Contemporary Asian Bedrooms. Chami Jotisalikorn

      contemporary asian bedrooms:

       the new comfort zone

      The bedroom, long cherished as the personal space where we withdraw from the world, is the one part of the house that is free from the demand to be dressed up and paraded for public display. Guests are entertained in the living and dining rooms, whereas the bedroom remains unbreached as the sanctum sanctorum where we retire to sleep, rest, and recharge our batteries before facing the world again at the start of each new day. Ironically, though we spend half our lives in the bedroom, most of it is spent with our eyes shut, so ifs no surprise that the precious bedroom often gets the least attention from busy homeowners, because the occupants themselves get scant time to appreciate the full potential of the design directions that lie dormant in it.

      But more and more, the bedroom is basking in the rising heat of growing design attention. Across the region, bedrooms are making a style shift from the predictable formula of blocky bed inside a boxy cube, to suites of dreams that incorporate open bathrooms, personal massage rooms, miniature movie screens, and much more.

      Why the new approach to sleeping? In fact. it can be surmised that the contemporary Asian bedroom is exploring new levels of creativity and luxury not so much in response to the way we sleep, but more in response to the way we are reacting to the world around us. With the increasing unpredictability of events in the world and our lessening ability to control outside forces, or avoid their sudden impact on our daily lives, we look increasingly toward our interior worlds as a place of stability and security Because of its unique function as a room that is not meant for public use or as communal space, the bedroom has become a place where we are drawn to hibernate; a nest where we can relish in the comfort of our own private space.

      What we see in the following pages of Contemporary Asian Bedrooms are the exciting new ways that designers and homeowners are putting more creative and increasingly customized spins on the role of the bedroom, elevating it to new dimensions from more than just a sleeping space and seeing it emerge as zen sanctuary, entertainment zone, personal art gallery, pampering retreat. and more.

      Looking at the bedrooms created and coveted in the most stylish homes and hotels in Southeast Asia today, the common thread that runs throughout is that they all conform to the western concept of the bedroom. Even in the cases where the rooms have Asian design themes, they tend to be just that-themes that pick up on decor elements of say, Japanese or Balinese style, but still conforming to the western characteristics of a walled room with an elevated bed and en suite bathroom. Even in homes where an ethnic style prevails throughout the house, the bedroom remains stubbornly western-synonymous with modern-because western bedrooms come equipped with all the mod-cons that traditional Southeast Asian bedrooms lacked. In contrast to European sleeping traditions, where the bed is raised from the floor to avoid discomforting chilly draughts, tropical Asians did all their living, including sleeping, on the floor. Traditional bedding consisted of reed mats which, unlike fabric, does not induce perspiration, thus keeping the body cool and dry in the torrid equatorial heat. Shaped by a different way of living, traditional Southeast Asian bedrooms required nothing more than a reed mat. a mosquito net. and a basket for storing personal belongings. Such spartan arrangements were well suited to the rudimentary requirements of agrarian-based, olden-time living, but are disastrously out of sync with the need for more convenient creature comforts in contemporary urban life.

      Muslin drapes inject romance and nomadic chic to this bedroom in Bali.

      Sleek-and-simple continues to be a popular choice, as seen in this bedroom in Bangkok.

      Perhaps the most important tropical sleeping item is the mosquito net-as anyone who has suffered the relentless attacks of the climate's pestilent swarms will readily agree. With the influx of colonial Europeans, the habit of sleeping in raised beds came into practice, along with European-style canopy beds which seemed custom-designed for hanging mosquito nets. To this day the alluring image of the wooden canopy bed shrouded in wispy white mosquito netting remains the enduring icon of romantic tropical living-and a feature that unfailingly lures tides of guests to Asian resort hotels.

      Fast forward from colonial times to the present day. The dreamy mosquito net has become all but obsolete in the modern world of highrise apartment living. With Southeast Asian living tastes turning to western-style apartments and all their comforts, the ubiquitous air-conditioner has banished the need for open-air netting. But on these pages, we see that there remains an insistent craving to cling to the romantic notion of the things past The mosquito net. or the idea of it, is still used as a decor element in even the most contemporary urban homes, as shown in the ultra-modern Sky Villas condominiums in Bangkok where elegant white bed curtains add infinite grace to a staid room (page 104). The mosquito net also makes its appearance in contemporary tropical resorts, as seen at The Club at The Legian Bali (page 56) as well as Villa Ylang Ylang in Bali (page 58)

      Contemporary Asian Bedrooms shows us one of the most popular bedroom concepts sweeping

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