Mailchimp, Monkeys, & Me

Amanda Lindroth

 

Those of you who subscribe to Chinoiserie Chic may have noticed some format differences in your daily email the last couple of days. Feedburner is no longer providing email subscriptions as of July 1, so I needed a new service. I chose Mailchimp. If you are already subscribed, you don't need to do a thing. You will continue to receive daily emails. If you are new to CC and would like to subscribe, there is a box in my sidebar you fill out.

Perfection

Amanda Lindroth

Rarely do I see a room that captures precisely my taste. This is definitely it. I would not change a single solitary thing about it. Let's look at all the amazing elements.

*A pink velvet sofa with bullion fringe - it is actually a corner sofa - see the photo below. I ain't calling this a sectional - LOL. The fabric and trim are Mary McDonald for Schumacher.

Amanda Lindroth

*The walls are covered in fabric - Schumacher's Great Barrier Reef. 

*That incredible pair of Singerie Blanc de Chine monkeys.

*Layered rugs - a black and white stripe over seagrass matting.

*Palm frond lighting fixture. 

*The pale green ceiling.

* A lucite coffee table.

*The oversized faux bamboo sconces.

*The zebra - I am still searching for one of these guys.

*Wicker.

*Seashells.

*Orchids.

This is the perfect color palette of pink and green with touches of black to ground it and a mix of chinoiserie, Hollywood Regency, Palm Beach, island style.

This room is featured in a wonderful interior design book - S is for Style:The Schumacher Book of Decoration.

PS - I found another shot of this room and you can catch a peek of a Slim Aarons photo "Sea Drive" above the mantel.

Amanda Lindroth

Monkey Business

Herend Monkey

My daughter and I both collect monkeys and yesterday I added four to my menagerie from HomeGoods. I thought you might enjoy a little tour of my monkey house - but it smells great! Monkeys are quintessentially Chinoiserie and I love their whimsy and charm.

I learned that Florida has a growing population of Rhesus Macaque monkeys not native to Florida because in the 1930s and 1940s, the owner of a glass bottom boat business released a dozen of these monkeys to increase his tourism business and they now number in the hundreds.

Herend Monkey

HomeGoods Monkey

HomeGoods Monkeys

Mottahedeh Monkeys

HomeGoods Monkey - previous find

Goodwill Monkey

Goodwill Monkey

HomeGoods Monkey

Thanksgiving Chinoiserie

Stephanie Hopen

Will you be adding some Chinoiserie touches to your Thanksgiving table this year?

Singerie

The Pink Clutch

I am a devotee of monkeys/singerie and just scored a much larger pair just like this blue and white monkey at Goodwill for $11.00. They are sitting under my coffee table right now and they look like they are holding it up. Below is another example - love him with the orange foo dogs.

The Chinoiserie Collective

Setting the Thanksgiving Table

Jennifer at The Pink Pagoda posted this fantastic table today that is from one of my favorite interior design books, Stephanie Hopen's Blue and White Living. This is a wonderful alternative to the harvest colors (that are not my favorites) for the Thanksgiving table. Blue and white with deep purple flowers and blanc de Chine singerie monkeys for a dose of Chinoiserie are a stunning combination. Any Chinoiserie figurines can of course be used. Here are other great examples below.

Eddie Ross

Alberto Pinto

Phoebe Howard

Hutton Wilkinson

The Decorator Archives - Singerie

I am a huge fan of "singerie," a French word meaning monkey trick. This genre depicts monkeys aping human behavior, often fashionably attired. This original piece of art from France is on crackled canvas. At a very impressive 3'7" by 7'6", this would be a very dramatic addition to your home.

I'm A Giant Challenge - Singerie Tomorrow

Tomorrow will be the reveal of one of my favorite rooms, the entryway, with its singerie theme. "Singerie" is a French term for "monkey trick," and my dollhouse foyer is a great example of this genre. Love monkeys too? The Pink Pagoda has some very chic monkey giclees.

Friday From My Chinoiserie Home

A few vignettes from my office with my collection of "singerie" monkeys.

Iomoi Monkey Business

I am crazy over this monkey tray for my desk to hold my iomoi calling cards.

Great Minds Think Alike

I just received the Summer Edition of World Wide Webb featuring the interior design work of Matthew White and Frank Webb. Above is the dining room in a cottage by the sea and just below is the study of Matthew White with his prized Venetian monkey that once belonged to Billy Baldwin. These reminded me of two rooms I have done.

My daughter's dining room in her first apartment. The dining room cost under $1000 and was featured in Domino online.

My singerie (monkey) study.

More Monkey Chinoiserie

Continuing with our monkey theme from last evening, here is a wonderful collection of monkey wallpaper. The depiction of monkeys is a classic Chinoiserie theme. These would be stunning in an entry, powder room, boy's bedroom, library, or study. My library is filled with monkeys and singerie. Singerie, deserving of its own post, is a French word meaning "monkey trick" and is used to describe monkeys represented in anthromorphic and often quasi-Chinese attitude.

de Gournay Deco Monkeys

Fromental Singerie

Thibaut Monkey Swing

(Top photo is Singerie at Mankebakkan)