Classic design never goes out of style and always adds a note of sophistication to any room. One of those classics that has been around for centuries is Chinoiserie.  Now you know I’m a stickler for correct pronunciation, so here it is: “shēn-ˈwäz-rē”. That’s “shēn” like in “Martin Sheen“, “wäz” like in “out the wazoo” and “rē” like in “repeat this word 10 times and you own it”. Then put it all together!

Chinoiserie is a French term that refers to a European artistic style that began in the 17th century in which objects and decoration are inspired by Chinese design. Chinese motifs are reflected in furnishings, fabrics, accessories and other decoration.

I’ve put together some decorative items for you that represent this style…

Top Row: Silk Pillow, Porcelain Lamp with Silk Shade
Bottom Row: Mother of Pearl Motif Porcelain Vase,
Chinoiserie Bombay Chest, Terracotta Tang Dancer
Source: China Furniture Online

Chinoiserie murals are a popular way to bring this style to a space in a way that has major impact. Talented San Fransisco mural artist, Lynne Rutter draws inspiration from her world travels to create the most beautiful Chinoiserie imagery. This post wouldn’t be complete without including a few samples of her magnificent work. Here are three for you to enjoy…

Above: This modern interpretation of classic Chinoiserie wallpaper murals was specially designed for this room in one of San Francisco’s period mansions.
Photography: David Duncan Livingston

Above: This formal powder room features a hand-painted chinoiserie room mural, faux marble console and baseboards. It was designed by Lynne for the 2002 San Francisco Decorator Showcase.

Above: Three layers of silver leafed moulding and hand-painted chinoiserie panels were used to add architectural balance and subtle color accents to this glamorous Art Deco-inspired bedroom.
Interior Design:  Paula McChesney
Photography: David Duncan Livingston

Note: I especially love the marriage of Chinoiserie and Art Deco in that last photo! If you’ve read my previous post on Art Deco, you can easily recognize the Art Deco influences in this space.

If you’re not blessed with an artist’s hand, there are myriad stencils available to help you create this look. Here are a few samples for you…

Source: The Stencil Library, Made in England

While gathering photos, I came upon the most FABULOUS installation of Chinoiserie that I just had to share with you! This amazing artwork was done by the talented Metall-FX. They were commissioned by interior designers Alex Kravetz Design to create this outstanding series of Chinoiserie doors and panels in the Grand Ballroom of the Dorchester Hotel in London. Prepare to be amazed…

Here’s a close-up view so you can see the detail of their work…

Sort of takes your breath away, doesn’t it? (Next week I’ll be bringing you more of their remarkable artwork and share with you how they create it.)

Chinoiserie is such a versatile style that plays well with others. It can be classic, modern or a little of both. If you’d like to learn more about this fanciful style, Lynne Rutter did a wonderful indepth post that you really must read!

Have you used this style in a space or done any work with it?

Cheers to all!
Peggy

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I love murals.  I think they can add so much to a space and in many ways, bring a design together.  There are many types of murals but today I thought I’d focus on (what I call) shadow murals.  This is artistry achieved with an unenbellished design and a singular color — but together they make a nice impact.  Let’s see what I’m talking about…

Such a great idea – one color layered over the other. Courtesy of Minor Details.

Love the bringing up of the singular color and then creating a landscape with it. Via French Knot (above) and Wet Canvas (below).

Designer Audrey Brandt had shadows painted in this room — just as if trees were right outside the window on a great day. I like the effect a lot. Via Home workshop.

On the subject of trees, here are palms on a landing.  I do have to say one thing — I don’t think anything should have covered the lovely work of artist Kristin Moro.  The canvas is wonderful, but it actually takes a bit of the kick away for me.

Finally, a whimsical one to close the post.  I feel as if the objects might come to life at any minute!  Photographed by Simon Bevan and featured in Designers Block.

Did you enjoy these?  I wanted to also leave you with an incredible artist, Rashad Alakbarov, who creates astonishing “paintings” on walls via ordinary objects using light and shadow.  Please do click on the link to see the ingenuity.  May your day be filled with imagination — and seeing shadows in a whole new light.  Pun intended, of course.

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Hello Everyone! Happy Monday to you; I hope you all had a great weekend.

A client once asked me where I found inspiration when beginning a design project. The answer to that question was easy – EVERYWHERE and then some!

One fun place I find color inspiration is on magazine covers. And I don’t just mean decorating and design magazines. Fashion magazines are a great place to get color ideas for a room, too. Professional stylists are at work choosing just the right color combinations for the clothing, accessories, and make-up. They also have pros working on choosing the background and font colors so that everything works together. Half of the job has been done for you. Now all you have to do is pull out the colors that you like and voila! You have the start of something beautiful.

