Ye Olde Williamsburg

While we're on the topic of catalogs, have you flipped through the Williamsburg Marketplace catalog recently?

I grew up in Richmond, Virginia and there was MANY a trip to Colonial Williamsburg to check out this historic city all decked out in its colonial finery, costumes included. Not gonna lie, I loved it and still do. I also went to the University of Virginia, the land of Jefferson and Monticello, so I have a soft spot for colonial decor.

Granted, I wouldn't call my style anywhere near colonial, but I do love individual pieces with that feel. And on a theoretical side note, isn't that true of any style/aesthetic? My mother-in-law once joked with me that she wished she was as open to decor as I was - "D, you like everything," she said - and it's true. So I guess I'm game for whatever because mixing things is what creates your style.

Ok, back to Williamsburg. So as I'm flipping through the catalog on its way to the trash, I was quite taken with the sweetest little item:

Porcelain Magnolia

Don't you love this magnolia? Imagine it sitting pretty on a stack of books, or on a vanity tray, or a beautiful display etagere. The possibilities are endless for this little token of the South. Magnolias are my absolute favorite (I especially like to decorate with them at Christmas) and she's only $12, which is a fair price for a little porcelain trinket.

Well, like any good shopper intrigued by an item, I hit the interweb to check out Williamsburg Marketplace online, and I was not disappointed. If your home is traditional colonial, then you probably know this source and shop from it constantly. But, even if that is not your style, there are so many great pieces that you can mix in with your own decor (and many Chinoiserie items!)

No compensation from WM...I'm just sayin'...

Covered Scenic Jars

Pagoda Chest

Brig Georgiana Model

Imari Footbath

Blue and White Canteen Vase

Green Accented Finger Vases

Windsor Fretwork Shelf

 Amber Crackle Glaze Lamp

 Shell and Eagles Mirror

Wythe House Mirror

Get your own slice of Williamsburg here.

Chinoiserie at The Barn

Every once in a while, something catches my eye in the Pottery Barn catalog...and it's usually a print. I was just flipping through a PB catalog last night and spotted a handsome, rich, stunning Chinoiserie pattern that had me totally gaga...

Hello Brighton pattern...I love your tuffet:

Says PB, "In the archives of a legendary print house, we found this 1920s design that was inspired by 18th-century Chinese hand-painted wallpaper." I most certainly see the Chinese wallpaper influence and I adore the rich, deep colors...especially the black accents.

This fabric makes the perfect accent - it's the kind of print that I love to use in a small dose (like a pillow, or a bedskirt, or this lovely tuffet) and then use its colors to inspire other companion fabrics that I use in larger doses.

Pick your dose:

You know where to find it...type "Brighton" in the search bar to see the many options.

Dreaming of Dunloe

I l-o-v-e this fabric.

Dunloe by Osborne & Little...it's magnificent. Where has it been all my life, and how come I didn't know about it until now??

Now, I know I tend to like many, many fabrics and blog about them, but it's not often that I find a fabric that I just plain obsess over. I am adding this one to that category. I am completely smitten with the color scheme of lavender, green/chartreuse, brown and blue...it's perfect for my dining room which currently has all said colors on display.

I have been struggling with what fabric to use on my set of black armchairs and this weekend, I was perusing The Designer's Attic, where blogger and designer Shannon sells her fabric stash, and I spotted 3 yards of this glorious textile...I was in heaven!...until I realized they were sold. Oh, it was a very, very sad moment. I had the perfect fabric in my midst, for a great price, but some other savvy ladies beat me to it.

All's fair in love and fabric.

So now I am left dreaming of Dunloe...perhaps I'll be lucky enough to come across it again. Or, I'll get so cuckoo over having it that I'll pay full price {gasp}...we'll see.

Check out her many colorways and dream with me:

Friday Crush (and Thank You)

Meet my new fabric friend...isn't she pretty? I rarely see a good orange floral, but boy this one is fabulous. She picks up many of the colors of my living room and is a nod to my alma mater, the University of Virginia - orange and blue never looked so good.

I nabbed this pretty piece of fabric from Jenny over at Little Green Notebook - she is selling much of her fabric stash that she has accumulated over time (I know that feeling!)...check out her blog's sidebar if you're looking for some great fabric.

I also wanted to share a BIG thank you this Friday to my friend Beth over at Chinoiserie Chic - Beth was interviewed by Washingtonian.com and was very nice to mention Aesthetic Oiseau as one of her favorite DC blogs. I was giddy to see a link to AO on Washingtonian.com this week - thanks Beth! Read her interview here...

And some belated, hearty thank yous to the ladies over at Chic Coles for giving me the Happy 101 blog award and to Catherine of The Shiny Pebble for giving AO her Favorite New Blog Award. Thank you all so, so much - it really means a lot to me to get such nice feedback.

I know the tradition of blog awards is to pass them on and the only reason I haven't is time! But, I'm planning a post with some of my favorite blogs to pass on these lovely awards, so stay tuned...

I'm pumped because I get to see Charlie, my nephew, this weekend - woohoo! So, I will be in Auntie mode all weekend and loving it! Hope you're looking forward to your weekend...

See you Monday!

How Fun...

...are these chairs??

 

...that used to look like this...

...but were painted and recovered in this...

...by her...

