Things You'll Need:
- Kimonos
- 2-inch-wide Wooden Venetian Blinds
- Bamboo Matchstick Blinds
- Baskets With Foreign Flavor
- Decorative Pottery (from Mexico Perhaps)
- Ethnic-type Area Rugs
- Handmade Or Ethnic Brass Candleholders
- Lamps
- Wallpaper
- Bamboo Pole
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Step 1
Look for foreign tchotchkes that are woven, painted, carved, molded, cast or sewn by hand.
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Step 2
Browse through vacation souvenirs: pottery from Mexico, baskets from just about anyplace, masks from South America or Asia, etc.
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Step 3
Be creative. A silk kimono, Panama hat or embroidered tablecloth can accessorize a room.
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Step 4
Look for rugs with ethnic flair, including hand-woven flat rugs from Mexico, Turkey and India; Persian-style rugs; furry flokatis from Greece; animal-print rugs (zebra/tiger stripes, leopard spots), and coarse sisal.
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Step 5
Display tchotchkes from all over the world: brass cricket boxes from China; brass candlesticks from India; carved wood boxes; masks from Central America, Africa and/or Asia; and candleholders crafted from carved wood, gaily painted ceramic or wrought iron.
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Step 6
Dress the windows with natural bamboo matchstick blinds, woven-wood Roman shades, Mexican blankets and plantation shutters. If you go with more-conventional drapes, use fabrics with an ethnic pattern, such as Japanese or Chinese writing, bamboo prints, exotic florals or African mud cloth.
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Step 7
Treat the walls to bamboo- or rattan-print wallpaper, grass cloth, or an adobe paint finish. Deck the walls with maps, embroidered textiles and paintings, or drawings that depict foreign scenery, still lifes, etc.
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Step 8
Choose lamps with foreign flavor, including Mexican pottery, hand-hammered brass, terra cotta, rattan and ginger jar; palm trees, monkeys, elephants and lions in various media (resin, clay, wood, metal) are wonderful. Shades should be complementary, including woven rattan, beads, pleated linen, handmade paper and aged parchment.
