A Chinoiserie Powder Room & Help Solve a Chinoiserie Mystery

Brunschwig & Fils - Xian

Xian by Brunschwig & Fils is a favorite chinoiserie wallpaper and fabric of mine. The detail is wonderful. It's especially great if you want to jazz up a cold and sterile white bathroom or powder room. Imagine the space above without it. 

I have it in a different colorway on my breakfast barstools. There are two sleeping pups in the background.

Chinoiserie Gone Wrong

Instagram

I have not posted a "Chinoiserie Gone Wrong" in months, but this showed up in my Instagram feed yesterday and I couldn't resist. I'm not even going to begin to outline all I hate about this kitchen; it would take all day. But these are my fave Ballard Designs (now discontinued) Chinese Chippendale stools in this ghastly kitchen. They even left the original ugly fabric cushions on them.

Here are mine in Brunschwig & Fils Xian. The fabric was plasticized and I have been using them daily for years and years and they look like they are brand new.

CCC

OK, what is the story with those hideous floral arrangements?
 

Chintz Returns

House Beautiful - Can you guess the year?

OK you smarty pants. What year is this from?

Current
2011?
2001?
1991?
1981?

"In the 1980s, chintz worked in just about every room. Featured in our October 1981 issue, a sitting area in Old Westbury Gardens in Long Island, New York, the Baker sofas are covered in Brunschwig & Fils's Westbury Bouquet glaze chintz." ---- House Beautiful

So almost 40 years ago! This room is timeless IMHO. A blue and white Chinese garden stool, blue and white Chinese porcelain, wicker, and a classic chintz which is having a resurgence. The only tip off is the chairs matching the sofa.

But chintz is having a moment again with Grandmillennials - the key is to use just a bit - don't go full Mario Buatta. Pointers - use a classic chintz - high end, glazed is gorgeous, think Brunschwig & Fils, Colefax and Fowler, Lee Joffa in peonies, roses, hollyhocks, and the like. Use it as an accent - don't go all matchy matchy. A beautiful pair of chintz pillows is a great example.

Society Social

Society Social

I still have a wicker chaise and table skirt in a gorgeous Mario Buatta chintz that I plan to use in one of the guest bedrooms. An aside, I would love to see the return of aubergine - does anyone remember Mario Buatta's aubergine lacquered walls? Wonderful!

Mario Buatta

The Blue and White Dining Room

Kristen Nix Interiors

This is such a lovely blue and white dining room. The wallpaper is Brunschwig & Fils Bird and Thistle wallpaper in Aqua, a favorite of mine. This wallpaper is not really Chinoiserie style, but I feel it reads like it, if you know what I mean. The sideboard is interestingly placed in front of the window. I wonder if this is just for staging purposes as the pair of lamps have no electrical cords. I love the mid century modern sputnik chandelier, probably a modern version. The table centerpiece is blue and white Chinese porcelain filled with hydrangeas. The chairs are Miles Redd's Diamond Dining Chair from Ballard Designs - a lovely fretwork design he based on Chinese Chippendale. They are very affordable and on sale now as well. I really like this chair. It is also available as a barstool or counterstool.

The piece of art is also quite affordable - this print by Leslie Weaver is available on Chairish for $225.00 framed for this size with free shipping. I really like this. I checked out her website and her originals are very well priced as well. An alternative perhaps to Sally King Benedict whose work I love but perhaps is being a bit overused.

Don't let this quarantine keep you from home projects - rooms can be done like this lovely example shopping entirely online. Support businesses you love if you can. Life doesn't have to stand still. I couldn't find a description of this room, so I just did some research and found the sources of some of the pieces. If you know where any other things in this room are available, let me know. I love a room like this that is gorgeous and relatively affordable.

The Ultimate Blue and White Bathroom

via acrpr.uk

This incredible bathroom features the iconic Brunschwig & Fils Le Lac.

Blue and White & The Chinoiserie Chic Dog

Here is a new photo of our Japanese Chin Margot, who is now 4 months old. She is sitting on her favorite piece of furniture, a miniature chaise that was once in my daughter Kate's nursery. It is upholstered in a vintage Brunschwig & Fils fabric called "English Leopard" circa 1974 from their Winterthur Collection. I have paired it with a navy Greek key pillow.

Finding Foo Dogs & A 1 Minute DIY

Z Gallerie Gold Foo Dog

Yesterday we looked at styling foo dogs, today we source them, with budget friendly choices.

