Asian inspired interior design

A bold approach to colour and some structural change make this apartment something special. Art and modern furniture come together in this richly coloured, Asian inspired interior design.

After spending three years living in South-East Asia, Alison returned to Australia with plenty of decorative souvenirs. Furniture and artwork from India, Singapore and Vietnam was being shipped back home while Alison found a new apartment; its very plain interior provided the perfect canvas for her new items. With the help of some photographs of the pieces, she set about re-creating a new space inspired by Asian design, with the assistance of interior designer and decorator Michele Ardon.

Michele's flair for decoration resulted in a unique melding of Asian art with new furniture items. Following the instructions of her daring client, Michele did not hold back in introducing strong colours (such as the deep red bedroom wall) and complex textures (in matching patterned curtains and bedhead fabric).

"The wall colour is a very solid dark crimson/pink," says Alison. "I wanted some drama for that room."

One of the most striking and perhaps unusual features in the home is the elaborately patterned Ralph Lauren wallpaper used in the entrance hall. More commonly seen in a grand European-style interior, Michele took a gamble using it here and it seems to have paid off.

"The fact that Alison was happy to use lots of colour was fantastic," says the designer. "I had seen the Ralph Lauren wallpaper before and I was sure it would work well with the Asian feel, and also evoke a sophisticated European lifestyle. Fortunately Alison loved the wallpaper and everything else just flowed around it."

Adding to the pieces Alison had brought back from her travels, Michele had other furniture items custom made for the apartment. A desk and chair, rug, side-table and a bedhead to match the bright bedroom wall are all new and designed to work in with the Asian pieces.

While not on the original agenda, some structural changes were also made to the home to open up the space and let light flow through.

"We made some architectural changes after Michele suggested widening a couple of doorways," says Alison. "The doorway into the kitchen now goes all the way to the ceiling, whereas before it was actually a very small and narrow door, only about six feet high."

Another major change to the apartment was the flooring. The standard pale apartment carpets just didn't sit well with the new Asian inspired design and were ripped out. Michele had a floating floor put in, using timber boards of rich red tones. But while the project extended past Alison's original plan, it all fell within her budget.

"Obviously I was adhering to a budget, but I didn't have to haggle. If I said I couldn't afford something, Michele would come up with another alternative," says Alison. "We had a very open relationship. I guess it doesn't always happen like that."

Michele Ardon, from Michele Ardon Interiors

What was the brief from the client?

My client had just bought the apartment after returning to Sydney. She had been living in Singapore for many years. She had some art and a few accessories, but not all the furniture a home needs. Her brief was to bring colour and life to a very bland space, while not making the apartment feel cluttered or busy.

What are some of the changes you made to the apartment?

The carpet was replaced with a floating floor. We chose a wonderful Ralph Lauren wallpaper for the entrance, and used a soft green colour for the main living area walls.

How did you work with colour?

In the main bedroom and study we introduced blinds, curtains and other soft furnishings that complemented the colour and design of the wallpaper. The other focus colours were mustard yellow in the study (a very stimulating colour for the mind) and a garnet red for the main bedroom.

Did everything go according to plan?

Yes, Alison is a fabulous client, very enthusiastic and trusting. I find that when clients trust me, things just fall into place beautifully. You can go the extra mile, and it all works out. Getting some of the things up to the sixth floor was about the hardest part of the job.

What are you most proud of with this project?

The way the colours, fabrics, walls, wallpaper and lighting work so well together. There is change from room to room, but it all flows so well.

Alison, the homeowner

What did you want to achieve from this project?

Initially the things I wanted help with from Michele were the colour scheme, window dressings and lighting. I believe that those three things are make-or-break for any apartment. But, of course, it developed past that in time and we made a lot more changes.

What changes did you need to make to your apartment?

Colour was really important because the apartment had beige carpets with bone walls and white ceilings. I wanted it to be bright and happy, to take on the harbour and inner-city living, and to bring the serenity of my Asian art pieces to the design. Colour was really important to me; it all had to fit in with the gold, greens and reds of my Asian furniture.

The colours are very bold - was this always the plan?

Yes, I didn't want any safe colours; I wanted it to be interesting and exciting. Colour makes the house so much more vibrant. Michele suggested the feature-wall colour in the bedroom and it was also her wonderful suggestion to wallpaper the entry hall in a beautiful cream, green and gold pattern. It looks absolutely fantastic.

How did the designer know what furniture you were having shipped over?

When I first met Michele, I had some photos of the furniture and artworks that I collected from travelling around Asia and we worked from those. The items were either pieces I bought in Singapore or artwork form Vietnam and India, so they were all a similar Asian inspired style.

How did you find working with the designer?

She was great; she had a lot of ideas and gave me plenty of choice in wallpaper and paint colours. I think she really understood the Asian design inspiration as well, and that's probably hard to find in a designer.

For a room with an Asian look and feel, talk to an interior decorator: