Blue and White Chinese Porcelain Outdoors

via The Potted Boxwood

 

I love the gigantic blue and white Chinese porcelain planters in front of this lovely Dallas home. Blue and white Chinese porcelain is so pretty outdoors. I have lots of blue and white Chinese garden stools and fishbowls in my garden at CCC. Of course, with hurricanes in Florida, I use portable pieces that I can put in my garden wagon and have safe and secure in my garage when a hurricane blows through. 

Sky High Blue and White

Les Ensembliers - Veranda Magazine

I am absolutely in love with this stunning blue and white space overlooking one of my favorite cities Montreal. The duplex is at the top of a former convent with views across the St. Lawrence River to the U.S. border and even views of the mountains of Vermont. Belonging to former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his wife, blue and white anchors the space with blue and white Chinese porcelain. The Alexander Calder mobile takes center stage. Calder pieces are among the most valuable and most important art of the 20th century.

Risking Chinoiserie Outdoors

Mark Sikes

 

Mark Sikes took this photo and posted it on Instagram of this beautiful home in Southampton. Look at the the size of those blue and white Chinese vases/urns!!!! What a stunning home.

I know I am on the risk averse side, but I would be so nervous about them being stolen or accidentally knocked over or blown over in a summer storm. 

Here is another view I found. They certainly make a statement!

Pinterest

I read a fascinating article that in Great Britain garden theft is about a $500 million a year industry. People use exterior alarm systems, barbed wire, and all sorts of anti-theft devices to protect their garden statues, pots, tools, and such. Fortunately, that has not become a problem in the U.S. where I feel like weather is more of an issue. They must have a better class of criminals in the UK.

I previously posted this photo below of a Palm Beach home with blue and white ginger jars in front. 

Chinoiserie in the Garden

Carolyne Roehm

I absolutely adore blue and white Chinese porcelain in the garden. I currently have in my garden seven blue and white Chinese porcelain garden stools and four blue and white Chinese fishbowls. 

Not much by Carolyne Roehm's standards, but the family is growing - I have ordered several more fishbowls that arrive on Tuesday pictured below.

BTW, I have had Chinese porcelain in my garden for decades through hot summers and cold winters with zero deterioration. They will be safely sheltered in my garage however for Florida hurricanes. We don't want them flying through the air! And I have started rotating my palms in fishbowls from the garden to the house to the lanai and back and they all love it. Happy palms, happy life - LOL.

Carolyne Roehm

CCC

CCC

Chinoiserie Outdoors

Ballard Designs

 This porch has great inspiration for bringing chinoiserie touches into your outdoor living spaces - blue and white Chinese porcelain, a Chinese garden stool, and Greek key pillows. Wicker trunks serve as a coffee table and are great for storage. I really like the striped outdoor curtains. That floor lamp looks really out of place and dated IMO.

Blue and White Outdoors

Serena & Lily

 I am still designing my lanai and love this inspiration from Serena & Lily. We all know about outdoor wicker furniture made of resin, but these fabulous rattan pendants are made for outdoors out of resin. I also love the idea of outdoor curtains and a wicker sectional. 

The blue and white palette and the blue and white Chinese ginger jar filled with peonies are perfect. I think I would pass on the coffee table though - I have never liked those tree trunks. I have a fabulous Miles Redd outdoor coffee table that will be great.

Enjoy your weekend - the weather is of course picture perfect here in paradise.

Chinoiserie Outdoors

Les Ensembliers

I posted about this Palm Beach home back in February and interestingly, my new home reminds me of it a bit. Both are one level, stucco, palm trees in front, oversized coach lanterns, more formal Palm Beach than Tuscan.

My Home

You may recall that we chatted about the two pairs of ginger jars in front of the Palm Beach home and decided it was risky in terms of the ginger jars being stolen or toppling over.

I have an idea I love for adding more blue and white Chinese porcelain to the front of my home. I already have added a pair of vintage blue and white Chinese garden stools that have been outdoors in my garden for over thirty years!

Here they are with my gorgeous reclaimed lobster rope door mat from 30 Fathom that I adore if it is possible to adore a door mat. I do!

My new idea is that outside the covered area I will use my pair of blue and white Chinese porcelain fishbowls with a pair of topiaries - either lemon or lime trees or Eugenia. I rescued the fishbowls from Sandbagger where they were in the lanai with a pair of palms. Using palms here would be silly because I already have massive royal palms in the front yard and they would get lost in the shuffle.

Here are lemon topiaries in fishbowls via Mary McDonald.

Mary McDonald

BTW, Venice is very low crime, my gated community is very safe, and I feel that they would be fine outside here. I might buzz over to Home Depot and see what they have. Any experience growing lemon or lime trees? I think it would be very chic and very Old Florida.

BTW, I had five guys working on my garden yesterday and it looks wonderful. My gardener is extremely knowledgeable about Florida plants and things went absolutely great. Now I can start having fun in the garden since all the "heavy lifting" is done.

