The Blue and White Chinoiserie Dress

100% Washable Silk Slip Dress

 I have one of these washable silk dresses and love it. They are available in lots of colors and have just come out with them in prints. This blue and white version reminds me of Gracie or de Gournay hand painted blue and white silk chinoiserie wallpaper.

"We love the midi length and bias cut of this dress! This super flattering fit is made from 100% mulberry silk, in a satin finish. The kicker? Our silk is washable. Easy to style, easy to wash for low-maintenance luxe. Plus, silk fiber contains 18 kinds of amino acids that make it amazing for skin nourishment, hypo-allergenic, and naturally thermoregulating to help maintain body temperature."

Blue Bamboo

Blue Bamboo Flatware

For years I have thought to myself, "Why hasn't someone come out with blue bamboo flatware?" Well, someone finally did.

Judging A Book By Its (Chinoiserie) Cover

Ruthie Sommers - de Gournay

This picture was my very first post on Chinoiserie Chic (turning 14 this Spring) of a stunning room wallpapered in de Gournay. Many of us would love to have a room papered in hand-painted chinoiserie wallcovering, but the cost is not for the faint of heart. 

Styling the Kitchen

Amanda Lindroth - Veranda

 

This Bahamian kitchen featured in the new Veranda is quite fabulous. The wallpaper is de Gournay's Amazonia in turquoise. Note the pink La Cornue range. The wallpaper above the range is protected by a plexiglass panel. I love the wicker stools and lighting fixture (Soane Britain). This is a white kitchen that certainly doesn't feel sterile!

Happy Memorial Day

Christoper Maya - House Beautiful

Happy Memorial Day to all. Here is a great dining room with a color palette of red, white, and blue and chinoiserie. The wallpaper is de Gournay Earlham custom colored in cobalt blue, paired with trim and bookcases lacquered in red. Below is the shot that graced the cover of House Beautiful in 2013 with Louis XVI chairs and a 1940s Edward Wormley dining table.

The Chinoiserie Bathroom

de Gournay

 

This bathroom has lovely de Gournay chinoiserie wallpaper and at first glance beautiful styling. But on closer inspection, I do find a few elements a bit troubling. First, I can't deal with toothbrushes out on display. Second, bar soap is only attractive when it's brand new and unused like here, but after that, not so much. And lastly, the fabric shades on the sconces would be more appropriate in a powder room. You can see from the reflection in the mirror that this is a bathroom with a shower just across. This whole thing feels kind of germy - LOL.

Purple & Chinoiserie

Mary McDonald - Elle Decor

 Purple rooms are still on the rare side, and even rarer mixed with chinoiserie like in this study. Custom de Gournay peacock wallpaper mixes with modern and mid century elements like the Karl Springer mirror, acrylic sputnik chandelier, Italian stools, and chairs in Scalamandre silk check. 

Purple is a color I don't really have in my home, although I love it where it goes more lavender like it does here. I don't use a lot of red either, but I really like lavender mixed with red. My study in Alexandria was lavender with red and pink and I loved it.

The Chinoiserie Bathroom

Cecil Hannah Gurney - Architectural Digest

This bathroom is amazing - chinoiserie, pink, and flamingos - WOW. As I said yesterday, she is the de Gournay daughter and director. Not for the minimalist, but I don't know what you guys are doing on my blog anyway - LOL. She glazed the paper in the shower area for those of you who are going to freak out over the paper in the bath area. Her father advised her it was much cheaper than marble. Especially for them. I love the terrazzo and pink marble as well. Why oh why is the toilet lid up for a photo shoot?

Cecil Hannah Gurney - Architectural Digest

 

More de Gournay in the Kitchen

Hannah Gurney

 

For those of you who fainted over yesterday's kitchen with a statement wall of de Gournay wallpaper, here is the kitchen of de Gournay daughter and director Hannah Cecil Gurney and it has no glass covering it. A very bold use of  color here as well. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

The Chinoiserie Kitchen

Jim Dove - House Beautiful

 

This is absolutely incredible. Palm Beach kitchen designer Jim Dove uses de Gournay wallpaper as a statement wall in the kitchen including as a backsplash. It is completely covered in museum glass for splashes and grease. I personally would much rather put my money into gorgeous wallpaper than a backsplash. 

This is a great idea for an open floor plan like this where the kitchen goes right into the dining room. I also love the coral painted backs of the bookcases and all the brass. 

Pick Your Quarantine House

This "pick your quarantine house" has many different versions that have been making the rounds on Facebook - there are ones with politicians, actors, singers, historical figures, and the like. This one I found you choose the style house you would choose to be quarantined in. Let's add a Chinoiserie Chic category. We need to come up with five design elements we would include in our Chinoiserie Chic home.

Here's mine:

7. Chinoiserie Chic
Gracie hand painted Chinoiserie wallpaper
A collection of blue and white Chinese porcelain
A pair of Christopher Spitzmiller  lamps
A tufted sofa in navy blue velvet
A collection of interior design coffee table books

Which of these 7 houses would you choose to be quarantined in?

Now let's see your version of the Chinoiserie Chic quarantine house list. I'd love to see what Chinoiserie you would choose.

A New Chinoiserie Gone Wrong

de Gournay

I received a great response to my new series on Chinoiserie Gone Wrong. Lots of comments, lots of emails, and some great ideas for upcoming posts. Thank you!

I am a huge fan of de Gournay wallpaper. My first post when I created Chinoiserie Chic more than 11 years ago below is of de Gournay wallcovering - a room by Ruthie Sommers. I still love this.

Ruthie Sommers - de Gournay

I had never seen a de Gournay wallcovering I have not liked. Until now. Yikes. Check out the green blobs.

Can you guess what this is supposed to be?

1. Melons?
2. Avocados?
3. Breasts?
4. Alien pods?
5. Green rainbows?
6. Rocks?
7. Exotic eggs?
8. Some strange fruit?

And the correct answer is Kiso Mountains. Wow. And the scale of those flowering trees? Some are as tall as the mountains. I cannot imagine decorating a room with this or living with it. I don't find anything aesthetically pleasing about this at all. Perhaps in a commercial space like a restaurant. Otherwise a hard pass.

Love it? Hate it? Thoughts?

The Chinoiserie Dining Room

de Gournay

A wall of de Gournay wallpaper takes center stage in this dining room.

The Chinoiserie Dining Room

Todd Richesin

Such a pretty color in this dining room  with mint green walls and matching de Gournay framed Chinoiserie panels.

The Chinoiserie Bathroom

De Gournay

The ultimate in Chinoiserie - de Gournay wallpaper in the bathroom.

The Chinoiserie Living Room

Archicterural Digest

One wall has de Gournay Chinoiserie wallpaper, the opposite wall a piece of art by my favorite artist Elliott Puckette.

Winter & Chinoiserie

Tim Walker - Winter Wonderland

A wonderful fantasy room featuring de Gournay wallpaper.

The Chinoiserie Bedroom

Jeffrey Bilhuber

This is a favorite bedroom of mine with its gorgeous de Gournay Chinoiserie wallpaper and blue and white striped fabric. Note the gold scribbles.

Juxtaposition

Vogue Australia

De Gournay wallpaper mixes with a bold black and white geometric rug. I am a huge fan of mixing Chinoiserie walls with a black and white checkerboard floor and this is a great alternative. Is that a giant Oreo cookie on the console table?

The Chinoiserie Flat

Jessica Buckley Interiors - Apartment Therapy

Grasscloth walls , Chinese Chippendale chairs, and a Chinoiserie mural meant to mimic de Gournay combine in this chic apartment.