The color legacy in Mexico and Central America is rich and long, pre-dating even the Spanish influence.

It's found in the boldly painted structures of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. It continued through the Spanish colonial period, with its haciendas in bright blues, deep reds and rich ochres, and is still seen in the lively greens and vibrant pinks that are often used to decorate homes even today.

Interiors. While deep and rich, Mexican and Central American interior colors can also be somewhat muted, reflecting the natural pigments and dyes that were originally used for decorating.


Traditional color combinations include ruddy terracottas paired with dusky blues, and deep yellows teamed with earthy browns. Combinations of greens and pinks are also popular, with off-whites often used as accents.

Texture is a key part of decoration in this style—for example, hand-hewn ceiling beams, rough plasterwork, limestone and clay tile floors are often used, with highlights coming from colorful decorative tile work.

In Japan, the home is seen as a private sanctuary from the chaos and hectic pace of the world outside.

Traditional dwellings were built of natural, organic materials, such as clay, straw, paper, woods (both hardwoods and bamboo), and stone. The Japanese also made use of natural light, water and greenery. Even today, this timeless vernacular continues to fascinate modern architects.

Home interior decoration in Japan is expressed by the concept of wabi—unostentatious refinement—a reaction to the opulent, over-decorated Japanese culture of the 16th century.

While highly decorated or strongly colored items may still be incorporated into Japanese interior design, this is always done with restraint, and with a profound awareness of the concept of yin and yang:

Elements, even though they are opposite, are linked, and must work together to create harmony.


Interiors. The balancing of light and space is the basic canvas for Japanese interior design. Light tends to be diffused, and living and sleeping spaces are usually flexible, with moveable screens.

Color palettes in Japan and East Asia are usually quite subdued, showing a distinct preference for colors that are soft and quietly restrained.

Colors are most often drawn from neutral palettes, such as browns, grays, beiges and off-whites. Schemes are very often monochromatic, and may derive from dark woods (often stained hardwoods), lighter woods like bamboo, polished concrete, and stones or pebbles.

The look most often associated with China is brightly colored and heavily ornate, and derived from the Manchu-ruled Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911).

This style is elaborate, yet warm, and uses lots of rich, vibrant color. It was first seen in Europe in the 1600's, and swept Europe as the "Chinoiserie" craze of the 18th century.

Prior to the Qing dynasty was the Ming era (1368-1644), which today is seen as a zenith for furniture and home decoration. This beautiful style is currently making a strong comeback in the hands of contemporary designers.

The Ming style is the antithesis of the Qing style—clean and simple, spare and elegant, totally uncluttered and precisely symmetrical. The smallest decorative details are carefully considered in relation to the architectural whole.

Interiors. Color symbolism is very important in Chinese decor. Black represents the yin, or female, and is connected with rejuvenation. Red, the yang, or male, is associated with self-expression. Red is also a symbol of good luck.

Green symbolizes nourishment and springtime. White is associated with purity and immortality. Yellow represents the Earth, and is also an Imperial color.

Qing palettes are usually based around red and yellow, gold, turquoise, black and light green.

The Ming look is more controlled—reds and blacks, dark woods, whites, stone or wood floors, perhaps with polished metals and lacquers. Other uses of color are always carefully balanced. Ming is very well suited to contemporary decorating styles.

Life in the Mediterranean has a distinctly carefree quality. One of the oldest areas of civilization, this culturally vibrant region is dominated by the blues of the sea, the bright, white light of the sun, the ancient colors of the stones and the ruins of civilizations long past.

From the French and Italian Riviera, to the isles of Greece, to the ancient ports and villages of Sicily, Spain and North Africa, the pace of life is relaxed, and the simple pleasures of life are savored.



Interiors. The Mediterranean house is a domain of the senses, incorporating influences from Europe, Africa and the Orient. The Mediterranean style uses glowing, soft colors and warm textures, making one feel vital and alive.

Formality has little place in Mediterranean interior design—comfort is the aim.

Rough plastered walls are painted in bright matte white, for a cool, clean and uncluttered feeling, contrasting against natural wood beams.

Blue accents—echoing the omnipresent sea—are popular, including shades of azure and turquoise.

In the south of France, the hallmark colors are more muted—almond greens, soft lavender-blues and turtle-dove grays.

In Italy and Spain, colors are slightly warmer—including sunbaked oranges, dark, organic yellows, wine-dark reds and earthy browns, sometimes coupled with contrasting glazed wall tiles in blues and deep greens.

Floors are often simple, hard surfaces such as terracotta, flagstone, wood, or travertine. Furniture is very often an eclectic mixture of antiques and—on occasion—genuine antiquities from Greece and Rome.

Just a few miles across the Mediterranean from Southern Spain, Morocco is a world apart from Europe.

Ranging from the white-painted villages of the coast, to traditional Berber homes on the fringes of the Sahara, to the towns teeming with a charismatic mix of Arab, Spanish, and French styles, this architectural heritage is perhaps the richest and most remarkable in North Africa.

Currently inspiring intense interest among designers, the Moroccan style includes domed roofs, vaulted ceilings, and Arabesque arches—a classic Arabic shape given to doors, windows and passageways, and often also echoed in the design of mirrors and furniture.

Interiors. Strong color is a distinctive element of Moroccan design, and is employed to create specific moods in different areas of the home.

The palette is bright and powerful. Royal blues, vibrant purples, emerald greens, turquoises, brilliant saffron, deep reds and bold crimsons can be used as either as wall colors or accents.

Blues—especially when used on doors and shutters—are thought to ward off evil spirits. Together with aquamarines, turquoises and whites, these hues evoke the beauty of the azure coast.

Warm, spice tones, such as cinnamon, curry, paprika, and saffron are reminders of the ever-present desert.

Many Moroccan schemes employ neutrals—creams, white, sands and taupes—to create a calming look in more personal and private areas.