The Chinoiserie Porch

Gary Shano - 2017 Hampton Designer Showhouse

 

An update on my painting project - yesterday went very well. Prep work is all finished - we decided to hand skip trowel the entire lanai ceiling for a beautiful fresh surface and it looks great. A full day of painting is on tap for today. 

Haint Blue Day

Sherwin Williams Atmospheric

 

My painters arrive shortly to do some exterior work at CCC. This will include painting the front entrance ceiling haint blue, the lanai ceiling haint blue, and a fresh coat of Alabaster on several doors.

A Charleston Piazza

via Matthew Bees

Charleston interior designer Matthew Bees posted this wonderful space - side porches in Charleston are called piazzas which comes from the 17th century Italian term for "open space."

Lanai Inspiration and an eBay Find

Don Easterling

As part of my exterior painting project, the lanai will be painted inside and out and the ceiling will be painted haint blue. 

Brunch Today

CCC

I am hosting a brunch today in my lanai and thought I would share what I will be serving. First up is the Blood Mary - I love a great Bloody Mary.

My Blue and White Lanai

CCC

 I wanted my lanai to be a serene space and not compete with my gorgeous view of the preserves. The preserves are so "Old Florida" with ancient live oaks, Spanish moss, palms, a pond and lovely forest creatures.

 I also wanted it to be low maintenance and impervious to Florida sun, humidity, thunderstorms, and tropical storms. Here is a tour.

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.

Tile & Outdoor Wicker Decisions

Amanda Lindroth

 

Have you noticed that when you get involved in a new project, there are an overwhelming number of decisions to be made? A good example is tile. Having lived in the DC area for ages, everyone was all about wood floors. But in Florida, tile is king and I was fortunate to find a home with stunning limestone floors everywhere but the lanai and entrance. I have decided on shellstone for those areas, as shown in the photo above, and then went down the rabbit hole of tile size and pattern. 

Tile size used to be pretty limited - now every tile comes in lots of sizes and shapes and tiles are getting bigger and bigger, with 24" by 24" being very hot. And then there is the issue of pattern - I think I am gravitating towards French or Versailles pattern shown below that uses different size tiles - very European and elegant.

Shellstone in French Pattern

And I am just embarking on the world of outdoor wicker - again I am more knowledgeable about teak and metal; neither are great choices here in South Florida with the salt air and humidity. And I want something very low profile so as to not block my gorgeous views. And I am not a big sectional fan. I love vintage wicker and rattan like in the Amanda Lindroth space above, but it's definitely not as practical.

I think I'll just go out on the boat again and drink cocktails and forget about all this - LOL.

My Lanai Redo

Amanda Lindroth

 

As you may know, my last room to do at CCC is my lanai. My projects include -

1. Painting the ceiling Haint Blue - I have chosen Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue

2. A new ceiling fan 

3. New outdoor wicker furniture

4. A bar

5. New flooring

So, my painter broke his wrist and is all backed up on projects. Luckily I am in my new laid back Florida mode and it will happen when it happens. 

The flooring has been the Magical Mystery Tour. 

After looking at blue and white tile and choosing one, I started looking at porcelain tile and chose a marble lookalike, then still didn't love that and my flooring people have not been available to start yet anyway. I posted a while back before moving here about coral stone after seeing these Amanda Lindroth photos of her Bahamian home. In the photos, the floors and columns are coral stone. I did some preliminary research and did not find coral stone available locally and thought better of shipping in a ton of stone.

Then I was watching HGTV (I am an addict) and a Florida couple redid their home in shellstone. Eureka. I realized that it is a Florida stone and called shellstone here, not coral stone. As soon as I searched shellstone, I found local sources. It has half a dozen names actually including shell/shellstone marble, shell/shellstone travertine, and shell/shellstone limestone.

With my stunning limestone floors throughout the house, a beautiful natural stone is what needs to be in the lanai and entryway. Shellstone is like limestone and shares many characteristics, but is made of shells and coral. It is a natural sedimentary stone found right here in Florida. So today I am off to some stone places to get samples. I am crazy super excited.

Shell Stone

Amanda Lindroth - House Beautiful

New Project

CCC

 

I have decided to redo the lanai with new flooring and furniture and spent yesterday in planning mode. I am looking for gorgeous blue and white tile for the floor. There are too many choices out there. I found this Emily Henderson patio example that I love. I have a wonderful tile guy, so I just need to find it. I had been thinking about a rug for the lanai, but I decided I'd rather tile.

Emily Henderson

I did buzz into HomeGoods and found this very fun brass giraffe table - $99 and I had $60 in rewards so $39. Wow!!!!!!

