5 Tips for Decorating Any Room with Asian Silk Scrolls

Asian silk scrolls make it possible to enjoy a piece of ancient art and culture in your own modern home. For centuries, art lovers in China and Japan did not believe a painting should be framed and hung permanently on a wall. Instead, they believed that art was meant to be fleeting – something to be appreciated for a time, and then rolled up and stored, or displayed somewhere else. Scroll paintings were a perfect way to convey this philosophy. Traditionally created by painting onto silk or rice paper weighted at the bottom by rods made of wood, ivory, or porcelain, these scrolls could be quickly unfurled and hung where desired.

Today, merchandisers (artists) from around the world recreate the original magic of Asian silk scrolls. Some are still hand-painted on rice paper, and some are rendered digitally on silk. Take a page out of ancient Asia, and discover these five tips to help you use silk scrolls to transform any room in your house or apartment:

1. Display Them in the Open  – Scrolls are meant to be touched and viewed up close, not kept behind glass like most paintings. Put your scroll in an open, easily-noticed area to attract attention from yourself and guests. An intimate painting, a silk scroll is designed to evoke a sense of mesmerizing calm, sweeping you away from reality into the world depicted by the artist’s strokes.
2. Create a Style or Complement Existing Accents – Whether you’re creating a completely new style or want to complement existing elements in your home, strategic placement of the Asian silk scrolls can transform a space. Use geometric patterns for a modern look, or floral for a vintage or antique aesthetic. Draping scrolls down the wall to run perpendicular to a bed’s headboard or to suspend above a sculpture adds flavor that draws attention to all decorative pieces.
3. Tell a Story – Traditionally, early Asian paintings told stories through pictures or calligraphy, read from right to left. Recapture this original use of Asian silk scrolls by creating your own story using two or more scrolls, set up in order on any inviting wall. Let your creativity unravel as you pick from depictions of cherry trees, cranes, mountain scenes, and more.
4. Take Up Wall Space – Sometimes the best strategy for hanging scrolls is to consider where you have the most vacant or awkward space. If you don’t want to put up the same old family photographs or generic art, make an extra-large scroll the centerpiece of your living room. Or place smaller scrolls at either side of a wall for flattering symmetry.
5. Mix in Silk Scarves for Variation – If you’re appreciating the look of silk on your wall, consider adding hanging silk scarves alongside your scroll for variation and color blending. Frame or hang any size of silk scarf to play off the colors in your scroll, and to continue the free-flowing décor.

Play with scrolls as a new ornamental concept for any room in your house. At Grace Scarves, we offer a wide variety of art-silk scrolls, available in multiple sizes and designs. Art-silk is rayon, which is resistant to insects and weather, keeping your painting beautiful for many years. Browse our collection of Asian art today to dream up a brand new look.

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