The Ladylike Trend - Chocolate Brown

Chocolate One Shoulder Maxi Dress

 

Chocolate brown is an incredibly elegant and sophisticated alternative to black and is wonderful for the fall. It is also super flattering - softer and less harsh than black. Here are some beautiful choices.

Chinoiserie Island Inspiration

Amanda Lindroth

 

Amanda Lindroth has become my favorite interior designer since moving to Florida. Her style combines chinoiserie with a beachy island vibe that I adore. This vignette is a perfect case in point. 

Thanksgiving Series - The Chinoiserie Dining Room

Ned Marshall - House Beautiful

Designer Ned Marsall used Benjamin Moore Bittersweet Chocolate on the walls of this dining room - a beautiful contrast to the gilt Chinoiserie mirror and the blue and white Chinese porcelain.

More Autumn and Chinoiserie

When I think of fall colors, I think of orange and chocolate brown. And no, I do not think of harvest gold. Adding a modern piece of Chinoiserie in orange or brown like these from Dana Gibson's collection is a great way to add a bit of autumn to your home in a very modern and chic way. The designs include Canton and Ming and patterns that go beautifully with Chinoiserie like chevron or bargello, leopard, and cheetah. These colors are absolutely gorgeous with blue and white Chinese porcelain.

Happy Labor Day

 For me, Labor Day marks the transition from summer to autumn and my thoughts start turning to fall colors - I especially love orange and chocolate brown. Here are my Pinterest boards on Brown Chinoiserie and Orange Chinoiserie for inspiration on combining Chinoiserie and the colors of autumn.

Scalamandre Zebras

Dana Gibson

Miles Redd

Alessandra Branca

Tom Scheerer

Quadrille wallpaper and fabric

Caitlin Wilson

Diane Bergeron

David Netto

Melissa Rufty

One Bed Four Ways

Mary McDonald

 My favorite Chinoiserie bed after mine is this stunning pagoda bed designed by Mary McDonald. Alas, my gold leaf pagoda canopy bed by Annie Selke is no longer available. Investment pieces like this really make a room and a home. Although pricey (hence the term investment piece), keep in mind that if you choose well these are focal points in your home that you will enjoy for a lifetime. I love the words of Miles Redd who said that when you buy the best, you only cry once.

Here is the beautiful pagoda bed designed by Mary McDonald in four different bedrooms. Notice how different these rooms are and the different ways the bed has been dressed. Note too that Mary McDonald uses brown in all three of her rooms. Quite interesting, because you don't see lots of rooms with brown and Chinoiserie. Have a favorite?  I think the room above is my favorite. I love the chocolate brown walls with all the white. I do think the room by Kim Alexandriuk is quite intriguing - using such a formal bed in a beach house sort of way.

Mary McDonald

Mary McDonald

Kim Alexandriuk