wallpaper borders

I have a weakness for china, but I have collected so much that it takes something really extraordinary to make me pull the plug. I have always loved Oscar de la Renta - in fact, my wedding dress was a couture ball gown of his in midnight blue silk organza over silk taffeta that I had made as a wedding gown in ivory. I also adore his collection of furniture for Century. His home furnishings line was conceived in tandem with Miles Redd who serves as his creative director.

His new Dot and Dash and Brushstroke dinnerware are on my Christmas wish list. I love them both. If you have white china, these would be fabulous to mix and match with it, picking up a set of the dinner plates, salad/dessert plates, or the cocktail plates, for example. I also like that this china would work equally well in a formal or casual table setting. There are interesting stories about both these designs. The "dot - and - dash" was taken from a 1970's silk dress designed by de la Renta. The brushstroke was his attempt at calligraphy while in Japan.

In this bedroom in the Bahamas by Miles Redd, he has used a favorite Chinoiserie wallpaper of mine by Quadrille/China Seas called Trellis Background on the walls and Bali II for the bedding and curtains. A different wallpaper is used on the ceiling. What is your opinion of this look? I think three different bold patterns is too much for me. I would have likely painted the ceiling a very pale aqua. The jury is frankly out for me on using a different wallpaper on the ceiling. Here are some other Chinoiserie rooms that employ this technique -

Kristy Lee

John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon

Source?

I do like a wallpapered ceiling, but I think I prefer using the same wallpaper. Here are some great examples -

Jennifer Dengel

Zoe Feldman

David Cafiero

Elizabeth Bauer

Maison 140

Maison 140

Which do you prefer?

Blogland has been all atwitter about the home in the Bahamas by Miles Redd featured in Architectural Digest. As is generally the case with homes featured in AD, I did not care for it, but I did like the fun hallway, which was much more serene and sophisticated than the rest of the house. The ceiling, walls, and floor are painted in a wonderful blue, I love the plaster palms, and the casual striped runner.

Here is how to do your own version. The blue that Miles used is Benjamin Moore Clear Skies 2054-70. For the runner, he had lots of Ikea Signe rugs stitched together on the horizontal. Any small striped cotton rug could be used for this. In lieu of the custom plaster palms, one could substitute a large scale wallpaper like Thibaut's Wisteria or Farrow & Ball's Wisteria. Other options would be painting or stenciling palm trees on the walls. Below you will see how Tom Scheerer had twenty foot trees painted onto grasscloth in the very same location - Lyford Cay in the Bahamas. Also, one could skip the palms entirely, this is such a great blue. If you are curious to see the rest of the home, click here.

Benjamin Moore Clear Skies

Ikea Signe Rug

Thibaut Wisteria

Thibaut Wisteria

Farrow & Ball Wisteria

Tom Scheerer - trees painted on grasscloth

I am in full holiday decorating mode here. Between my own house, family, friends, and clients, I do lots of Christmas trees and decorating and and will be showing you lots of it here. My first tree goes up this coming Saturday. If you have missed my 9 posts to date on Christmas decorating Chinoiserie Chic style, you can catch up here.


Today, two wonderful ideas from Miles Redd. In the photo above, he has trimmed celadon green silk curtains with pagoda valances in two shades of red silk for a trompe l'oeil effect. Below, a red tablecloth, single red roses, red wine and your Chinoiserie china and you have a stunning Christmas table.

With its red and green, this lovely dining room is ready for Christmas and all year long. Classic Chinoiserie wallpaper and furniture are given a modern touch with the unexpected navy blue dining chairs. Another modern look is no rug -  a trend in the dining room that I really like. The green curtains are trimmed and tasseled in red. Other red touches include the red chandelier shades - very Alessandra Branca and red flowers.

Note the dark candles that are another modern touch. Creative Candles has an incredible selection of colors and lengths - my go to source for candles. Colors include Paris Gray, Eggplant, Chocolate, Watermelon, Hot Pink - 44 colors in all! Candles need not be white or ivory to be elegant. A great tip for setting your holiday table.