Asian Style - Tapa dura

A ground swell is coming: our shores are about to be swept by Asia. Or the Far East, to be more precise. This book presents an extraordinary vision of the world based on clarity and simplicity, on emotion and reason, on a sensitive yet lofty appreciation of things. Everyday objects such as bowls, baskets and paper display an extreme degree of refinement, shaping a lifestyle in which materials, colors and patterns are interwoven in a wonderfully light and evocative way. This Asian approach to design is so subtle and universal that it will lend harmony and balance to every interior.

MATERIALS
Above all else, materials must be authentic. Wood, lacquer, clay, bamboo, rattan, paper and silk are all crafted, produced and reproduced with constant respect for the essence of each material.

COLORS
Cinnabar red, imperial yellow, sapphire blue, mysterious black-- a subtle symbolism governs the pure, bright colors found throughout the Far East.

PATTERNS
Patterns range from geometric simplicity (point and line, zigzag) to figurative complexity (based on plant and animal motifs) via calligraphy with its highly decorative ideograms.

SHAPES
Highly refined shapes develop a powerful vocabulary of legibility and instant clarity. Yet at the same time they embody a complexity that endows every object with multifaceted appeal.

Designer Annie Desgrippes and photographer Frédéric Morellec previously worked together on the photographs for Les Outils de la Campagne (Flammarion). For this new series of books on interior decoration they have selected and skillfully presented nearly two hundred items that reflect the Asian lifestyle.

Gilles De Bure is a journalist who writes regularly for magazines such as Le Journal des Arts, L'Oeil, and Technikart. He has also authored nearly a dozen books on art, architecture and design, including Le Mobilier Comtemporain Français 1965-1980 (Editions du Regard) and Jean Nouvel (Artémis).