No More Overstuffed Sofas.(modern interior design, China)(Brief Article)

The green teahouse in Beijing is not a typical Chinese teahouse. Founded by Suzhou native Zhang Jinjie on the site of a former mansion, it combines elegant Chinese design with music, fusion food and gourmet teas. Ginkgo leaves litter the floor, and the menu cards are all individually painted. Guests are surrounded by green "concubine bamboo" and calla lilies, design books, oversized teacups and Chinese furniture. The effect is soothing and stunning at the same time. Says Zhang, "While traveling overseas, I learned it's OK to be different."

Her teahouse taps into a growing trend: China's new appreciation for modern interior design. For the most part, the interest comes from mainland Chinese who've been exposed to Western thinking and expat Westerners. But their refined taste--and standards of quality--are beginning to catch on among other middle-class Chinese. "There are more projects than interior designers can handle," says Briton Adam Robarts, of the cutting-edge Beijing design firm Robarts Interiors. "China is the land of the future."

For a long time it seemed as if mainland tastes would never escape the past. As recently as five years ago, Chinese homes and shops were often a nightmare of ...