The Chinoiserie Shoe

Those of you who follow my blog Chinoiserie Chic know that I adore all things Chinoiserie. Chinoiserie is a very hot trend in fashion as well as interior design. Ralph Lauren has designed this very glamorous peep toe shoe with faux bamboo heel and raffia upper.

My New Labor of Love

Please visit my new adventure Chinoiserie Chic where each day I will be featuring wonderful examples of my favorite style Chinoiserie. People have been fascinated with the arts of the Far East since the days of Marco Polo. Travelers to China and Japan have always returned with treasures of silks, porcelain, and lacquer work. Asian objects and decorative motifs have also served as inspiration for fanciful styles in objects of purely Western form, such as pagodas, mandarins, exotic birds, and flowers. Many of my favorite interior designers of today like Mary McDonald and Charlotte Moss use Chinoiserie frequently in their work. The lovely photo above is a dining room featured in House Beautiful by Ruthie Sommers. My finds will be antique to modern, from West Elm to 1st Dibs, so there will be something for every lover of this style. I plan to have some wonderful Chinoiserie giveaways to help launch this new blog, so please stop by.

Chinoiserie Walls

What impressed me most at the Washington DC Design House was a little tiny but drop-dead gorgeous space by Draza Stamenich. He used Gracie hand-painted wallpaper to create the most lovely and luxurious laundry room ever. I hesitate to use the word wallpaper because I agree with Draza that paper like Gracie and de Gournay are really works of art and shouldn't be called wallpaper. This wonderful space, as well as a recent post by Nick Olsen on accent walls, reminded me that although I am not a fan of painted accent walls, I really adore the look of gorgeous Chinoiserie paper on one wall. These wonderful rooms pictured here use the paper like it is a work of art which is exactly what it is. 

The laundry room with Gracie.

Ruthie Sommers' lovely dining room from House Beautiful with its wall of vintage Chinese wallpaper found via Style Court.

A chic kitchen dining nook with a wall of Chinese wallpaper from Domino Magazine.

A great example from Domino Magazine with its wall of de Gournay wallpaper. Nick Olsen made the observation that the designer used a black molding that looks like bamboo to frame the paper, turning the wall into a framed work of art.

Modern Chinoiserie

The response to my post yesterday on the gala by Mary McDonald and Nathan Turner "Chinoiserie au Jardin" makes it clear how taken people are with modern Chinoiserie. I love Chinoiserie from classic to contemporary, but the more modern take of course goes so well with a more modern place. I really like Thomas Paul and could kick myself that I did not get one of his Geisha pillows that are no longer available. The Geisha pillow is pictured below in this lovely bedroom from House Beautiful and in its pink and chocolate versions. But never fear, his Chinoiserie edition in corn, black, and moss is lovely and would work in so many homes. They are a nice large 22" square in 100% linen and quite fabulous.

Chinoiserie Show House Gala

Tis the season for design show houses, with many bloggers featuring gorgeous rooms done by some of our top interior designers. I am going to the Washington, D.C. Design House today and will be attending Kip's Bay in NYC next week. I had saved these stunning photos from Veranda of the Beverly Hills Show House from last November at historic Greystone Estate. I adore anything Chinoiserie, and for the Gala, co-chairs Mary McDonald and Nathan Turner were inspired by one of my favorite books Chinoiseries by Bernd H. Dams and Andrew Zega. The real life version of this book that they called "Chinoiserie au Jardin" featured sixteen foot high pagodas, green and white striped poles, and twelve foot high banners of geisha silhouettes. Many of the recipes for the food they served are included in the Veranda article. Guests drank cocktails of lime, a ginger liquer Domaine de Canton (one of my favorites and a drop-dead gorgeous bottle), vodka, mint, and a garnish of fresh gardenia. Enjoy!

Kips Bay Show House

Since I am in a show house mood, I thought I would show you all some of my favorite rooms from Kips Bay 2006 that I still adore.

