faux bamboo has been included in a lot of design styles: rococo, art deco, …and now hollywood regency. for a touch of asian exotic, go with faux bamboo.
faux bamboo is a thought provoking combination of nature and man made materials and geometry. bamboo’s uniform growth pattern lends itself to manmade replication. the embellishment has a pleasing aspect, but i find myself arguing with the fakeness of the result.
real bamboo tapers gently. i miss the natural uneven dimensions. and for me it is always a common building supply.
i grew up in hong kong where bamboo scaffolding was a part of the always persistent culture of construction. small chinese men fearlessly whipped that stuff together as they climbed the towering grids that wrapped the tall buildings. sometimes it blew down a bit in typhoons, but it was cheap and easy to replace. for me, bamboo evokes confidence and strength, but a normal everyday kind.
bamboo’s fast growth is amazing. one botanical garden near my house walks you through a great variety of species, and the winding path through the unique dense forest is quite magical.
i don’t have faux bamboo at my house. i prefer cleaner simpler lines. however, if you like the ornamented hollywood regency style, some bamboo look alike accents fit in wonderfully, with more polished symmetry than the original, and in all types of materials.