Martinique & Knee News

Martinique Wallpaper at The Beverly Hills Hotel

There are few patterns as iconic as CW Stockwell's Martinique, commonly called banana leaf. It was launched in 1942 and became an instant hit, perhaps most famous for its use at The Beverly Hills Hotel. It has become wildly popular again in recent years, with new collaborations featuring this famous pattern.

Martinique

Mark & Graham x Martinique

 

The iconic Martinique banana leaf was created by CW Stockwell in 1942 for the Beverly Hills Hotel and the rest is history. It has become one of the world's best known wallpapers. A great favorite in Florida, it exemplifies the exuberant Palm Beach style.

Martinique Wallpaper at the Beverly Hills Hotel

Iconic Banana Leaf

Martinique Wallpaper at The Beverly Hills Hotel

 The iconic Martinique banana leaf was created by CW Stockwell in 1942 for the Beverly Hills Hotel and the rest is history. It has become one of the world's best known wallpapers. A great favorite in Florida, it exemplifies the exuberant Palm Beach style. Banana trees grow well here and bear fruit. My next door neighbor has one his backyard.

Styling the Bar Cart

Meg Braff

 I love a rattan bar cart and this is a great idea for poolside, the lanai, or a beach house styled with towels and a water bar. The wallpaper is Meg Braff's Beverly Hills. Amanda Lindroth is a great source for wicker glassware.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren - Architectural Digest

 I have posted many times before about seagrass matting and about banana leaf wallpaper - both faves of mine. Well this is a great new discovery - the flooring above is banana leaf matting. The room is stunning with its palms, rattan, straw hats, white slipcovers, canopy bed, mosquito netting, and even a blue and white garden stool. Such understated elegance. Speaking of mosquitoes, I have never seen a mosquito here. Very odd.

Banana Leaf

Southern Living

 I absolutely adore a corner banquette and this one is quite wonderful with its Dorothy Draper banana leaf fabric Brazilliance and bullion fringe. The walls are painted Packard Blue from the Dorothy Draper/Carleton Varney Collection.

I love the bamboo directors chairs - definitely my favorite folding chairs. The tiki statues are a fun choice here.

It would be quite a project cleaning that window though - lots of heavy moving.

Chinoiserie Outdoors

Luxe Report Designs

I have always loved using blue and white Chinese porcelain outdoors and I love banana leaf, but the combination together for a lanai or outdoor area is really fabulous. Combining green with blue and white is a natural, but outdoors it really pops.

I discovered this quite accidentally when I happened upon a set of banana leaf outdoor cushions for my lanai dining set at HomeGoods. Here is a lovely example above combining banana leaf with blue and white Chinese porcelain, garden stools, and orchids. 

It occurred to me that my lanai would be a great location for an orchid collection. I might be on the lookout for another bar cart! And I am dying to try tying orchids to my trees. One follower sent me an article on how to do this. A neighbor of mine has many palms with orchids growing on them and it is quite a sight.

Here are shots of my new bromeliad bed. Several neighbors stopped by to admire it. 

Pink Bromeliads

Today another fun day in store in paradise - HomeGoods, Sushi Day at Publix, and stops at a garden center or two. I was disappointed that the Master Gardener program is on hiatus here because of the pandemic, but I am learning SO much just visiting garden centers, reading, and taking walks with the pups and seeing all the plants in neighbors' gardens. BTW, it took me minutes to plant the bromeliad bed. You can literally dig the holes with your hands - the soil is a wonderful sandy loam. In NOVA you could make pottery out of the clay soil.

Good Vibrations

Kate Sade Towels from HG

Yesterday was an A plus!!!!!!!!!!!!

I decided I needed a little break. So I took a carload of things over to Venice and interacted with my darling painters. Then I headed to my stone/granite place that did a wonderful job on all the counters here. I know exactly what I want - a gorgeous black stone for the guest bathroom and a white marble type look for the master bath. Paula led me to their remnants - in the stone area was the most beautiful slab in the world - black with orange veins for the guest bath. She said it was one of their highest end stones. My wallpaper will love it!!!!!!!! Done.

Then we headed over to quartz. I reminded her I need over 7 feet. She had a quartz remant that is perfect. Hint -  I need something very understated to go with my GORGEOUS blue and white dragon Chinese porcelain vessel sinks. It is white with very subtle grey veining. I love the vessel sinks I used here. Do not try to dissuade me from vessel sinks - I have used them here for 9 months and love them. Beautiful and easy to clean. I will be there today to approve the templates and will try to take photos.

And the price for the two bathroom counters was like free. Seriously inexpensive. Remnants are priced ridiculously cheap. About 75% less. They are doing the templates at 9 AM today and install is Wednesday. I am thrilled!

Then I went to my unbelievable HomeGoods and got a boatload of these gorgeous Kate Spade towels, hand towels, and washcloths. Great price, love the color. I will find a local monogrammer. I find that with the vast majority of online stores that monogram, I dislike their font and style choices. The monograms are too small and too boring. This way I can choose my own. I got 4 bath towels, 4 hand towels, and 4 washcloths for $64 and I had a $30 certificate to use. Can't beat that!

