Ethnic furnishings add exotic, exciting element to any décor

The occasion was a happy one, the birthday party for a dear friend, which is held every year in Los Angeles. It promised to be especially interesting for me this time as my hostess and good friend had arranged for my introduction to a possible new client.

As the evening progressed, I kept a lookout for my friend, who, I imagined, would usher this mystery guest across the dance floor to meet me, whereupon we would instantly relate to each other, have a drink to toast our new endeavor, and off we would rush to see what help I could give her. I guess I’m just a hopeless romantic at heart.

Well, suddenly she was there before me. We eyed each other a little warily and spoke a few pleasantries, at which time she really did ask me if I would like to leave the party right then and there since she didn’t live very far away and I could see for myself the space that required my expertise.

As we approached her home, I commented how much I liked her neighborhood. Then, she pulled up to her driveway and I really lost it. The house reminded me of homes that I had seen in Hawaii, replete with palm trees, various tropical plants and fabulous stonework. And the carved wood front doors were nothing less than magnificent. I knew right then that I would love working for this client.

Beyond the entrance lay a home that absolutely reflected this woman’s love for the earthy and exotic. The furnishings and art bore witness to her world travels and her prowess as a collector extraordinaire. Why, she had been to Africa 17 times alone. I was impressed with her love and understanding of color and the richness of authentic ethnic furniture and design.

In my own work, I have always enjoyed incorporating ethnic pieces such as carved chests, armoires and mirrors from places like India, Indonesia and Thailand into a design scheme whether it would be to enrich a contemporary space or simply complement an environment heavily endowed with exotic artifacts such as the home of my new friend and client.

I vividly remember one client’s home here in Las Vegas for which I designed one of my motorized up/down television cabinets as a Moroccan-style chest. Anyone entering the master bedroom would assume that it was an ethnic chest at the foot of the bed, made of unpretentious slats of wood, probably put together by a little old man in some village workshop — and then out would pop a marvel of the electronic age.

To this mix I have always tried to include sumptuous fabrics: exquisite silks in shimmering and dazzling colors from India festooned with pearls and other precious stones, elegant Thai silks and batiks from Malaysia. Using these ethnic materials for upholstery, window treatments and/or pillows is guaranteed to turn the blahs into a night in the Casbah, and always causes me to give thanks to the heavens for being a designer.

My client gave me some time to soak up the ambience of my new surroundings (maybe all of 10 minutes as we both knew we had better get back to the party), at which point I said to her that I had a good idea of the design that would be perfect for the new cabinet that would house her large-screen television, audio components and tape storage. And promised to send it to her upon my return to Las Vegas.

The design I had in mind was one my wife, interior designer Barbara Woolf, and I had used with great success in the media room of a custom home we had worked on for a client in Kona, Hawaii. We had been on the first of several buying trips for this client in Thailand and had come across some wonderful carved wood panels, which were quite inexpensive there and that we just had to have, knowing instinctively that somewhere on our project we would be able to put these panels to good use. And we did.

The resulting media cabinet was a glorious addition to a beautiful ethnic inspired home (think of the movie “Out of Africa”). It worked its magic in Hawaii and history was repeated when a version of it was ultimately installed in my new client’s home. It met all of her hopes and dreams for that one perfect piece to complete her exotic sanctuary right in the heart of Los Angeles.

Note: A terrific source for all things ethnic and wonderful can be found at Berbere World Imports in Los Angeles, 310-0842-3842, www.berbereimports.com.

Stephen Leon is president of Soleil Design International and has been designing and manufacturing custom furniture and cabinetry for more than 25 years. He is on the board of directors of the Central California/Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Questions can be sent to soleildesign@cox.net.