With its hot and humid temperatures, a Beijing summer is more like those of Southeast Asia.

And as the famous maxim goes, ' when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' Try Southeast Asian decorations in your home.

This will give you greater coolness, easiness and naturalness at home during summer.

Remember: natural quality and simple shapes should be the core of this style.

Rattan and grass are widely used in such a style and cater to Asian tastes for a natural life, quiet atmosphere and relaxed home. Well-knitted rattan sofas and beds will be the main furniture of a Southeast Asia home. With a straw mat, twine-made carpet, cane chair, grass floral baskets, they convey a special touch of rurality, simplicity and naturalness. Of course, their lightness and unique quality bring people more coolness in the scorching summer.

In contrast to the coarse, hard appearance of such furniture, delicate voile and silk can also be used to make the room vivid. Rose, peek green, bright yellow as well as well as iridescence are the favourite colours in a Southeast Asia home. Cushions, bed curtains and antimacassars in such colours brighten the whole house. Placed on dark-coloured and simple furniture, they are striking for their softness and vividness.

Tips for buying and keeping rattan furniture

Rattan furniture made in Indonesia is well known for its high quality. When buying rattan wares, pay attention to the smooth feel of the furniture. Good ones feel smooth, flexible and without agnails. Prices of rattan furniture vary greatly between different brands. For instance, an ordinary set of coffee tables and chairs costs about 600 yuan (US$ 72), while famous brands may have a price tag of several thousand yuan.

Pay attention to maintaining your rattan furniture: frequently wipe and clean the rattan wares with wet cloths and avoid strong sunlight otherwise their colour will fade.

Where to buy cane furniture

Jade Rattan Ware (from Hong Kong)

Orient Home, Yuquanying, Nansanhuan Xilu

Tel: 6375-3078

Yi Li Nuo Yi (Illinois)

Jia 3, Guanghua Lu Bei, Chaoyang district

Tel: 6504-5818, 6594-1699

Wei Tai Yi Na Company

Orient Home, Yuquanying, Nansanhuan Xilu

Tel: 6584-2312, 6375-8155

Tips for Southeast Asia decoration

1. Select rattan and wood furniture

2. Use bright and colourful fabrics as decoration. Silk cushions and sheets are good choices for their softness and lustre, which contrast with the hardness and rough edges of cane furniture.

3. Choose a puce wooden floor as it is in harmony with the brown rattan and grass fitments in terms of color.

4. Faint grey tiles with stripes are another choice for floor decoration.

5. Paint walls with off-white or yellow latex. (Recommendation: Nippon paint 2801-4, 2970-3)

6. Purchase cloth with grass or cane patterns.

Home know-how

Q: It is a real headache to clean the dirt from my carpet and leather sofa. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do?

Beijing Weekend: Don't use a wet cloth if, for example, soup has splashed on to the carpet. Put a clean cloth on the spillage to soak up the water, then spread some salt. Wait five minutes then use a dust collector to clean the area.

If chewing gum is stuck to the carpet, floor or sofa, put ice in plastic bags and cover the gum for half an hour. The gum is much easier to remove when it has turned hard.

Dip a cloth in some egg white before cleaning leather furniture. Egg white helps erase dirt as well as brighten leathers.