Decorating Guides
Book Tour: Exotic Taste — Orientalist Interiors
Get a gorgeous glimpse of the impact Asian and Middle Eastern design has had on Western interiors
The photos in this coffee-table book could keep you entertained for hours, but Exotic Taste provides much more than design eye candy. Written by art historian Emmanuelle Gaillard and graphic designer and photographer Marc Walter, Exotic Taste explores Asian and Middle Eastern influences on interior design and architecture in Western Europe. While many of these architectural and design elements exist in homes today, this book focuses on the 17th and 18th centuries, when interior design became a huge part of the pursuit of happiness during the Enlightenment.
Read on for a sneak peek of Exotic Taste:
Read on for a sneak peek of Exotic Taste:
China and Japan
This photo of the Tour Pillement at the Château de Haroué in the French region of Lorraine is a great example of the love for chinoiserie in 18th century European interiors. Insects, exotic birds, animals, pagodas, and people in costumes cover the walls of this Chinese Salon.
"Before the 13th century," Gaillard writes, "European understanding of the Far East had more to do with the imagination than with any authentic knowledge or experience of the Orient. The ancient Romans conceived a passion for silks from China, which seduced men and women alike with their refinement, and for spices from India … Yet the inaccessible and intangible Orient remained unknown, a mystery."
This photo of the Tour Pillement at the Château de Haroué in the French region of Lorraine is a great example of the love for chinoiserie in 18th century European interiors. Insects, exotic birds, animals, pagodas, and people in costumes cover the walls of this Chinese Salon.
"Before the 13th century," Gaillard writes, "European understanding of the Far East had more to do with the imagination than with any authentic knowledge or experience of the Orient. The ancient Romans conceived a passion for silks from China, which seduced men and women alike with their refinement, and for spices from India … Yet the inaccessible and intangible Orient remained unknown, a mystery."
Of course, design elements varied region to region. In France, Chinese wallpapers were generally put on screens or hung on stretchers. But in England, they were usually used to decorate entire rooms — particularly women's bedrooms and dressing rooms. Porcelain was another popular import from China. Many wealthy and royal families would obsessively collect these pieces.
This room in the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, was designed to hold Queen Sophie Charlotte's private collection of porcelain. Although it was designed after her death, the queen had an incredible collection of valuable Chinese porcelain, and the room was designed according to her tastes.
This room in the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, was designed to hold Queen Sophie Charlotte's private collection of porcelain. Although it was designed after her death, the queen had an incredible collection of valuable Chinese porcelain, and the room was designed according to her tastes.
India
"As travelers and traders told tales of the magnificence of Indian architecture, the colonialist element in these exchanges was paralleled by a mutual influence in the artistic and technical spheres," Gaillard writes. Artists, scientists, and literati alike became fascinated by the philosophy, science and arts of a land that was considered 'the ancient cradle of the world.'"
Onion domes are one of many architectural elements that were imported from India. This house also demonstrates several other Indian inspired aspects: the chattris at the four corners of the roof, the scalloped decoration of the windows, and a projecting cornice in an Indian style. This building would easily fit into an Indian landscape, but its actually the Sezincote House in Gloucestershire, England.
"As travelers and traders told tales of the magnificence of Indian architecture, the colonialist element in these exchanges was paralleled by a mutual influence in the artistic and technical spheres," Gaillard writes. Artists, scientists, and literati alike became fascinated by the philosophy, science and arts of a land that was considered 'the ancient cradle of the world.'"
Onion domes are one of many architectural elements that were imported from India. This house also demonstrates several other Indian inspired aspects: the chattris at the four corners of the roof, the scalloped decoration of the windows, and a projecting cornice in an Indian style. This building would easily fit into an Indian landscape, but its actually the Sezincote House in Gloucestershire, England.
The Near East
According to the book, "The Islamic world was a source of fascination for Europeans. From the Taj Mahal to the Alhambra, this was a world of caliphs' palaces and gardens of The Thousand and One Nights, of the very foundations of the fascination exerted over the Western imagination by the mysterious Orient."
This illustration is of a single hall (called "Arab Hall") in the Leighton House, built in London for Lord Leighton in 1864. This hall was designed specifically to display Lord Leighton's collection of Oriental ceramic tiles. The space is two stories high, and is topped by a dome over a central pool and fountain.
According to the book, "The Islamic world was a source of fascination for Europeans. From the Taj Mahal to the Alhambra, this was a world of caliphs' palaces and gardens of The Thousand and One Nights, of the very foundations of the fascination exerted over the Western imagination by the mysterious Orient."
This illustration is of a single hall (called "Arab Hall") in the Leighton House, built in London for Lord Leighton in 1864. This hall was designed specifically to display Lord Leighton's collection of Oriental ceramic tiles. The space is two stories high, and is topped by a dome over a central pool and fountain.
Here's a shot of the interior of "Arab Hall" at the Leighton House. This space was visible from a landing on the primary staircase in the main house. Some of the stained glass used in the dome was brought back from Damascus.
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Exotic Taste explores the history and elements of this genre by region. The book is organized into three sections: China and Japan, India, and the Near East.