I found all sorts of other great things at HG as well - coral pink bath sponges, a Kate Spade book, lobster beach towels, I had a blast.

This afternoon my handyman is coming over to see what needs to be done.

I just ordered these banana leaf dog beds for Harper and Margot.

On a more serious note. Truthfully. I have always had a happy life where I felt the universe was on my side. Things almost always worked out well. Since meeting GG, everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong. GG is a magnet for bad karma and most of it he brings on himself. Really, all of it he brings on himself. I got caught in the maelstrom. Now, once again, the good vibes have returned to my life. Things go right. I am very thankful.

The Florida Chinoise Dining Room

Hannah Crowell

I really like the vibe of this dining room by Nashville designer Hannah Crowell. Created for a young family's vacation home in Anna Maria Island, quite close to here, it captures what I am calling Florida Chinoise style that combines Chinoiserie and tropical elements.

I love the banana leaf curtains in Dorothy Draper's Brazilliance, a favorite fabric of mine, the wicker chairs (yesterday's post was on the topic of the resurgence of wicker), bamboo blinds, a striped rug, and a really fun tassel chandelier. These tasseled chandeliers are very bohemian and textural and just perfect for a beach house. They are very hot. This room is classic, fun, colorful, modern, and looks so easy to maintain. My favorite element is the wicker chairs reminiscent of the design of the mid century classic S shaped Panton chair. Do you like this dining room?

Help Me Choose

I decided I want a great pool float with Chinoiserie style and fell in love with several and truly need help. What do you think? Above is a gorgeous and massive flamingo in a really pretty rose gold by SunnyLIFE. It gets rave reviews.

Next up is this group of oversized float rings in lots of great patterns and colors. I have put together this group of four and I would order all four.  They have been widely featured online and in magazines and are very chic.

Last is this Ice Dragon Pool Float from Amazon. It is crazy cheap and gets rave reviews and is truly a Chinoiserie Chic choice.

Leave a comment and help me choose and I will post pictures of the winner in my pool. Thanks!!!

Banana Leaf

Circa Who

I never thought about using a banana leaf fabric on Chinese Chippendale chairs, but I think it looks great,

Pink and Green

The Colony Hotel - Palm Beach

Green banana leaf carpet with pink and white wallpaper in trellis and stripes in this very Palm Beach hallway. And how about this banana leaf gown?

Dolce and Gabbana

The Chinoiserie Work Space

Better Homes and Gardens

Saturday Inspiration

The iconic banana leaf wallpaper Brazillance styled here by Society Social.

Fabulous Friday Finds

Today we are going to look at some of my favorite finds in art, all at great prices. Every single piece shown is under $100.

I have included tiny original abstracts in stunning pastels by Marquin Campbell that can be hung on the wall or can sit on a chest or table with their 2" thick canvases. She has painted a stunning piece for my Chinoiserie Man Cave One Room Challenge that I can't wait to share with you.

The botanical photographs by Sarah Hollander are breathtaking. These are the modern alternative to botanical engravings. I predict they become very popular with interior designers. She has created some exclusive pieces for The Pink Pagoda.

I adore the whimsical work of Caitlin McGauley, one of my favorite artists. Her limited edition prints always sell out.

The art of The Aestate has such a great modern edge. I love it. You will be seeing one of her pieces in my Chinoiserie Man Cave One Room Challenge.

Marquin Campbell Original Abstract

Marquin Campbell Original Abstract

Sarah Hollander Pink Ranunculas #1 - The Pink Pagoda Exclusive

Sarah Hollander Pink Ranunculas #3 - The Pink Pagoda Exclusive

Caitlin McGauley Floral Canvas

Caitlin McGauley Safari Animals Canvas

Caitlin McGauley Leopard Giclee

Here it is framed in my dining room

Caitlin McGauley Zebra Giclee

A Blue & White Chinoiserie Giclee by The Aestate

Cheetah Twins Print by The Aestate

My final one today is this wonderful banana leaf print by The Aestate inspired by Hinson's Martinique wallpaper. At a large 20 by 30 inches, with four different banana leaf prints to choose from, use one, a pair, or a set of four to make quite a statement without the commitment and cost of wallpapering the room in this iconic design. This one is Beverly IV in the series.

The Aestate's Beverly Banana Print

Kate Spade, Martinique, and an Inspiration Board

I am so excited about Kate Spade's new Martinique pillow, that I created an inspiration board around it. The pillow is faced with the iconic Martinique Banana Leaf made famous at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It is backed in black and white stripes, inspiring me to wallpaper the room in bold black and white stripes. I have used a yellow Jonathan Adler Lampert sofa with two Kate Spade Martinique pillows and a vintage orange Hermes zebra needlepoint pillow. The coffee table is two orange Chinese garden stools from Lilly Pulitzer Home. I love the three pineapple giclees from The Pink Pagoda. If your budget does not include $148 for a pillow, below are some great alternatives for $40 and under. BTW, the Kate Spade pillow is a limited edition with just a few left.

 Want more banana leaf inspiration? My Pinterest board on banana leaf is here.

Kate Spade Martinique

Etsy - $40

Etsy - $40

Etsy - $37