Monday, June 30, 2014

Blue and White - A Different Look

"New Orleans - New Elegance" by Kerri McCaffety

When we think of blue and white rooms with Chinoiserie, we tend to think of rooms with white or light colored walls. These rooms reverse this, with dark walls, adding a moody sophistication.

Phoebe Howard

Ralph Lauren



Markham Roberts

Domino

Horchow

Looking for a great navy wall paint color? Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore is a classic.

Better Homes and Gardens

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Sunday Inspiration - Coastal Dining Rooms

Alessandra Branca - Architectural Digest

Two lovely examples of elegant but casual dining rooms at the beach. Chinoiserie takes center stage in both, with the Chinese Chippendale chairs in the Alessandra Branca dining room above and the Quadrille Trellis Background wallpaper in the Tom Scheerer dining room below.

Tom Scheerer - House Beautiful

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Upcoming Projects

House Beautiful
 This probably falls into the category of "What was I thinking?" but this next month I have lots of projects on tap.

1. Doing a man cave for my husband and redoing the garage were my two big house projects for 2014. I did the man cave for the last One Room Challenge and this week I start on the garage redo. Can a garage have Chinoiserie? I'll post updates over the next month.

2. I ordered all new towels when Horchow was having that great sale on the Ralph Lauren monogrammed towels, and it motivated me to clean out and reorganize my linen closet. My painter arrives a week from Monday to paint it and the garage.

Real Simple

3. We pick up the new puppy in July and as lots of you know, a new puppy is a BIG project, but I am so looking forward to bringing her home.

Margot


4. My daughter Kate has wanted to move from DC to Alexandria, where we live, and has been apartment hunting for a while with no luck. So she has decided to move back in here in August to regroup and help with the puppy (the puppy is actually going to be Kate's dog) and keep me company after the loss of my friend. I am so excited! But that means getting the house (and closets - she is a fashion stylist with a huge wardrobe) all ready for her arrival.

Kate


5. To top it all off, I am in the midst of a blog redesign to freshen things up after 5 years.



Stay tuned to see if I survive all of this!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Large Scale Wallpaper - The Vase

Tom Scheerer - House Beautiful

I think large scale wallpapers are the most dramatic in smaller spaces like powder rooms, hallways, and foyers. I love Tom Scheerer's use of Clarence House The Vase in the hallway and stairway of his waterfront vacation home in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Below are some other interesting examples.

Tom Scheerer - House Beautiful

Foyer - Source?

Powder Room - House of Fifty

Dressing Room - Source?

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Orange Chinoiserie Dining Room


I was excited to see an article in Traditional Home online on Showhouse Rooms in Orange. My dining room is wallpapered in a wonderful orange Chinoiserie paper, but on tap soon is a refresh of some other elements in the room. I fell in love with this dining room by Alexandria, Virginia interior designer Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey for the D.C. Design Showhouse.

This is a wonderful example of how to update a formal room to make it more fresh and modern. Note the breakfront painted coral, the corner banquette in salmon velvet, the ceiling wallpapered in marble, the pagodas flanking the fireplace, and the dining room chair frames painted blue. The Chinoiserie fabric on the dining chairs is Cowtan & Tout La Pagode Chine. For more details, here is the link.




Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Chinoiserie Chic Dogs & Fabulous Finds


I thought you might like to meet the newest addition to Chinoiserie Chic. My daughter Kate, my dog Izzy, and I have been wanting another dog and fell in love with the Japanese Chin. We just found her on Monday at a breeder in Pennsylvania and finalized everything yesterday.

My dog Izzy (Isabella) is a Tibetan Spaniel, so she is "Chinoiserie" too. We will be bringing the new puppy home in July and we think her name is going to be Margot.

Here is a sneak peek of Margot -



And here is Izzy -




Today is the last day of Horchow's Friends & Family Sale - here are some favorite finds -

Chevron Outdoor Tables

Chinoiserie Barstool - for indoors or outdoors

Lynn Chase Dinnerware Set

Bamboo Flatware - 20 piece set for $17.43!

Elephant Cookie Jar

45 Piece Bamboo Flatware Set

This pillow reminds me of Clarence House Flowering Quince wallpaper

Silver Bamboo Towel Rack

Capriz Fretwork Mirror

Vintage Fretwork Table

Jungle Boogie Bed Linens

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Chinoiserie Down Under


Australian interior designers seem to share a love for Chinoiserie, with an approach that is modern, clean, fresh, and filled with color. I knew you would enjoy seeing some of the portfolio of interior designer Lisa Marinovich. Here is her website.