I’ve put together a bedroom for you that was inspired by a popular fashion magazine.  I hope you like it.

Here’s the cover that was my inspiration along with the paint colors that I pulled from it:

Cover: British Vogue, April 2008 with Victoria Beckham   Paint: Sherwin Williams

Now, here’s the room I put together:

Sources: 1 - Dresser with linen finish: Horchow,  2 - Art: Art.com,
3 - Silver leaf bed: French Style Chairs,  4 - Ivory Pillow: Etsy – Pink Pillow: Etsy,
5 - Tea Lights: ZGallerie, 6 - Rug: The Rug Company,
7 - Decorative Finish: “Shabby Chic” by Faux Design Studio, 8 - Chandelier: Crystorama

And here they are side-by-side:

The design goes beyond just the color selection. The cover is soft, romantic and very feminine; so is the room.  The sparkle of her jewelry is reflected in the selection of the crystals of the chandelier, the tea lights and the silver leaf bed. The curved lines of the embossing in the wall finish are echoed in the lines of the chandelier and the bed, too. Finally, the rug beautifully ties it all together.

We all have special ways to get our creative juices flowing. I love to hear how and where other designers and artists find their inspiration. Where do you find yours?

Cheers to all,
Peggy
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In the 18th century, women and men retired to different rooms after dinner — women left to the drawing room and men stayed in the dining room to enjoy their drinks. Nowadays, the rooms are used more equally but more often that not, only for special occasions.  We sometimes are running around so quickly, that we have meals in the kitchen or in the alternate, while lounging in the family room.  However, everyone mostly agrees that the Dining Room holds a very special place in the home and as such, is often decorated beautifully.  In this design, Sheri Zeman of Chicago’s Faux Design Studio shows us a space that definitely falls under that category.

THE POP OF STENCILING

Close-up of crushed glass

Sheri Zeman: I was requested by the Painters Union to design the space for the annual Dining by Design gala by the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) organization.  Dining by Design showcases spectacular displays of cuisine, glamour and creative design and is presented along with the Architectural Digest Home Show.  For this space, our theme was “Metropolitan” and we decided to use Faux Effects products on every possible surface.  Everything you see in the picture – the floor, walls, table base and table top were all “fauxed”.

The table was MDF board, woodgrained with Stain & Seal to appear as a beautiful walnut inlay. The base and floor were also particle board, and RSCrete™ was used to simulate a 2’ Limestone blocks. Troweled on the table base was RS Stone and troweled on the walls, a light LusterStone.  The overall stencil is the Loft 101 Hudston stencil and it was embedded with black crushed glass.  (The glass is decorative — completely safe to handle!) The project took about 2 weeks to complete and was executed by the apprentices from the JATC with the booth was sponsored by the FCAC.  The event — and our area — was an incredible success!

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Sheri Zeman creates some of the most innovative finishes and her Faux Design Studio is very well-respected. I recently took a class from her and could not be more pleased with the samples. (In fact, take a peek at a design board we created with one of them, Marcello.)  I love those glass beads — in every color.  Please be sure to visit and “like” her Facebook fan page to keep abreast of all the new samples and commissions her company produces.  Thank you, Sheri, for sharing this cool contemporary project!  And THANK YOU, dear Readers, for coming along with us during Dining Room Week — we hope you’ve enjoyed the projects, stories and above all, the exceptional creativity. Have a great weekend!

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Over time, dining in a great hall saw a migration to the smaller rooms, or parlours.  Property owners started developing a taste for more intimate gatherings and the smaller areas became the accepted space for dining. Speaking of smaller, the work that decorative artisans do doesn’t always encompass the entire room. Many times, working on just an accent area showcases that quality can also be had in small quantities.  Atlanta-based artist Kass Wilson of WallsTreat Studio shows us just that.

ACCENTS THAT WOW

Kass Wilson: A group of designers that I work with came to me with the request, “Will you help us with our show home?”  Translated, it usually means, “Will you paint for free?”

I have rules about that and it revolves around determining if this is truly a good marketing opportunity.  Here are the questions I ask:

1. Do we already have an established relationship?  I am happy to help those I collaborate with frequently.
2. Are we doing something that is really different and unexpected?  Showing simple finishes that all of my competitors already do will not make my finishes stand out among the crowd. I want an opportunity to set my work apart.
3. How long will the home be open and how will it be advertised to the general public?  It must be a recognized show home event that will be seen by many people.
4. How will the design group be promoting me in their literature, programs, blogs, press releases, etc.?  I want to be recognized as a valuable part of the team.
5. Will they be having this professionally photographed and will I have free and clear access to all of the full resolution photos?  That alone is extremely valuable.
6. Can I get tickets and attend all of the additional events associated with the show house?  These are great networking activities where I can be seen in something other than paint clothes.

