Over the last ten years, influences from the east have exploded here in the west, from food to fashion and of course interior design. It is far from a new phenomenon however. Back in the 18th century when intrepid explorers first discovered the ancient civilisations of India and South East Asia, the well to do were using ideas from the Orient, as it was then known, for elegant and sometimes outlandish decorative schemes. During the heady flowering of rococo, "orientalia" became a well known fashion with pagodas erected in the gardens of Stourhead in England and the Desert de Retz in France. Wallpapers and ladies gowns were festooned with frolicking monkeys or wise mandarins in flowing robes and "chinoiserie" overtook Europe.
It is only since more and more people have begun to travel to far off lands however that oriental influences have become more mainstream. I met with Claudia Peralta, co-owner of India Exotica to talk about east meeting west. Claudia and her partner Morgan started their business three years ago importing furniture and other goods from India. They had both travelled extensively throughout the country and Morgan's mother already had good contacts there. They decided on the Costa del Sol due to the property boom and the fact that the population is such a cosmopolitan melting pot. I asked Claudia her opinion on the ever growing popularity on all things oriental.
"As more and more people visit these countries and movies get filmed there, it stands to reason that they and in turn their friends begin to appreciate eastern culture and all that comes with it. Travel has become cheaper and places which seemed far off the beaten track just a few years ago have become much more accessible. Over the last few years, especially here on the coast, more and more Asian restaurants have opened and in fashion there has been a big influx of eastern ideas mixed with western styles. This all fuels the décor market."
The west looks to the east more and more, with Feng Shui becoming important to many westerners, Buddism attracting ever growing numbers of followers and a yearning for more natural products in our every day lives. Even high street stores now stock ranges of natural home wares, furniture and fashions and the trend seems set to continue. At India Exotica, Claudia and Morgan continue their quest to bring the best of India to Marbella; "we decided to specialise in Indian goods" says Claudia, "and we now import a huge range of things from silk slippers to wooden furniture and from doorknobs to jewellery. Something for everyone at affordable prices and things that you would be hard pushed to find anywhere else - that's what we aim for".
Up and down the coast new businesses are springing up importing from all over the orient. It would be quite simple to have your coffee table from India, silk curtains from China, table ware from Indonesia and cushions from Thailand if you like that sort of thing of course but with so much to choose from it would be hard not to find something to tickle your oriental fancy.
If you are new to the coast, why not contact Interealty's after sales service
to help you in your quest for eastern promise? | 
