Asian Decor Wall Art

Standing Close to Asian Decor Wall Art

People stand closer to this subject than to almost any other wall art, and the piece has to earn that inspection. Ink brushwork, blossom, cranes, temple detail and pattern all invite a second look from half a metre away, which is where a weak reproduction gives itself up: brush strokes turn into smooth grey shapes and fine linework goes muddy. Study the detail crops before buying, not the styled room shot.

At normal distance the same images work differently. Traditional ink compositions leave large areas of empty ground, and that emptiness is what carries across a room. It also means they need a calm wall behind them. On busy patterned wallpaper the composition loses its breathing space and the whole point of it goes.

Colour in this category tends to be restrained with one loud note — red, vermilion, gold — against black, ink grey and bare paper tone. That single note is the thing to decorate around. A red seal or a red sun will happily pull a rug, a cushion or a lacquered bowl into the same conversation, and will fight anything pink or orange within a metre of it.

Orientation follows the tradition. Tall, narrow hanging-scroll proportions suit a slim wall, an alcove or the space beside a doorway. Wide screen-style compositions want an uninterrupted run of wall with nothing under them but a low piece of furniture.

Be honest about the room's clutter level, because this subject is unusually intolerant of it. If the wall carries switches, cables and a thermostat, choose a bolder, higher-contrast image and hang it as the only thing there. Restrained ink work needs quiet around it; give it a busy surface and it simply looks faint.