Mario Buatta's iconic "Sitting Room" with its gorgeous green walls, dog paintings, and marvelous English sensibility

My favorite room-Tonin MacCallum's "Sunny Boudoir" with its leopard fabric walls and my favorite-chinoiserie

My notion of a kitchen-St. Charles' version with its furniture,  art, and stunning red stove-a room "where you just happen to cook"

I think Larry Laslo's bedroom with black walls and Philippe Starck black chandelier is amazing

Now this is a landing-Eric Cohler and Jeffrey McCollough have really done it

Charlotte Moss and Chinoiserie

You have to see these desserts shaped like Japanese baskets with ties and tassels and cricket cage table favors with celadon bows at a dinner party hosted by Charlotte Moss. Swoon.......

(Photos courtesy of Charlotte Moss)

The Artesian Bar

Everyone seems to be showing purple rooms these days. I found photos of a stunning bar with an unexpected use of purple that I think is wonderful. This bar, called the Artesian Bar at the Langham Hotel in London was done by the brilliant interior designer David Collins. He also did the iconic Blue Bar at the Berkeley in London. I have a thing for chinoiserie and especially pagodas and I of course love the pagoda bar and chandeliers. What is a bit unexpected is his use of purple leather chairs and love seats with the Chinese Chippendale. Although you cannot see it in these photos, the bar is marble in lilac! I also like the purple rugs. The purple gives the space a very modern and glamourous look without overdoing the Chinese thing. This would be a great idea for those of us who might not be ready for a whole purple room-maybe one great chair or vase or lamp in purple.

Something Springy For Your Place

I have always been a fan of Urban Outfitters for its chic affordable city decor. Here are some great new items to dress up your place. Each of these pieces has a nice modern chinoiserie feel.

1. Berry Branch Velvet Curtain-$48:
   

   2. Bamboo Shower Curtain-$26:

   3. Blossom Tree Rug-$28:

   4. Ikat Slipper Chair-$325

   5. Japanese Dot Circle Pillow-$32

Gold Bamboo Serving Cart-High/Low

I posted yesterday about the wonderful gold bamboo collection from Mermaid Hut. I just happened across this gorgeous Bamboo Server from Baker that is quite reminiscent of Mermaid Hut's Two-Tiered Antiqued Mirror Table. The Baker piece is somewhat larger and stunning, no question. But both have chinoiserie styling with gold faux bamboo and antiqued mirror shelves. The Baker server retails for well over $2000, while the one from Mermaid Hut is about $200. Both would make amazing bar carts, depending on your budget.

Baker

Mermaid Hut

(photos courtesy of kohlerinteriors.com and mermaidhut.com)

Gold Bamboo

I adore chinoiserie and I can't believe the elegance, quality, and price of this gorgeous gold bamboo and antique mirror collection. What about the etagere in a dining room or living room? I love the idea of  the two tier table as a bar cart. The set of three tables would be great in a living room. I would use the butler tray tables as bedside tables. I could imagine these versatile pieces in many settings in many rooms. I have two from this collection and they are beautiful in person. They are all available at a great online store called Mermaid Hut (mermaidhut.com).  I especially like the way they display these with the newspaper wallpaper-very chic!

Etagere $299

Birdcage Mirror $99

Butler Tray Tables set of 2 $329

Pagoda Pedestals set of two $99

Triple Wall Shelves set of two $199

Small Wall Shelves set of two $89

Two Tier Table $229

Mirrored Tables set of three $399

The Modern Chinoiserie Bedroom

Here are some of my tips for creating a drop dead gorgeous bedroom with modern Asian flair that is so popular right now without spending a fortune. Moreover, each of these wonderful pieces is available online.  

Anthropologie Chinoiserie Bed now on sale for $899.95 (anthropologie.com)

Ikea Anno Inez Curtain Panel $14.99 (ikea.com)

Ikea Lykta Table Lamp $12.99 (ikea.com)

Urban Outfitters Berries Printed Velvet Pillow $30 (urbanoutfitters.com)

Urban Outfitters Flowering Branch Tapestry $36 (urbanoutfitters.com)

Design Public Dwell Studio Chinoiserie Bedding from $66-$275 (designpublic.com)

Wisteria Red Upholstered Chair $299 (wisteria.com)

Golden Bamboo Butler Tables 2 for $329 (mermaidhut.com)