Asians return to roots in their living spaces

The La Cienega Design Quarter in Los Angeles is to home design what Rodeo Drive is to high-end fashion: a destination showcase for the most current and sophisticated offerings.

And at a recent three-day event created to shine the spotlight on this thriving design-led area, there was another emerging star: Asia.

The continent - and its influences on design - were the subject of a panel helmed by Pamela Jaccarino, the editor-in-chief of Luxe Interiors and Design, who also oversaw the launch earlier this year of the Chinese edition of the glossy interiors magazine. And the designers selected to participate in the panel had first-hand experience of bringing an Asian sensibility to Western spaces, in a way that is light-handed and subtle. All agreed that the inspirations culled from Asia appear here to stay.

'Here in the US, we have had a long-standing love affair with Asia,' said Jaccarino. 'And as the Asian economy has grown, there are design explosions taking place all over Asia.'

Most significant, say designers, is how young and well-travelled Chinese are now asking that their houses and apartments be outfitted in a way that speaks to their heritage.

'Even five years ago, that wouldn't have happened,' said Jiun Ho, a Malaysia-born interior and furniture designer who lives in San Francisco and works in the US and Asia. 'Back then, people in Asia really only wanted everything from the west. They didn't want to see anything from their own culture or history.'