Liz: In the art, antiques, and accessories that we carry, we look for rarity and beauty—but in both cases, those ideas are subjective. Neither of us are experts, or claim to be, but we know Asian markets so well, and a lot of the items are very familiar to American consumers by this point. We look for things that make us say, "What the hell is that?" Odd agricultural or ceremonial pieces, for instance, or unusual jewelry that's so big and gorgeous it could be a decorative object on its own.

Jose: And every year we try to buy one or two huge and absurd things. One year it was a 7,000-pound marble Buddha. One year it was an entire 30-piece antique gamelan orchestra. One year it was a huge hand-dug teak wooden canoe. One year it was a crazy old bicycle taxi from Java. That is the spirit of Two Buttons—indefensible beauty and wonder!

On their favorite items...

Liz: Gosh, there have been so many things we love! Somewhere in the market in Bangkok there is still (maybe) an antique book of holy writings in Sanskrit that we somehow neglected to buy. But it's rare that we let anything great get away because we know we will never see it again. One thing we have always wanted is an entire Balinese house here...piece by piece, but we can't fit one in a shipping container. We have settled for a 20-foot-long hand-carved stone wall telling the life story of the Buddha, which now sits beautifully outside our building. It's probably our nicest buy ever.

And how can someone tell if Asian art or antiques are authentic or fake?

Jose: Honestly, we can't always tell the old from the fake-old. You have to understand that many Asians are excellent at "making" antiques. In Bali, you will see signs on the roads in front of wood shops that boast, "We Make Antiques!" We have always wanted to buy one of those signs, in fact. We have many things in our shop that we believe to be quite old, but we can’t promise it. A real appraiser could tell, but we promise nothing...

Liz: ...except to solemnly swear that all our objects are authentically gorgeous.

Liz and Jose asked Irwin and I about our particular design-based fascination with their merchandise.

Irwin: Asian items contrast so much in design and style with Western furnishings. They play nicely together and they're a timeless combination. I wouldn't think of adding Asian accents to Early American Farmhouse interiors, but they fit in beautifully with most contemporary and traditional homes. Look at the historic use of Asian accents with fine French furniture in the 18th century, for instance. Western homes have always boasted special Asian accents with pride.

Jose: There's a sense of mystery and appeal to Asian accessories. You might not know how the pieces are made, but that adds to their allure.

Irwin: As a designer, I like the sculptural aspect of Asian accents. And because we don't know too much (as Westerners) of the origin of a specific piece, we don't have an immediate awareness of its cost—so we can "fake it" and choose less expensive, yet beautiful pieces and sprinkle them into a client's decor. Someone can walk into a client’s home and be fascinated with the story behind a piece without even wondering if the piece was museum priced or a closeout.

In Jose's office, we began to look at the west elm website and selected furniture pieces that would work well with Two Buttons Asian antiques, artwork, and accessories. Here are a few of the items that caught our attention.

The Senufo Bench, while being distinctly tribal and not necessarily an easy match with most Asian pieces, would work beautifully if you placed the bench in front of a simple Japanese screen. If pieces are significantly different or compliment one another, they could work very well. Similarly, the Source Bench can be paired with some Indonesian fabrics, like a throw or a pillow, for beautiful impact. The John Vogel Bench is clearly inspired by a Ming style Chinese design influence in the shape of its legs, and would be stunning surrounded by Asian accents.

We loved the Tulip Upholstered Chair, the Ryder Rocking Chair, and the Terra Dining Table. All of these have an elegant, streamlined, minimal style reminiscent of the 1980s design school, with a Zen-like influence that links well to the East. And the Terra is a modern take on the traditional altar table, which we found clever and desirable.

The Origami Coffee Table is the ideal synthesis of Asian and modern styling that would perfectly compliment Asian accessories and art, bridging Asian pieces with modern decor. Finally, the High-Rise Console looks like two modernized Chinese pedestal tables joined with a sheet of glass. Instead of plunging deeper into the Chinese furniture aspect of Asian decor, use accessories and art to add their influence to contemporary Asian-inspired pieces, such as this console.