wallpaper borders

last week, i drove to see the house of a client. i brought along my nice camera to take some pictures, and when i got the camera out, i realized that the card was missing! grrr! so, you are going to have to deal with my iPhone pictures until i can hire a pro to take some "real" images. (and who knows how long that will be!)

the last time i saw this project, the wallpaper had not been installed yet, and the light fixture still had plastic on it.  i was so exited to see it all finished.

 i know some people worry about mixing trim, but as you can see here, the textures work
together beautifully. the halls have a horizontal board and batten banding treatment, painted slightly darker than the wall above, and the bathroom has standard board and batten trim with an alternating offset on the top 12".

 the sink console looks expensive, but it is actually very affordable. i put this same console in the powder room of my last house.
the mirror was under $80!

 the light fixture is also a budget find.



room information:
wallpaper:
fioretti by cole + son

ceiling color:
benjamin moore winter lake (2129-50)

trim color:
benjamin moore swiss coffee (oc-45)

light fixture:
overtsock

mirror:
lowes

sink:
american standard

faucet:
delta

Sara Gilbane

Do you have a Chinoiserie china pattern in red or green? Now is the time to display it. My wedding china is Wedgwood Chinese Tigers in Green that is always perfect for the holidays.

Wedgwood Chinese Tigers

Have some old lanterns kicking around your house or garden? Why not spray paint them green and fill them with battery candles for great holiday lighting.

Tory Burch

A gorgeous idea for setting the Christmas table - Imari vases filled with hot pink flowers and orange berries. I love the mix here of oranges and purples and hot pink - who says the table has to have red and green?

Tory Burch

Christmas decorating Tory Burch style - an orange lacquered library gets dressed up for the holidays with a round library table skirted in purple festooned in coral red stripes and coral red bullion fringe and a magnificent Chinese ginger jar filled with coral red branches. This is a great tip - I am not a big red person myself and use instead in my own home a deep coral with pink and orange undertones for holiday decorating.

Joe Nye - Flair

Wouldn't a red and green Chinoiserie dining room be wonderful at Christmas and all year? Here are some gorgeous examples. Now pop over to The Pink Pagoda and check out my very fun and fresh inspiration board of a Chinoiserie Christmas dining room.

Miles Redd

Miles Redd

Jennifer Dengel

we just officially finished week 5 of construction, and a lot has been done so far! the entire main floor is framed and the second floor is not far behind.

here is what has happened in the last 2 weeks:



the entire second floor was decked and a few exterior walls have been framed and one has been erected...he's a little lonely right now, but hopefully by the end of the week, he will have
some friends.


the rest of the  walls were added to the main floor...this is a view looking into the master bathroom from the master bedroom.


from the kitchen, looking into the dining and living rooms.


we can now see all of the rooms and their sizes. this is a view from the front door.


headers over doors were framed. cased openings were set.


gravel was dumped and shoveled into the garage and basement, in preparation for the concrete slabs to be poured later this week.


unfortunately, our framers had another job they had to do, so they stopped working early last week and will not be back until the end of this week. i can't wait until the stairs to the basement are framed! this monstrous hole is about to give my husband and i a heart attack!

Traditional Home

Do you love blue and white Chinese porcelain? Then blue and white gift wrap is a great choice. Be on the look out for blue and white toiles, stripes, patterns, and ribbons to wrap your gifts this holiday season. Here are some wonderful options from Paper Source.

Traditional Home

We will be featuring lots of ways to decorate your home for the holidays using your blue and white Chinese porcelain. Here are two great ideas - fill Chinoiserie bowls with nuts and with a collection of ornaments mixed with magnolia leaves.

ahhhh.
i took a little break from blog land for a while, didn't it? sometimes it is really great to just unplug and detach from cyberland. at least it is for me.

i hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! i started "teasing" my family a few weeks ago about the possibility of going to IHOP for thanksgiving dinner.
or chuck-o-rama.
or anyplace that was going to do all the cooking and cleaning for me.
only i wasn't really teasing...more like testing.
unfortunately, they would have none of it. you would have thought that i had suggested that we kick a bunch of puppies! gheez. the backlash was so furious that i knew i HAD to cook. and indeed i did. it was a nice, relaxed day with just our little family. and in the end, i am glad we didn't go to chuck-o-rama or IHOP.

anyway, onto a few other things that i have been thinking about and am grateful for....travels and souvenirs!
when i went to mexico, i brought my kids back some little trinkets, and of course, i bought
something for myself as well:

they called this a coaster, (it is about 6" square)
but i can't imagine putting a drink on something so intricate and delicate.
i plan on framing it and hanging in somewhere in my new house.
the embroidery is the most beautiful shade of mustard yellow, and i love the handsome little deer.
picking up little goodies while traveling is a great way to add personality to your home. i recently bought nate berkus's latest book, the things that matter, and in it, he talks about all of the items he has collected over the years, and how each one of them has such meaning to him, and evokes a memory. he states that THINGS DO matter:

"our homes tell our stories; they reflect the places we've been land the people we've loved along the way--and there can be no more beautiful design for living that that."


even if your travels only take you down the road, to a nearby town, or to a foreign country, always be on the lookout for something that tells the story of who you are and where you have been!

(i highly recommend this book! i absolutely loved every page. i have a pretty decent collection of design books, but this is definitely one of my all-time favorites. i loved hearing how his design aesthetic was honed and polished...good stuff. the forward is very personal...nate talks about growing up, his time spent in paris when we was just out of high school, and his tragic loss during and survival of the tsunami in cambodia.)

and just for laughs, i thought i would give you a look at another not-so-chic souvenir
that i have from mexico:

yes.
that is a real donkey.

Donna Benedetto

An elegant and sophisticated look for your Christmas mantel. A pair of Chinoiserie blanc de Chine figures and a pair of white urns filled with moss balls are wonderful with the Chinoiserie walls.

The Pink Pagoda is participating in Cyber Monday with 25% off everything in her Etsy store with code CYBERMONDAY25PERCENT. This is a perfect chance to add red and green (or any other color) Chinoiserie prints to your home. I also love these chic bowed ginger jar cards with your choice of Merry Christmas! or Happy Holidays! These wonderful prints also make a perfect gift for the Chinoiserie lover in your life.