The Chinoiserie Living Room

Meg Braff

This remains one of my favorite living rooms of all time - Meg Braff's living room in her home in Locust Valley on Long Island in New York. It reminds me of the grand living rooms of Mario Buatta, and indeed the gorgeous Coromandel screen shown below she found at a local estate once designed by Mario Buatta.

Here are more views of this room.

Meg Braff

Meg Braff

Meg Braff

Chinoiserie elements in this room include the Coromandel screen, the gilt faux bamboo bergere chair, Christopher Spitzmiller gourd lamps, Chinese porcelain, and framed chinoiserie panels.

I love the yellow sofa - such an underused color. The vintage sofa is trimmed in an ebullient 4-inch fringe by Houlès. The upholstery fabric is Zoffany. Meg Braff loves caftans. This yellow one would be great in this room.

Summers in St. Tropez Celeste Caftan

The floral chintz on the slipper chairs and pillows is Lee Joffa's Althea Hollyhock.

Another favorite element is the silk skirted table topped with books and a beautiful flower arrangement.

I love the pair of palm trees - palm trees are no longer reserved for decorating in Florida - you see palm tree decor everywhere.

I think palm trees are what I love most about Florida. I can't get enough of them. I read this about palm trees and what we can learn from them.

Shed things that no longer serve you. Palm trees are self-cleaning; they shed and get rid of dead leaves. Sometimes after the storms of life, we learn that there are things that we were holding onto that no longer serve us well.