Chinoiserie | Decorating Delirium

August 8, 2016

A Tale of Two Mirrors

Hi everyone! I hope your week is off to a great start. We are on vacation this week, so I hope to relax and also catch up on some blogging posts I have been meaning to share with you. For now, I want to show you a fun paint project I did that has made a big impact.

A ways back I scored a major find on Craigslist. It was a vintage Henredon dresser and the price was right at only $200.

What sweetened the deal even more was that it came with two beautiful faux bamboo mirrors. It is so hard to find a set of matching vintage mirrors, so I could not believe my luck! Here they are.

I didn’t have room for them in our bedroom above the dresser, so I had long-term plans to paint them and use them in our dining room. We recently painted out dining room a really deep purple, almost an eggplant color and I opted to paint them a very light shade of lavender. Bold color choices, I know!

All in all I am very pleased with the results. The mirrors really complement the other pieces and accent colors I have going on in the dining room. The room is starting to turn out pretty glamorous considering I found most of it on Craigslist!! See you can have the look for less!

What do you think? Have you ever sacrificed a vintage piece in order to make it your own or are you a purist who thinks it should be kept in its original condition?

Until next time.

xoxo,

4 Comments
Filed Under: Before and After, Decorating, DIY, New Home, Our Home, Paint, The Money Pit, Uncategorized // Tagged With: Chinoiserie, Craigslist, Faux Bamboo, Thrifting

March 10, 2016

The Story of a Woman Cave

Hi friends! Yes, I know these days it is all about the man cave, but us women deserve a space all our own too. When I was approached by Chairish, the online sale site for used and vintage furniture and decor to design my own “woman cave” out of some of their products, I jumped at the chance.

Sites like Chairish help you to achieve a collected and layered look to your home. I know it is tempting sometimes to go out and buy and entire room from a catalog, but I wouldn’t have the same personal feel if you collected beautiful things you love over time. I have shopped with Chairish several times and been so pleased. You can search by area, so that makes it even easier. For my Sacramento readers, there is a section for Sacramento sales. It is like Craigslist for the design lover!

Now onto my design. I had several barstool options to use as my starting point for the design. When I found a set of silver faux bamboo stools, they had me at “hello.” If you have been reading the blog for a while, you know I have a special place in my heart for Chinoiserie. So, without further ado, here is my design for my ideal woman cave.

Barstools / Bar Cart / Paintings / Rug / Ice Bucket / Highball Glasses

What woman cave would be complete without a bar cart? And with all the traditional Chinoserie, the modern abstract art is a refreshing juxtaposition. Add some vintage barware into the mix and I am good to go!

Now this is a space where I could sit back and relax and have a glass of wine or a martini! If you could dream up your ideal “woman cave” what would it look like? Would a bar be your spot, or a cozy bedroom with all the luxuries?

Until next time.

xo,

1 Comment
Filed Under: Decorating, Design Boards, Home Decor, Interior Design, Online Sources, Shopping, Uncategorized // Tagged With: Chairish, Chinoiserie

October 6, 2014

Chinoiserie Style: Blue and White Porcelain

In tend to gravitate toward more traditional design, and the classic combination of blue and white is no exception. In particular, I am drawn to blue and white pottery (also known as ginger jars and happiness pots). They are really fun to collect as each piece is unique. Group them together on a table or bookshelf and you have instant elegance and sophistication. They also work well in many different color schemes from black and white, to red, to green.

A real antique ginger jar or happiness pot will set you back big bucks. The good news is there are reproductions all over the place. I have found some of my pieces at thrift stores, and very inexpensively at stores like Homegoods and Ross. Online retailers Ballard Designs and Wisteria also have reproductions of these timeless beauties.

Here is my take on this classic collectible. See below how other designers have incorporated them into their decor.

Mary McDonald

Carolyne Roehm

Wemer Straube via Traditional Home

I am drooling over this outdoor living room. Can you imagine decorating like that outdoors?

Mary McDonald

House Beautiful

I love the photo below because the modern lucite table is such a nice juxtopostion against the traditional blue and white porcelain.

Jenifer Jordan

What do you think? Do you decorate with blue and white? With elements of Chinoiserie? I think it is such a fun thing to collect and they don’t have to be matchy matchy to make a statement!

Have a wonderful Monday! xoxo

Linking up to the Blue and White bash over at The Pink Pagoda.