Blue Chinoiserie Fabrics at Ballard

Ballard Designs has the loveliest collection of painterly blue fabrics at the moment. Anchored by a classic Chinoiserie toile, I think all three would work beautifully together in the same space.

Meet Lucy, Milly, and Darby:

Lucy, the Chinoiserie toile, is pretty amazing, right? I really hope they start carrying it in more colorways though Ballard typically carries one hue of a manufacturer's pattern. But it's pretty stellar with its pagodas, palms and watery shades of topaz blue.

And Milly, the loose animal print, is very Quadrille feeling. Imagine club chairs in a beach house paired with a white slipcovered sofa piped in topaz blue with Lucy pillows. Sign me up!

Don't forget Darby if you like a more boho, John Robshaw-like experience with your textiles.

All are winners in my book...especially at $25/yard!

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Henry & Co. + Quadrille

I have obviously been living under a rock because I am only now seeing this AMAZING room design by Henry & Co. for the Traditional Home Hampton Designer Showhouse 2014 featuring one of my all-time favorite Quadrille fabrics - Macao II.

This is some serious Woah:

Photo via Quadrille's Instagram

Has this been all over important blogs/mags and I'm late reporting? Because sometimes I fall off the media train and I know the blogging world is rapid-fire with this kind of genius but for the sake of posterity this space needed to make its way to AO. Damn, it's good.

A study in bold color...it's mesmerizing. I can't stop staring. Those walls are something fierce and I just love how all of the elements are coming together.

Here are some softer shots from Henry & Co's Instagram feed:

Gah! Give me all of it! What kind of home would this be in? Vacation house? Upscale Manhattan apartment?  Charleston townhouse? I'm not sure...where would you envision it?

Extreme beauty exists in this world, y'all.

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On Vacation

We are on a family vacation this week, during which I was planning to blog, but it appears the wi-fi is not cooperative enough for that to happen. So instead I'll leave you with a photo of Ana Claire from our family reunion yesterday...hopefully it will tide you over until I'm back in the Land of Reliable Internet.

Hope you're having a great week!

xo, D

Friday Crush

Photo by Kelly Stuart

Loving this bedding moment from Ali Fuge's studio apartment in House Beautiful. Crisp white contrasted with gorgeous pops of color. Works especially well as the rest of the space is pretty neutral. And you can never go wrong with a sunburst mirror...never.

Have a fantastic weekend! See you next week!

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Mirrored Walls

How do we feel about mirrored walls?

I recently saw this one and it caught my eye...I think I love how rich the furniture looks contrasted against the cool, glassy wall. Makes everything sparkly and warm:

Home of Adrienne Vittadini, photo by Melanie Acevedo for Veranda

Do you think a mirrored wall works, but only in certain situations...like a bright, colorful beachy condo where the mirrored wall reflects back the gorgeous ocean?

Someone remind me of this designer, photo by Annie Schlechter for Coastal Living

Or are they simply for bathrooms where mirror is right at home with tile and other hard surfaces?

Ralph Lauren, photog name?, for Architectural Digest (let's all note the garden stool in the shower)

OR, can they be right at home in "regular" spaces like a cozy living room, entry or our original bedroom photo?

 Design by Lindsey Harper; Image by Quentin Bacon

Source?

If done well, I think a mirrored wall can work anywhere but it takes a great eye to make it look intentional and not tacky. I think all of these spaces pull it off.

So, what's your take?

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Nila Ikat Fabric

What's my latest fabric find, you ask? Why, it's this delicious Nila Ikat from Beacon Hill. I can't get enough of this pattern and the color combinations.

In Peapod Coral - perfect for a shared boy/girl bedroom. Or pillows in your family den. The light blue with little accents of light and dark coral is gorgeous.

Oh my, in Indigo...break out the cigars and let's talk politics and religion while lounging in cognac leather club chairs. So saturated and handsome...would be killer if your wallet allowed for curtains.