The answer to all of the above was a YES.  It was now a matter of coming up with a finish that would be quick, easy, cost effective and a definite show stopper.

The furniture, window treatments and wallpaper (above the chair rail) were already chosen. During the initial planning, the designer’s thought was to do something on the ceiling. But once I saw the room, the huge amount of white space in the paneling was glaring at me.  It interfered with the warmth that they were trying to achieve and in dire need of texture and dimension. Cracked plaster was the predictable choice but how could it go beyond ordinary techniques that we see every day?

I installed wallpaper years ago in my bathroom.  It was enough for me to decide that I never wanted to go to that party again!  But, that experience taught me enough to assess that this would be easier than hand painting a background design inside each panel.  A scavenger hunt in the designer’s back room revealed a remnant of wallpaper that blended nicely with the color palate and style.  Likewise, there is always a smorgasbord of leftover products on my shelves.  A little mixing and a few extra tints yielded just enough plaster to cover these small areas.  The paper was cut, pasted into each of the windows and a clear barrier coat was painted on top.  Anything that was not perfect was strategically covered with the tinted plaster over that.  After everything dried, a simple glaze brought out the depth and dimension of the texture.

This Dining Room was the first thing that was seen when people entered the home.  The finish was right at eye level and everyone just had to touch it.  That, along with questions like, “What is this? Or How did you do this?” are always my barometers for success.  This finish turned out to be the main attention grabber of the space. It became a memorable feature and was picked up by two (2) publications for stories.

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“There are no small parts, just small actors”.  I love that quote and I think it comes into play here — making the best of every opportunity you are given, no matter what the obstacles are or the size. Kass was able to turn this accent area into showcasing a unique finish and securing two publications to print her artistry.  Wonderful!  Please be sure to visit her WallsTreat Studio website, her Facebook fan page and check in with her blog, Design Visions.  Thank you, Kass, for sharing your project – and advice – with us!

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In the Roman times, the rich sat around a table to dine while lounging on couches. The poor had to do with wooden stools with no backs and if you were a slave, you sat on a straw mat on the floor.  In contemporary times, we strive to make our family and guests as comfortable as possible before we dine in a room that we usually spend quite a bit of time planning. So comes our next project, a themed Dining Room created by Angela Schuster of New Jersey-based Faux Time Design.

GOING WITH A THEME

Angela Schuster: The mission of Faux Time Design is to be a full service firm, providing every aspect of faux and decorative finishing, including artistically designed ceilings (we are a large consumer of Modello Designs), Old World European finishes, multi-dimensional plasters, metallics and hand painted murals.  We treat every home as it if were our own — that may sound cliché, but it really drives home our desire to create incredible spaces with unique and special finishes, which leads me to our Dining Room submission:  The ‘Haunted Dining Room’…

We have one a client who is a DREAM! He knows what he wants and the confidence in his own taste pushes innovative designs. A relationship based on communication, a little imagination and a great leap of faith and we have pushed the envelope – to Transylvania.

Our journey with this client began more than two years ago when we helped him design his basement to look like a scene from downtown Bourbon Street.  From the Big Easy to 1313 Mockingbird Lane, we recently worked with him to transform his dining room into a spooky, haunted adventure.

The mystique behind the dining room was strategically placed projectors that made head and body casts ‘come to life’ and an Ouija board that levitated above the dining room table.  Marry those special effects with a large mirror that speaks to guests and describes a ghoulish menu.

A FUNNY story: Mike, our client, loved to activate the spooky mirror over and over as we were working in the space.  It included a woman screaming at the top of her lungs.  We became so used to hearing the woman scream that one day, when I was moving the scaffold (and forgot that my production manager, Jill, was at the top), she screamed — and I ignored her!  It took me a few minutes to realize Jill was screaming.  Thankfully, she was fine – just not ready to be moved!

Our first task was designing a stencil with skeletons and bats.  This was then rendered in a traditional damask finish.  It replicates the look of a vintage silk damask wallpaper that you have to look twice to realize it is a skeleton.

Royal Design Studio helped me design the custom Skeleton Damask stencil and professionally cut it for me, too!