Z Gallerie White Foo Dogs

Porcelain Blue Foo Dogs

Porcelain Blue Foo Dogs

Jonathan Adler Foo Dog Lamp

C.Wonder Foo Dogs

C.Wonder Foo Dogs

C.Wonder Foo Dogs

C.Wonder Foo Dogs

C.Wonder Foo Dogs

I bought this blue and white Chinese porcelain Brunschwig & Fils tapestry sample on Etsy for $10.00. The edges were already bound. I used two tacks and hung it on my kitchen door - a 1 minute Chinoiserie window treatment!

One Room Challenge: A Good Beginning

Harrison Howard Art Framed in Gold Bamboo

 Happy 4th! Welcome to Week 2 of the One Room Challenge here at Chinoiserie Chic. I am pleased with my progress, although it was a short week with a freak storm here Friday that left us with no power for three days and 100 degree temperatures.

One plan I had was to add some great art to my kitchen. So few people use art in their kitchens and I can't understand why. This wonderful piece above is from the Chinoiseries Collection of a favorite artist Harrison Howard. I had it framed in gold bamboo with a raw silk mat in ivory. I am now working on a fantastic gallery wall for another spot.

I have also shown you my two faux bamboo counter stools upholstered in Brunschwig & Fils Xian that I had coated to be completely resistant to spills and stains. These are not new for the challenge, but they show you my inspiration for the room.

I decided to put a gorgeous antique ginger jar on top of the refrigerator, an area that in most kitchens is either for storage or left bare. Finally, I replaced the stainless steel microwave with a shiny black one that has the feel of black lacquer. On top is a white lacquered tray from West Elm I use for mail. You can spot my new Nespresso maker in that photo also - I adore my Nespresso!

Faux Bamboo Counter Stool with Brunschwig & Fils Xian

Faux Bamboo counter Stool with Brunschwig & Fils Xian

Antique Ginger Jar on Refrigerator

Black "Lacquer" Microwave

Check out what everyone else has been up to this week:

Beth - Chinoiserie Chic

Lauren - The Cottage Mix

Sherry - Design Indulgence

Lindsay - Everything LEB

Barbara - Hodge:Podge

Kim - Kim Macumber Interiors

Lisa- Lisa Mende Design

Tiffany - Living Savvy

Jessie - Mix & Chic

Linda - My Crafty Home Life 

Alison - My Little Happy Place

Danylle - Nana Moon

Nicole - Nicole Scott Designs

Julia - Pawleys Island Posh

Jennifer - The Pink Pagoda

Bethany- Powell Brower Home

Lindsay - The Pursuit of Style

Emily - Rue de Emily

Lindsay - Sadie + Stella

Lisa - Trapped in North Jersey

One Room Challenge: Before Chinoiserie

Here is my kitchen now. The good news is that I adore my kitchen - the cabinets, the countertops, the floor, the wall color, the layout. In fact, the kitchen is the original kitchen in this beautiful fifty year old Georgian colonial of mine. The second owners (we are the third) updated it, painting the original wood cabinets white and adding the tile floor, Corian countertops, island, glass cooktop, and white tiles. I love green and painted the previously white walls in a beautiful mint green and repainted the cabinets and trim in my favorite white.

All I want to do over the next six weeks is to have fun bringing in new lighting, window treatments, art, and accessories, with lots of Chinoiserie, of course. I am starting with two wonderful Chinoiserie pieces already - the pair of Chinese Chippendale counter stools in Brunschwig & Fils Xian that I had coated for the ultimate in kitchen use and spill protection. Please note the One Room Challenge button in my sidebar that you can click on anytime to link you to my original post and updates.

A Chinoiserie Kitchen

Many of us have posted the photo above of this wonderful French influenced kitchen from House Beautiful with its Chinoiserie touches. I thought it would be fun to look at it in greater detail. Note the red tole pagoda lantern by Vaughan. The curtains are Bailey & Griffin's Canton Toile in Cherry Vanilla backed in Brunschwig & Fils Paola taffeta in Pepper Red. The stools are in Brunschwig & Fils La Mer in Pompeain Red.

The hand painted tile mural is from the Chinoiserie series by Tempest. Note the red knobs on the Wolf range.

A paper towel niche

A pull-out cutting board with hole so scraps go directly into the trash below

The breakfast niche with cushions in Brunschwig & Fils Chancellor Strie in Pompeian Red

Bailey & Griffin's Canton Toile

Blue and White Bedroom

This is the same blue and white Brunschwig & Fils pagoda wallpaper as in the dining room post below used here in a bedroom.

Brunschwig & Fils Xian

My Chinoiserie Home

Don't be afraid to use a large scale Chinoiserie toile on a small surface like a stool, ottoman, or pillow, especially one with pagodas like this favorite of mine, Brunschwig & Fils Xian.

My Chinoiserie Home

Perch Owner Caroline Robert's Home in Lonny