Simply east

Tea lights, Bhs, six for £2

If you want to bring your bedroom bang up to date for the new Millennium, how about turning Japanese? East meets West is one of the strongest influences on home interiors for 2000.

We shouldn't be surprised, as the trend has been moving towards simple, uncluttered living, which is the essence of oriental style. The look is unfussy and exudes serenity. Think beige, white and black.

And exotic does not have to equal expensive. There are plenty of cost-effective ways to give your bedroom a pure and streamlined feel.

The Japanese tradition of low-level sleeping on futons has been fashionable in Britain for a while - but now there are the accessories to complete the look.

Crisp, white bed linen emblazoned with oriental script, bamboo or paper window blinds, Eastern-influenced ceramics, candles and tea lights are widely available from leading stores at affordable prices.

In the bedroom, the Futon Company is a strong contender with a wide range of products. Favourites include the canvas wardrobe for £59 and eight styles of bed and sofa bed including a handy pop-out floor cushion which turns into a futon. Ikea also do a wide range of futons - a good standby for the spare room.

In Next's hot-off-the-press Spring 2000 home catalogue, there is a striking range of bed linen covered with neat calligraphy in red and black. A single duvet cover is £34.99, a double duvet cover is £44.99 and the king size is £54.99. Pillowcases are £10.99 each. The catalogue is also packed with wicker and sisal baskets for storage or waste paper.

Should sloping ceilings make wardrobes an impossibility in your home, then fold clothes neatly on shelves and disguise with a screen.

Another economical method of bringing a calming influence to your hectic Western life is to hang paper blinds instead of giving your windows a fussy curtain treatment. A Bambu roll-up blind from Ikea costs just £7. Or check out the new range of Eastern-influenced blinds at Focus Do It All, made from bamboo and strips of natural wood with prices starting at £6.99.

When it comes to ornamentation, the best advice is to keep it quite plain. Large vases with an interesting texture or shape should be used to show off arrangements. A single leaf or one striking flower could be enough. Habitat is a good place to start in looking for vases with an Oriental edge.

Oxfam's fair trade shop in York's High Petergate also has a selection of Eastern-influenced accessories such as boxes and candle holders.

And the new Grattan spring/summer catalogue has a wide selection of Chinese-style accessories including cushions and curtains, parchment shades, wooden venetian blinds and oriental candles.

Or check out the accessories at China House on its website: www.chinahouse.co.uk - among those on offer are Feng Shui scented candles, lacquered boxes and bowls from Vietnam, Japanese kimono-fabric cushions and Chinese woodchimes.

Of course, you could easily make your own Eastern-influenced designs.

For a truly original idea, consider buying a cheap white tea set, a book of calligraphy and then start painting the cups with your chosen characters using a ceramic paint.

Or use Eastern calligraphy to transform plain curtains, cushions or bed linens with the help of Image Maker. This product, available from Barnitts, Colliergate, York, allows you to 'photocopy' the image or design of your choice on to fabric.

Alternatively you can add a designer touch to any room by painting some pebbles. You could pick up on a design taken from a fabric pattern, or even use a favourite stencil, just be sure to keep it simple.

Libby Norman, deputy editor of House Beautiful, says the Oriental trend has been gathering pace.

She says: "We went through a quite retrospective period in the 1980s and early 1990s but now I think people have become more positive about modern interiors. I also think people are looking for peace and tranquillity in a turbulent world and have latched on to the Oriental look.

"Debenhams have got Kelly Hoppen and Jasper Conran designing for their home collection and they are going for a quite a minimalist look.

"The thing that stops it being too stark is their use of texture. Another way to warm it up is to use leather and suede. It is all about layering the textures and then maybe adding an accent colour to spice it up a bit.

"There are also no colours which are off limit, for example, I would use lilac quite happily in an Oriental theme. The trick is not to over do it. It might not be totally authentic but part of the fun is putting your own unique stamp on it."

STOCKISTS

Barnitts - Colliergate, York. Tel 01904 625601

Futon Company - Clifford Street, York. Tel 01904 655046

Grattan - 0800 444545

Habitat - High Ousegate, York. Tel 01904 659368

Next Home - 0845 6007000

Oxfam Fair Trade Company - Low Petergate, York. Tel 01904 652749

PICTURE: Tea lights, Bhs, six for £2