HG Brass Giraffe Table

I saw this one on 1st dibs for $1070 with shipping. I'll take the $39 one. I prefer mine actually with the head coming through the top.

1st dibs Brass Giraffe Table

CCC

From My Garden

 A beautiful hibiscus blossom in my garden. It looks like red velvet.

Tory Burch

Like everyone else, I adore this iconic Tory Burch sunroom. A favorite piece of mine is the quirky orb. When I was in HG yesterday, I saw this jute one. Not exactly the same, but very similar. And likely a fraction of the price as the things in her home tend to be crazy expensive. My lanai is becoming a favorite space in my home.

My Lanai

I mentioned in an earlier post getting a Dash & Albert Catamaran indoor/outdoor rug for the lanai. I had not seen this rug in person, and as luck would have it, I found a brand new Dash & Albert Catamaran runner on eBay super cheap and bought it. I really wanted to see the rug in person before deciding on a large one for the lanai. Now having seen it, I do think the quality is great and it does not look like an outdoor rug at all. 

My Foyer

Not sure if I will use this in the foyer or elsewhere, but it has convinced me to get a large one for the lanai. 

Yesterday at Lowe's I saw this amazing palm tree - it is Coccothrinax Crinita from Cuba - nicknamed the Old Man Palm because its trunk looks like an old man's beard. It it quite extraordinary and I have the perfect spot for it. My sprinkler guy is Cuban and his family in Miami is in the nursery business, so I will have him source it for me along with some other things.

Thank you for the advice on growing a gardenia. I am convinced to try one. I am very against using chemicals in the garden, so I like to make sure I am not getting plants that require spraying.

The Week of the Turtle

Gilded Tortoise/Turtle Shell

I posted a few days ago about the darling raffia turtle I found at HomeGoods for the lanai. Yesterday I found this gold tortoise or turtle shell on a lucite base - it is by Lamp Couture and retails for $260 and I got it for free with some T.J.Maxx rewards $ I had. I have been looking for something like this for ages.

Thanks for the input on the Dash & Albert rug. I am thinking about the Catamaran in the platinum and white stripes for the lanai - my lanai has a British Colonial vibe and is reminding me of my favorite Bunny Williams room just a tad so I was thinking about this rug similar to hers.

Bunny Williams 

Dash & Albert Catamaran Stripe

I'm still playing around with the sizing, but the colors would be perfect with my walls and floors. I do not want to cover up my beautiful floors in the house, but the lanai floor is not tiled and this would be a nice look.

Do any of you have blogs on Blogger? They are forcing everyone into a new interface that is absolutely dreadful with all sorts of glitches. It's like New Coke. If it ain't broke....

Styling the Lanai

CCC Lanai

Look who wandered into the lanai today. And please, no comments about rabid turtles - LOL. (Every time I post about wildlife, I get a rabies lecture. You'd think rabies was a pandemic. There has been ONE death from rabies in the history of this country from a rabid raccoon BTW).

The raffia turtle is huge and has a galvanized metal interior so he can be filled with ice and beverages for entertaining. My HG find yesterday. So cute. And to the person who keeps commenting complaining every single time I post about HomeGoods, please please please go away. Because HomeGoods is not going away. It's one of the few normal things I do away from my house nowadays. I am wondering how long it will take for HomeGoods to tap into the whole wicker/rattan craze in interior design. I can't wait.

BTW, the bar cart, wicker pineapples, calligraphy brushes, and tortoiseshell decanters are all from HG. I feel that the lanai has sort of a British Colonial island vibe that I like a lot. I love the idea of an orchid collection in the lanai too. Speaking of orchids, I have been reading up on growing orchids on trees and have received several questions on the subject and I have also had questions about my alligator topiary, so both will be the subject of tomorrow's post - God willing and the creek don't rise.

And from my garden this morning....

DIY Advice

I have this darling pair of antique French wire child's chairs that I purchased decades ago at Flower Mart at the National Cathedral in DC. I looked so forward to Flower Mart every year for perennials, lobster rolls, their wonderful vendor stalls, and the antique carousel. These have sentimental value to me because they were in both my gardens in Alexandria for years and I would love to use them here, but freshened up.

I am envisioning them in the lanai in a fun Florida color - coral or navy blue or emerald green perhaps.

Do I use spray paint? With the thin wires it seems like 90% will end up in the air and I might be better with a can of paint. A lot less mess too.

Has anyone used the Amy Howard One Step Paint? I am thinking of trying it in the Coral Sea - such a pretty color.

