Sunday Inspiration

Carolyne Roehm

If there is a color palette I love more than this, I can't imagine what it would be. I am always drawn to black, gold, every shade of pink, and of course, the hues in blue and white Chinese porcelain. I love mixing metals, here a gilded mirror, silver vases, and brass sconces. The roses are lovely - I am a fan of David Austin's English roses and have many in my garden. A beautiful green on the walls - my living room walls are a Farrow and Ball color called Bone that has a lot of green in it, but lighter and grayer than this. My kitchen walls are a soft celadon green. I find green walls to be a great backdrop.

White Christmas Tree Contest

Treetopia contacted me recently and asked me if I would like to choose and decorate a white Christmas tree. I was excited to do so because I thought it would be a great opportunity to use a beautiful collection of vintage silver and gold ornaments in my collection. Here is the finished tree; I hope you like it.

In addition, Treetopia has a little contest for my followers. If you pop over to their website and look at their selection of white trees and guess correctly which of their white trees I chose, you will be entered to win a $100 gift card from Treetopia. Just leave a comment on this post with your guess.

Which tree did I use?

The Top Ten Chinoiserie Trends for 2014

Layering a silver Chinese Chippendale mirror over a gilded mirror in my pagoda bedroom

 This week, in honor of the start of a new year, we will be looking at trends for 2014 in Chinoiserie. Let me start by saying that Chinoiserie is a timeless classic. None of it ever goes out of style, so you will not have to throw out your ginger jars! We will be looking at what will be especially popular this year in Chinoiserie in colors, paints, fabrics, new mixes, and hot pieces including the reveal of my Chinoiserie Chic Color of 2014.

#1 is Mixing Gold, Silver, and Chinoiserie. Back in the day, using silver and gold together was considered a faux pas in fashion and and interior design. Not so today. Combining silver and gold is modern, glamorous, and luxe, and never more so than when used together with Chinoiserie. Here is some inspiration.