strategically to light the area appropriately.

When you think of Chinese lamps, chances are that your mind goes directly to round paper lanterns. This is one of the designs you can find, and one of the most popular by far. They are also some of the most versatile design choices, as that can go just about anywhere. Find an empty corner in your home where you may ordinarily put a floor lamp or a table with a lamp on it. Instead of lighting from the ground up, try the opposite. Hang a string of four or five paper Chinese lamps from the ceiling, stopping them just below where the lamp would have stood to. It doesn't take up any more space than a table or floor lamp would have, but it just gives the room a different look and appeal.

Chinese lamps don't have to be paper lanterns, and many different styles of lamps are simply Chinese-inspired. A large, porcelain based lamp can fill up an otherwise empty table and are beautiful on a China hutch or mantle if you have the room. Many are embellished with designs of Chinese writing and pictures, while others are solid colors common in traditional and ancient Chinese culture, like jade and red. The lamp shades on these types of lamps are generally white or cream in color, not to take away from the intricate detail and vibrant colors influenced by the Chinese culture.

These lamps can be very expensive or incredibly inexpensive, depending on where you go and what you're looking for. You don't have to spend a fortune on a stunning Ming Vase lamp when you can get a similar design at a furniture closeout store or second hand. You may pay a premium for design and detail that no one will ever notice but you. Set your priorities as far as which styles are most important to you in your home, then shop accordingly. Because you can use such a large variety of shapes, styles and sizes, Chinese lamps throughout the home can set a distinctive tone and style.