Amy Howard One Step - Coral Sea

Perfect with this new dress I just got from J.Crew.

Would anyone like to paint them for me? Just kidding. I am really enjoy having time to focus on all these little projects for my home.

Updates and Great Finds

Pottery Barn Kids Bailey Crystal Chandelier

For years I wanted a crystal ship chandelier, but never got one. I never really had a ceiling high enough for these massive chandeliers. Here is one at 1st dibs for $35,0000.

1st dibs

Last week I was playing around online and spotted this mini Pottery Barn Kids crystal pirate ship version on sale for $70.00 and free shipping. It arrived last evening. Too cute! It might go in my toilet room in the master bath - LOL - why not? Who doesn't want a crystal pirate ship while using the toilet I ask you?

I ran into my HG yesterday and found a Chinese Chippendale brown rattan bar cart for $79.99 and two gorgeous Ann Gish silk dupione pillow shams for $19.99 each that retail for $340 each. All are slated for the master bedroom.

The painters are getting down to the short strokes on the house and will be done by the end of the week. Tomorrow he starts lacquering the guest bathroom in the tandoori orange.

Yesterday I drove to four Home Depots to score enough of the huge globe lightbulbs for the ceiling fans. 100 miles of running around but they look amazing! I am on a mission.

This morning I am off to Michael's for liquid gold leaf as my painter is matching the frame of that massive mirror in the dining room to the Ralph Lauren gold leaf and crystal pagoda lantern that will hang in there.

And I did find a new handyman through my realtor that she has been using for years. I am on his schedule and he seems very nice.

One week from tonight I will be sleeping in my new home.

New topic for your assistance. BTW, I loved everyone's comments yesterday on the question of a TV in the master bedroom - very interesting. I am leaving the Pit Boss grill I own here with GG. Visually I don't want a huge barbecue grill in my new lanai. I just want something small and easy to use with minimal smoke and cleanup. I had an outdoor standing George Foreman electric grill before that I might replace. Any other thoughts? My lanai is not huge and looks out on those gorgeous preserves, so I don't want anything out there to take away from the view. I guess I could just pass on a grill entirely. And what is the deal with the Big Green Egg grills??? Am I missing something amazing? A Japanese style grill does have a certain CC appeal and they are very attractive.

Small Big Green Egg Grill

Here is an electric grill from Target in coral pink for $19.99!

MyMini Personal Electric Grill

New Home Ideas

Amanda Lindroth

This is the Veranda of Amanda Lindroth's home in the Bahamas. I am wild about the wicker palm chandelier - I am on the hunt for it for my new home. Any ideas? I suspect it is a Mario Lopez Torres which are very $$$$$$ that has been painted white.

Second, the floors are coral stone. This would be perfect for my lanai floor. They don't get slippery or hot and have such an organic and understated and timeless look. I am looking for a source nearby to get a sample, but they are apparently fairly easily sourced in Florida. Have any of you used coral stone? So pretty.

Coral Stone

Haint Blue

Sherwin Williams

Having spent most of my adult life as a resident of Virginia, vacationing with my family every summer in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and now as a full time resident of Florida, I am delighted to learn about another wonderful Southern tradition. Many of you might have noticed the trend of painting porch ceilings blue. Check out this wonderful example above with Chinese Chippendale railings, antique wicker, and potted palms. Well this painting porch ceilings blue has been a Southern tradition for generations. Theories abound as to its origin - it extends daylight hours because it looks like the sky, it wards off evil spirits or "haints," it keeps away bugs and spiders who confuse the blue ceiling with sky.

via Pinterest

This light blue even has a name - Haint Blue. Whatever its origin, I would love to do this in my lanai in my new home. I even have a blue I would like to use - Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue - a historic and very lovely blue indeed.

BM Palladian Blue

Here is another fun example below with the ceiling painted Palladian Blue.

Washington Post

Do you like this idea? Any other suggestions on a blue paint color?

When Life Gives You Lemons

Aldous Bertram - House Beautiful

I would love to grow topiary lemon trees and they are readily available here even at Lowe's and Home Depot. Check out this chic vignette with a lemon topiary in a beautiful blue and white cachepot and Quadrille Paradise Garden curtains and cushion. I love the wicker stool. And yes, I do use shoes for staging as well.

My Living Room

Mary McDonald - House Beautiful

Wisteria

In the vignette above, check out how they have used seashells in lieu of moss - adorable! Definitely using this idea. I doubt all those Meyer lemons came off of that little tree though!

I suspect the topiaries would fare much better in the lanai than the house, but they do look great.

Michelle Nussbaumer - Veranda