Close-up of Skeleton Damask

We also used a patina aging solution and rust activator to create an authentic rusted iron finish on the built-in sideboard, chair rail, crown and base moldings.  Our responsibility was to add the elaborate design elements that made the walls and ceiling compliment the theme without stealing its thunder.  The finished dining room was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

AID TO ARTISANS

Angela shares: I am passionate about giving back.  A portion of profits from every project goes to Aid to Artisans.  Aid to Artisans creates economic opportunities for artisan groups around the world where livelihoods, communities, and craft traditions are marginal or at risk.  They not only provide the mentoring to create new products, but also the resources and strategic partners to develop markets for those products. I truly believe in this philosophy as a successful art business needs both a good product and a leader with smart business acumen.

Recently, I ran a promotion on our Faux Time Design Facebook fan page asking for new Likes or Shares and then donated $1 for each.  I raised over $75 and plan to raise more in the next few weeks!

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I love that skeleton damask — and what a unique, fun commission! Angela started her decorative painting business in 2005 with fellow artist and friend, Jill Hayden.  Jill now works as her Production Manager and she brought on another artist, Doris Acosta, in 2009 to help with the growing work load.  Every year they host an Open House at a local hotel banquet hall.  They set up the banquet hall to look like an art gallery, have it beautifully catered and guests browse through more than 150 finishes.  The next Open House, running from 9am – 4pm, is scheduled for Friday, January 20 at The Clinton Inn in Teaneck, New Jersey. If you are nearby, please do stop by!  Please be sure to see the Faux Time Design website and read their blog, in addition to finding them on Facebook (and help Aid to Artisans!) and Twitter.  Thank you, Angela, for sharing your Haunted Mansion!

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In medieval times, a Dining Room usually occupied its own separate floor. The family sat on a raised dais with the guests sitting below them in order according to rank.  Nowadays, the room is usually located very close to the kitchen and there is more equanimity in the seating arrangements for guests and family.  A family seeking to enhance their home inspired this next project, using a wonderful and understated Venetian Plaster created by Kevin Connetta of Molto Bene Finishes.

ELEGANT VENETIAN PLASTER

Kevin Connetta:  I typically use what is commonly called Venetian Plaster, both in its original lime and marble dust formulation and modern variations. When I start a project, I spend quite a bit of time studying the lighting, furniture, fabrics and current style of the home as well as the client’s likes, dislikes and the intent of the room. I am then able to create finishes that don’t overwhelm but instead enhance the aesthetic of the space so as to achieve the intended result.

The clients were a great family and all loved art and music.   The home was large, in the “Northern California Italian villa” mode.  They had decided to create a separate dining space from the rest of the house that was more formal as they did a lot of entertaining.  They added an additional room to the rear of the house with a southern exposure and large arched windows and doors to maximize the light.  This allowed them to show off their art work.

One of the challenges on this job was creating a plaster finish that was subtle and sophisticated, one that would enhance and not take away from the artwork they planned on hanging up. They were to showcase one artist who liked bold colors. Another challenge was getting this done in time for a Christmas party since the other trades people had gone over, leaving us only a short time!

In this case, we decided on using an iridescent plaster in a champagne color, which we troweled on in multiple, thin smooth layers on the walls and ceiling. We kept the movement minimal as it would have been a distraction. Next, we skimmed a thin layer of gold highlight plaster to give it some more shimmer, throw the light around and give it different looks at different times of the day.

Everyone – us, client, designer loved the end result. We have used pictures of this on our website and promotional pieces, which has gotten us a lot of work over time — it’s why we call this image our money shot.

There is first and foremost doing a beautiful job, then  figuring out how to actually capture that in a photo. Many times you can do an incredible job, yet the photo looks flat, with no dimension and just doesn’t do the work justice.  Best case is if you have someone who is knowledgeable on proper lighting and photography to stage and show your work.  Failing that, you can do what I did here which was grab the digital, take a ton of shots and end up with a handful that look great. This particular room I happened to photograph in the late morning, which had the southern exposure and lot of natural light coming in at that time.

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Kevin speaks the truth about photography — I found myself nodding along as I read his experience with photographing certain techniques.  I think this finish showcases how plastered walls can make such a powerful statement even while letting other design elements take center stage.  Molto Bene Walls (“Very Good” in Italian) has been creating beautiful wall finishes in exclusive homes throughout California and other parts of the United States for well over a decade. They recently opened an office in Sarasota, Florida.  Please do visit their website and also check out their great blog, Scandalous Wall Talk.  Thank you, Kevin (and his lovely wife, Norine), for sharing your gorgeous project with us!

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