St. Tropez Scarf

Oversized Silk St. Tropez Scarf

 

My next wine tasting I will be hosting is the wines and cuisine of France - my favorite. I am making my smoked salmon mousse. I also decided on a fun centerpiece - a large wicker basket that will be filled with lots of French baguettes in lieu of flowers. Then they can be eaten with the meal.

T-Shirts with Style

Classic-Fit "St. Tropez" T-Shirt

 

Florida is definitely the land of T-shirts and shorts. I am not a T-shirt and shorts gal at all, but I am making an exception for this tee. I love the navy and white and the chic design. I often pair a dressy piece with a casual one. I love the high/low juxtaposition. I would wear this with a navy tulle skirt I got from J.Crew over the winter or a navy and white gingham ballgown skirt I got from J.Crew several years ago.

A Coastal Vignette

Emily Painter Interiors

 

This is such a beautiful vignette in this bedroom. It would be wonderful in a dining room or entryway as well. It has a great coastal vibe but would work anywhere you live. Want to duplicate this in your own home?

Le Creuset New Blue Color

Le Creuset in Matte Navy

 

One of the many reasons I love Le Creuset cookware is their color selection. They have had over 200 colors in their history with new colors added each year and others discontinued. 

The Devil is in the Details

Flexible and Expandable Blue Garden Hose

 

With my garden project completed, I of course have new plants and sod to keep watered as they settle in. That means watering by hand in addition to the irrigation system.

The Blue and White Dining Room

Kaitlin Smith Interiors

 A classic chinoiserie dining room. The fabric is Quadrille's China Seas Seya, a tropical design often used in beach houses. Chinoiserie elements include the navy blue Chinese Chippendale chairs, the navy blue faux bamboo sideboard, the gold faux bamboo frame on the coral art, and the foo dog lamp. I have the same seashell encased hurricanes I got from HomeGoods.

Annapolis Chinoiserie

Megan Winters - Traditional Home

 

My daughter is house hunting in one of my favorite places anywhere - Annapolis, Maryland. With its historical charm, Chesapeake Bay setting, some of the world's best sailing, Chesapeake blue crabs, and the beaux art Naval Academy, it is an extraordinary spot. I envision a home with lots of navy blue, stripes, dark woods, gleaming old hardwood floors, and blue and white Chinese porcelain. Nautical preppy chinoiserie. The blue and white star tiles I used for my entrance would be perfect.

Megan Winters - Florida Design

My lanai is looking the part too.

CCC

Harper CCC

Of Mice and Men

My Living Room

"The best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry" - Robert Burns

What I thought was going to be a bright and breezy day yesterday with my sofas brought in and a mini photo shoot started at 6 am with more drama and the police involved and pending criminal charges. I am fine, I'm just drained and fed up. I suspect things will not end well for Sandbagger.

So here are a few living room shots taken late last evening in the living room before a well deserved lights out and hopefully a better day all around today. Although I must squeeze in gas, food, and wine runs today with interesting weather projected in the coming days. I will take some photos later in the light including the pink velvet in the study.

My ace handyman did a wonderful job handling the sofas all by himself and they are safely ensconced in CCC.

HomeGoods Does It Again

Interlude Home Aubrey Cube Side Table

I needed a side table for the living room and started looking online to get ideas. On Chairish, I saw this brass cube side table below and thought how perfect it would be and how no way in hell am I paying $2,500 plus shipping. And couldn't they have spent a few minutes to polish it????

Chairish

So, I woke up Sunday morning with the feeling that I had to go to HomeGoods and was there at 10 am when the doors opened. And what was waiting for me but this Interlude Home Aubrey Brass Cube for $230. It retails for $1,400. And it was in perfect condition and didn't even need polishing.

It will go next to my gorgeous new navy velvet sofa that I hope will be delivered this week. Do you think there is such a thing as HG ESP?

And no, it doesn't have cracks - that's the floor reflected. My pups are using it as a mirror. It is very highly polished as you can see. I seriously love this piece.

I am hoping for the sofa deliveries this week and to get my handyman back in here so I can then schedule the wallpaper hanger, but I have plenty to keep me busy if not. I am trying to get into the laid back Florida vibe. There is always tomorrow.

Chinoiserie Gone Wrong

Speechless

There is so much to like about this dining room - navy blue grasscloth on the walls, the distressed Chinese Chippendale chairs, a dramatic brass pineapple chandelier, elegant tray ceiling and millwork, a classic table and sideboard.

I love the piece of art - Hunt Slonem from his cockatoos series.

But the styling is frankly horrible. All my eyes go to are those hideous gargantuan vegetables, those ugly lamps, and that awful vase. Get rid of all of it including all that little ditsy stuff on the sideboard. It's frankly hard to believe how ugly it is. It almost seems like a joke. BTW, I did find those veggies online and they run about $4,500 for the two. I looked at their dimensions, and it leaves diners about 8 - 10 inches of space at most.

Let's use a pair of either of these instead on the sideboard -

Bunny Williams

Or these -

Arteriors

I would leave the sideboard very simple so as to not block or distract from the piece of art by this important contemporary artist.

Love it? Hate it? Thoughts?

Chinoiserie DIY

The Blue Octagon

If you own or happen upon a vintage rattan etagere, paint it a great color like hot pink, emerald green,  Hermes orange, or navy blue.

She Wore Blue Velvet

Williams - Sonoma Home

One purchase I made for the Florida house was a new sofa for the living room, having repurposed my off-white couch to the master bedroom. This was really necessary, as my couch below is REALLY BIG, and would have taken over the living room and blocked the beautiful water views. I have really wanted a navy blue velvet ever since my daughter and her boyfriend bought a mid century modern one from West Elm a couple of years ago. I love the way the navy velvet looks with blue and white Chinese porcelain.

Now in the master bedroom

I found this Harlow Sofa at Pottery Barn on a fabulous sale and ordered it. I received it a couple of weeks ago. The size is perfect for the room. The Performance Velvet should make it quite durable.

Pottery Barn Harlow

And Here It Is!

The Chinoiserie Dining Room

Ethan Allen

Here is an interesting dining room that mixes traditional and modern with lots of blue and white Chinese porcelain. The navy blue walls and dining chairs lend a masculine vibe, while the sputnik chandelier is a modern take on a mid century modern classic. The pair of ginger jars on the table are a dramatic touch, but not great for dinner conversation.

The Chinoiserie Dining Room

Pinterest

White walls and dark stained floors and dining table are a great backdrop for the blue Chinese Chippendale chairs.

Pink and Blue

Pinterest

A gorgeous combination of pink and white roses and blue and white Chinese porcelain really pop against the navy blue walls.

The Chinoiserie Bedroom

Ralph Lauren

Navy blue walls anchor this stunning bedroom filled with blue and white Chinese porcelain and Chinoiserie fabrics.

Blue and White

Bachman Brown Clem - House Beautiful

A dramatic blue and white foyer with a collection of blue and white Chinese porcelain - the woodwork is in Benjamin Moore Twilight.

Pink and Navy

D Magazine

A gorgeous vignette with a demilune table, a dramatic chandelier, navy walls, a pair of Chinese vases filled with pink tulips, gorgeous wood floors, and a Paule Marrot print.

The Blue and White Dining Room

Domino Magazine

This is a lovely modern approach to a traditional dining room - wonderful navy walls and blue and white Chinese porcelain.

Navy Chinoiserie

One of my favorite looks for updating a vintage Chinoiserie find is navy blue paint - classic and preppy but fresh and modern.