Monday, August 23, 2021

The Chinoiserie Dining Room

Brannan Geary - Southern Living

 
This is a lovely classic dining room in a New Orleans home. The hand painted mural on the four walls combines palms and tropical plants in muted greens and browns. The ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a perfect match for the bronze tones in the room like the dramatic silk curtains. 


Brown wood pieces have been limited to the French chairs and the sideboard. A pair of green Chinese gourd lamps on the sideboard is a pretty choice. Note the large seashell on the console. 


Brannan Geary - Southern Living


I found this photo below on the interior designer/owner's own website. Note the difference above with Southern Living's professional photography/lighting and styling/staging - switching out the heavy dresser and squatty lamps for the sideboard and lamps above, and adding the seashell to the console. I think all of our rooms, even those of interior designers, can benefit from the styling and staging of a major magazine. Where do we sign up?


Brannan Geary

If you are in the market for silk curtains without the expense of custom made, I am a big fan of these and these silk dupioni curtains.

Looking for a large decorative clam shell like the one above? This one is really nice - I have it and it's very well priced - they are often priced at about $200.

And if you are looking for elegant gourd lamps that are very well priced (and even on sale now), I am a big fan of these by Suzanne Kasler.

I hope your week gets off to a great start. 

4 comments:

  1. Browns are not normally shades that I gravitate towards, but this warm caramel is lovely - and how many people have a dining room to match their doggie? The mural is just beautiful. I've always wanted to have a muralist paint at least one wall, (maybe more), in my house. You are so right about lighting in a home. Bad lighting not only makes the room look depressingly bad, but it also makes the people in the room look bad. I'm lamenting the demise of incandescent light bulbs. I love the reduction in energy use of the LED's, but I'm sorry. In terms of casting an aesthetic glow, they cannot compare. (Don't even get me started on the fluorescents!)

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    1. I have a wonderful trick to share with you. I cannot stand the light from LED or CFL bulbs. I have zero in my home. How do I do this? Specialty bulbs are not included in the ban. I have used pink light bulbs in all my lamps forever and these are specialty bulbs. They are the most flattering bulbs in the world - a soft pale pink that makes everything and everyone look good. I order them by the dozen super cheap on Amazon. Both Sylvania and GE are excellent. This is one of my top decorating tips.

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    2. Thanks so much for the tip, Beth! I was not aware of that. I'm now off to buy some pink bulbs. Have you ever used LED's? If so, and you have gone back to pink bulbs, did you notice an increase in your monthly energy bill? Of course you live in FL, and I live in CA. I would imagine that whatever your energy infrastructure is in FL, it is much better, safer and cheaper than what we have here, which is unsafe, expensive and decrepit. (CA is a mess, IMHO.) I have a friend who moved from CA, and now lives in the Austin, TX area. She told me how her energy bill is considerably less than it was here.

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    3. Energy costs here in Florida are so cheap it is unbelievable. A fraction of what I was paying in NOVA. Order the bulbs from Amazon. Very hard to find in stores. Trust me. No, I have never used LED's. In sunny Florida, I do not have to have lights on during the day, but whatever the minimal price difference, it's worth it. Lighting is incredibly important.

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