My Christmas Decorating-Dressing Room

My Thomas Pink pink dressing room is quite dramatic on its own, and requires only a bit of tweaking for the holidays. Please click on the photos to enlarge them. Above, the blue and white Chinese ginger jar gets dressed up for Christmas in a pink tassel. Below, the crystal chandelier looks quite festive.

This feather boa looks like a garland hanging on the full length mirror.

A pink Phillip Lim cocktail dress is all ready for a Christmas party.

A vignette on my dresser with a vase filled with jewelry and a small hurricane filed with miniature vintage ornaments.

Another view.

The vintage Chanel tulle hat looks like a wreath sitting on the ghost chair.

The entrance to the room with its Chinoiserie gold bamboo framed Camellia botanicals and sconce with a pink striped English paper shade.

The Chinoiserie Fireplace

As the temperatures drop and thoughts turn to the holidays and winter decorating, the fireplace and mantel become even more important focal points. Here are ideas for decorating your fireplace with Chinoiserie panache. The first gorgeous example above is by Carolyne Roehm.

1. A Chinoiserie style fireplace mantel

2. Blue and white Chinese porcelains-think vases, ginger jars, tulipieres

3. A Chinoiserie fireplace screen-can even be made from Chinoiserie wallpaper

4. A Chinoiserie fireback

5. Blanc de Chine

6. A Chinoiserie mirror

7. Chinoiserie wallpaper on that wall

8. Asian antiques

9. Pagodas

10. A Chinoiserie oil painting, framed silk fragment or panel, or framed Chinoiserie wallpaper

11. Flanked by one or a pair of Chinese screens

Kensington Palace

My Family Room

My Family Room decorated for Christmas

Freer Gallery The Peacock Room

Terri Long of La Dolfina

Domino-Osborne & Little Summer Palace

Charlotte Moss

Ames Ingham

Coco Chanel's Apartment

Antique fireback-Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Shelly Riehl David via HGTV

Phoebe Howard

Buckingham Palace via The Peak of Chic

Charlotte Moss via Cote de Texas

Horchow

Coco Chanel & Chinoiserie

How many of you know that Coco Chanel was a great lover of Chinoiserie? Shown here are photos of her apartment at 31 Rue Cambon where she did her entertaining. My favorite photo is the entry above where she used Coromandel screens like wallpaper. Two interesting points to note as well. Although she adored Chinoiserie, and her apartment was lavishly decorated in it, her fashion designs never reflected Chinese influences, although she did use Japanese and Indian themes. Second, her apartment, while filled with Chinoiserie, still reflected her pared down modern elegance. Unlike most people of the day who would combine Chinoiserie with opulent damask, porcelain, and fine Oriental rugs, hers was a modern luxe with eclectic pieces and sleek Art Deco furnishings. This aesthetic is so timeless and sophisticated and the apartment could easily be gracing the pages of House Beautiful or Elle Decor today.

(Photos courtesy of flickr)