Blue & White Outdoors

Michelle Nussbaumer - Southern Living

Some great ideas to borrow here -- paint your deck with stripes, hang a chandelier that uses candles from a tree branch, bring a collection of blue and white Chinese porcelain outdoors. And I love painting outdoor metal furniture black - it makes it disappear and is a modern look. I also love combining stripes with blue and white Chinoiserie and I think this painted deck is very clever.

Speaking of outdoors, on a personal note, do you know about love bugs? I had heard about them but had not experienced them before. Well, "someone" left the upstairs slider open a bit and hundreds and hundreds got in the house yesterday. Hours capturing bugs all over walls, ceilings, and furniture. Really bad day. But I have some exciting news to share soon.

The Blue and White Lanai

My Lanai

Here are a few shots of my lanai featuring my new dragon pool float and my new wicker chaises. I sat out on one of the chaises yesterday afternoon with the two pups and it was wonderful.

Do you see the zebra hide beach towel in the leather holster in the last photo? I had a strange memory when I put it out there. I posted on January 13, 2013 (more than seven years ago) about finding it at Neiman Marcus Last Call reduced from $240 to $40. Zebra hide was all the rage then and this was a fun take on it.

I commented that I loved it, but wasn't sure where I was going to use it since I didn't have a pool and am not a huge beach goer. A gratuitous comment that I deleted chastised me for buying something that was not utilitarian. Hey sweetheart, how much of Chinoiserie or interior design for that matter is about being utilitarian? At any rate Angie, now I have my very own swimming pool and will be drying myself with this very chic towel. How's that for utilitarian?

My Jonathan Adler Alligator (Not in the Lanai!)

Blue and White

Les Ensembliers - House and Home

I found a couple more shots of the Palm Beach house that I posted about over the weekend that I thought I would share. Note the use of black in both to anchor the spaces and make them more sophisticated. My outdoor chaises arrived over the weekend - they are in a dark brown wicker like shown here. I'll try to take some lanai photos today after I style the Miles Redd cocktail table from Ballard Designs.

Chic or Chancy?

Les Ensembliers

I posted yesterday about this wonderful Palm Beach home and really like the front. It reminds me a lot of my home - quite formal, taupe stucco, dark gray tile roof, black front door, palm trees in front.

Note the two pairs of ginger jars flanking the door. I have two very deep window ledges in the front of my house that would be perfect for a pair of large ginger jars. I  live in a gated community, but the idea of expensive ginger jars in front that could be carried off concerns me a tad. Still, I love the look. I wonder if these were just for the photo shoot or if they are permanent? There are also two pairs of black planters with tropicals planted in them but the weight of these makes them more immune from theft.

Still debating the ginger jar idea - a great look, but wonder if they would be safe. Thoughts?

Blue and White Outdoors

Michelle Nussbaumer - Veranda

This is a stunning example of bringing blue and white outdoors. I have posted before about how much fun I am having decorating the lanai. This space above has so much inspiration. I already have a huge collection of blue and white Chinese porcelain in the lanai including half a dozen Chinese garden stools. I love outdoor wicker and yesterday I ordered a pair of outdoor wicker chaise lounges. Already on my list are lemon and lime trees. I did not mention that there is a huge balcony on the second floor, and after I finish with the lanai, that will be next to focus on.

Blue and White Outdoors

Mark D. Sikes

This beautiful blue and white outdoor living space belonging to Mark D. Sikes features lots of blue and white Chinese porcelain. Here are more shots below. Don't have any concern about using your blue and white Chinese porcelain outdoors - I have been using blue and white Chinese garden stools in my garden for decades with no deterioration at all. That stuff is made to last! I picked up a new piece of furniture for the lanai at Ballard Designs in Tampa yesterday, but after two wonderful rum distillery tours and tastings, I was not motivated to unpack it, so I will post about it tomorrow. I love Mark's use of blue and white Chinese porcelain containers for topiaries as well. Although English boxwood does not grow well in South Florida, Eugenia does beautifully here with the same look. I planted two huge Eugenia topiaries in the garden here and they are doing great.

Chinoiserie Outdoors

Shelley Johnstone Paschke - House Beautiful

I was surprised and delighted to learn that this gorgeous pool house is in Lake Forest, Illinois where I grew up. I love the palette of blue and white with hot pink and the wonderful use of blue and white Chinese porcelain. Shows you don't need to be in Florida!

More Chinoiserie Christmas Outdoors

Ballard Designs

More great inspiration on holiday decorating with blue and white Chinoiserie.

Blue and White Outdoors

Pinterest

A lovely example of using blue and white outdoors on a covered patio with a collection of blue and white Chinese porcelain.

Chinoiserie Outdoors

Pinterest

Blue and white Chinese porcelain is as beautiful outdoors as in.

Blue and White Outdoors

Southern Living

A great example of how to use blue and white and blue and white Chinese porcelain outdoors.

Chinoiserie Entertaining Outdoors

Aerin Lauder

Blue and white is such a lovely choice for setting the table indoors or out. Bamboo flatware is my flatware choice - I have sets in black and natural that I love.

Chinoiserie Outdoors

Carolyne Roehm

Carolyne Roehm's New York pergola filled with my favorites - Chinese Chippendale, stripes, Chinese garden stools, ginger jars, and lots of blue and white.