Mad Men Chinoiserie Style

Here in Season 3 Episode 7, the Draper's interior decorator shows Don and Betty their new living room complete with modern Chinoiserie breakfront, silk Dupioni drapes, a Dunbar Japanese influenced sofa, Murano vases, and a Drexel end table. The decorator is of course horrified when Betty brings home a Victorian fainting couch. Be sure to click here to see my post today on Style Redux on Mad Men fashion.

The Reveal

Here it is! Since my daughter Kate moved to her own apartment in Georgetown two years ago, I decided it was time I stopped calling this room "Kate's Bedroom." With the addition of the Annie Selke gold leaf pagoda bed, the $55.00 Chinese Chippendale chair from Lucketts I painted in Farrow & Ball Skylight and covered in Cowtan & Tout fabric from eBay, the silk paintings above the bed from eBay, and some relocated items from my home, the room has now been rechristened "The Pagoda Bedroom." But when I get my flat screen television in there tomorrow, it may be renamed "The escape from football to watch Madmen and HGTV bedroom." Click on the pictures to enlarge for more detail.

A Passion for Blue and White

If you are a lover of Chinoiserie, then it probably goes without saying that you too have a passion for blue and white. Nobody does it better than Carolyne Roehm. She says that blue and white is the most democratic of all color combinations-whether at the high or low end, it always looks good. Back in 1976 when starting out and working for Oscar de la Renta, she couldn't afford the French fabric she wanted and used Cannon sheets in blue and white to cover her furniture, walls, and bed. (This Ralph Lauren Chinoiserie toile called Indochine Pagoda, currently on sale everywhere, would work great). As for blue and white porcelain, she started out collecting Azuma and Pier One, then added Dutch Delft, Chinese Kanxi, French Faience, and English Spode and Wedgwood as her budget grew. She has included blue and white rooms in virtually every house she has designed, as well as her current residences. Her book, A Passion for Blue and White, is a wonderful resource, providing inspiration for blue and white rooms, gardens, tabletop, flower arranging, and gift wrapping for all budgets. It will show you how to combine blue and white porcelain from China, Japan, England, France, the Netherlands, and elsewhere, and how to find great pieces at flea markets, inexpensive import stores, as well as auctions and antique stores. Stay tuned for my own blue and white room reveal this week.

Thank You

Thanks to all for the lovely awards and mentions this week. I appreciate it so much. Thank you to the girls at Chic Coles and Averill at Odi et Amo for the Honest Scrap Awards, Kitty at Organic Orgy for the Kreative Blogger Award, and Desire to Inspire, Eddie Ross, Department of the Interior, Ticklish from a Distance, and My Notting Hill for the lovely mentions. Check out these great blogs this weekend and have a lovely weekend.

(Photo courtesy of Rodney Smith)

Gold Bamboo

I have a great secret source for gold faux bamboo pieces that look fabulous for very little expense. But this is just between you and I-we don't want everyone in the blogosphere to know! They are all available online at The Mermaid Hut and the quality is great-I have seen the entire collection and have several myself. The antiqued mirror gives them real elegance and sophistication. These pieces have a glamorous Hollywood Regency flair that would be great in so many rooms from the living room to the bedroom to the bath. Priced from $89.00 for the set of two wall shelves to $399.00 for the stunning five shelf tower or etagere. I even love the way they've styled these spaces with the newspaper wallpaper.