Jamie at I Suwannee is a master of the re-do...check out her blog here. And if you are in the Raleigh area you can nab these chairs for yourself at her shop, Furbish Studio.

p.s. Fabric of choice is Robert Allen Crystal Lake in Midnight...a good PB stand-in

Walls O' Paper

I've seen some wonderful uses of wallpaper in blogland recently and I'm feeling inspired. Our only project slated for wallpaper at the moment is our upstairs bathroom...but I want MORE! An entirely wallpapered room is my dream, but not in my budget, so I'm seeking out nooks and crannies that might work with a little punch of paper.

Check out these beautiful examples that I'm loving...

An awesome entryway papered in Lulu DK's "Chant" by Danika at Gorgeous Shiny Things. Don't you love how that mirror and those lamps pop against the beautiful red? I wish I had a good entryway like this...I love papered entries!

Be still my heart. I am crazy over Averill's powder room redo over at Odi et Amo using Osborne & Little's "Summer Palace"...what a beautiful use of this classic paper. And I'm completely taken with her choice of mirror (from Williams-Sonoma Home) - I love how it looks against the paper. Gorgeous Chinoiserie strikes again.

Hmmm...so what shall I wallpaper at the AO house?...I'll need to think on that one.

Wynnings

I'm back from a very fun weekend in Las Vegas. Carter and I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of our good friends Julianne and David, and it was wonderful!

Vegas is certainly a feast for the eyes (mostly in a good way) and I enjoyed walking into the different hotels/casinos and soaking up their decor. Nothing is understated in Vegas and I loved seeing all of the exaggerated interiors, but my favorite was definitely the Wynn casino. 

I had been to Vegas once before, but I don't recall being inside the Wynn...this time we met up with some friends there for breakfast and I was so impressed - I couldn't stop looking at the beautiful surroundings...and I of course took some pictures of some of my favorite views:

I think the ceilings were definitely the best part...I love the pattern shown here that was repeated throughout the hotel...

Another amazing ceiling view...beautiful light fixtures!  Note those upside-down parasol-looking ones...

A close-up of the parasol fixtures...gorgeous against that brown ceiling.

This was the view from our table...I was staring at this gorgeous (ENORMOUS) lantern...and again, the ceiling was beautiful.

Striped, tassled curtains - loved them!

This was my absolute favorite view - more of the beautiful parasol fixtures - this time in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes - a whimsical Chinoiserie display! I wanted to stare at them all day.

Close-up..aren't they gorgeous?

This is the view when you walk into the hotel - a tree-lined little courtyard with gorgeous flower balls hanging from the branches in all of the many colors of the hotel. It's so beautiful to look at (although this picture does not do it justice).

The Wynn was the highlight of the weekend decor-wise...the rest of the weekend we spent having a great time with our friends...and I dragged Carter from slot machine to slot machine. I could spend hours watching those little windows spin...problem is, the windows only spin if you feed the machine money :( I eventually had to give up that form of entertainment.

Hope you all had a great weekend and a good start to the week!

Thursday Crush

Errrm, so I know I typically save my crushes until Friday, but I'm going on a little vacay and thus will be blissfully computer-less for the weekend...so I moved up the post as I've been itchin' to post this picture. Do you know this to-die-for room designed by Kelley Proxmire? It has made the rounds in the blogosphere - as it should, it's so gorgeous.

Proxmire is a DC-area designer with a flair for good uses of Chinoiserie. The bed in this particular room makes me nutty (what is it with beds lately? I've been so focused on them) The canopy treatment is amazing (love the mirror) and I have a feeling that it could make for a good DIY project...like an inverted pelmet box...hmmm...

Proxmire will be one of the designers featured at this year's DC Design House - I did not meet her at the Bare Bones tour, but I caught a glimpse of her concept board and I'm sure the room will be gorgeous - can't wait to see it.

As I said, I'll be out and about this weekend so sadly, I will not be back posting until Tuesday...parting is such sweet sorrow. Have a fabulous weekend...see you Tuesday!

Charleston Dream

Reasons why I love this room:

1) It's in Charleston. That's enough, actually. I'll take anything in Charleston.

2) It has totally stunning amazing drool-worthy hand-painted green walls...and it's St. Patrick's Day - all hail the color green (my personal choice for my own home).

3) It's a beautiful implementation of the color scheme I chose for my dining room - green, gold and purple...executed here to perfection.

4) The mix. Traditional wallpaper and a modern rug. A lucite side table and a gilded mirror. Silk drapery and a funky chandelier. This room looks young and old at the same time.

5) The coffee tables. I want them.

Hmmm....what do I not like about this room? Nothing. This is perfection for me - exactly what I love about design. I could go on and on and on and on.

Southern Living has been knocking my socks off with some pretty wonderful design features as of late. This room was featured in this month's issue and was designed by Charleston designer Jenny Keenan (clearly a genius). 

More images to make you swoon:

All images via southernliving.com, Photography by Laurey W. Glenn

OKL Alert: Madelyn Jordon

Don't Chinese hand-stitched silk embroideries sound wonderful? One Kings Lane is currently having a sale of said embroderies from Madelyn Jordon Fine Art.

This collection is pure eye candy. Oh my, I would LOVE a collection of any three of these to hang on a wall...but, the price is a bit prohibitive (most around $600), although I'm sure they are worth every penny. They are handmade and take over 1,000 hours just to make one!

Feast your eyes...

The collection also boasts the most beautiful robe/dress prints, but they are sold out. Sorry - my OKL posts are typically the day after OKL puts the loot up for sale, so I know they aren't up-to-the-minute...but these lovelies were worth showing just because they are so gorgeous - aren't the colors inspiring?? They would be the most beautiful focal point of a room...

p.s.  I would love to wear that little yellow number...