Ahhh, and the soothing tones of Moonstone - appropriate name as I wouldn't hesitate to put this in a master bedroom. The colors are so soft and pretty and I really love light blue paired with taupey gray.

So, what do you think of my latest fabric love. Do you like it?

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Friday Crush

Design by T. Donovan Keller

I can totally get behind this airy Chinoiserie dining room. The lantern, the mirror, the chairs and their piped cushions, the Quadrille-skirted table, the dark furniture contrasted with white walls. I am even enjoying the mirrored wall. If I had a beach condo, this would be great inspiration for a smaller dining space.

Have a fantastic weekend...see you next week!

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Twinning

I just came across the most spectacular round-up of twin bedrooms on House Beautiful's website. I'm a nut for a room with twin beds...something about the symmetry? I don't know, but it's a slight obsession of mine.

Here are some gems:

My dream guest bedroom. The four-posters!

Design by Amanda Lindroth 

Soothing and gender neutralish. 

Design by Amanda Lindroth

Fantastic for two boys to share.

Design by Conne Newberry

Would totally dig this for my imaginary mountain house.

Design by Justine Cushing

If you love these bedrooms like I do, you'll love HB's round-up here. 

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A Weekend with Friends

On the list of things that I cherish most, my girlfriends are quite high. These women build me up, make me laugh, give me advice, educate me and tell me when I need lipstick. They are magical creatures.

As busy lives go, we rarely get a chance to travel together but this past 4th of July weekend, we made it happen. Kids and husbands included.

My girls - Katie, Katie, Katy, Lauren, Julianne. Did you catch all the Katies? We were down two, Michele and Tyler, that we sorely missed...we are a tight group of 8. All Wahoos.

Thursday afternoon, we packed our bags and headed to the mountains of western Virginia...a tiny place called Millboro where the views are stunning. We rented a bananas beautiful house that was nestled in the most stunning of locations and just...relaxed.

We took in lots of views:

We woke to the mountain sunlight hitting our golden locks:

We ate A LOT:

We took lots of selfies:

We even made a quick visit to The Homestead which was about 30 minutes from where we were staying:

^^ How most pictures turn out ^^

We had a great time making some wonderful memories that none of us will soon forget. Here's to celebrating friendship and spending quality time with those you love.

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Happy Fourth of July!

Photo by Laurey W. Glenn for Southern Living

Happy Fourth of July! I hope you are having a lovely summer day enjoying some patriotic fun with your loved ones. I've escaped to the mountains with my best friends, our husbands and our kids! I'm looking forward to a fun weekend ahead...I hope yours is equally as good. See you next week!

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Chinoiserie Panels

As a lover of Chinoiserie, I am no stranger to the concept of Chinoiserie panels as wallhangings. The idea of taking a gorgeous swatch of a Chinoiserie wallpaper or textile and framing it up as art...brilliant and effective.

And though I often see them and think how nice they look I found these particular panels from Lovejoy Designs (seen on House of Turquoise) to be particularly arresting:

Photos by Michael J. Lee

I LOVE the scale of the first panel and how its subtle colors of gray, green and yellow are paired against the white in the cabinetry and then picked up in the dining chairs. Incredibly stunning.

And in the second one, I can say that I haven't come across a panel quite like this one with its black and white etching-like appearance. Most panels are of the bird and branch variety so I love the uniqueness of this one and, again, the scale. 

Really lovely takes on a classic technique!

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Luxury Chinoiserie Lighting

Have you seen the recent amazingness from lighting purveyor Coleen & Company? This is the stuff my dreams are literally made of:

It's like living in a tole Chinoiserie dream! Top to bottom: Elsie Lantern, Tole Tent Semi Flush, & Scalloped Flush Mount.

It's hard to narrow in on a favorite here but I'll go ahead and do it - the Elsie. Woah. Now that is an attractive way to light up your life. But let's not overlook the adorable tassel detail on the Tole Tent Semi or the sweet white scallop border on the Scalloped Flush....really, really beautiful stuff. Luxury lighting that I can keep dreaming about as it's certainly not within my current reach. But the inspiration is free!

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