Chinoiserie is a french term meaning “Chinese-esque” referring to an artistic style used in decorating since the 17th century. It is artwork often characterized with Chinese imagery that included motifs of temples, monkeys, pagodas, elephants, birds, dragonfly’s and butterflies. This style is unique as patterns can can have various looks because of the way the pattern is colored. This gorgeous Hermes orange bedroom by Sara Story, is a lovely modern blend of traditional chinoiserie with modern style.
The “Oriental Scenic” wallpaper below features temples, lotus flowers and Chinese lanterns. This is a subtle luxurious pattern that is perfect for high end foyers, dining rooms or guest powder rooms. The silk texture on top makes it look almost like a fabric on the wall. An easy pattern to live with yet reflects immense style. This type of design is almost becoming a staple with interior designers today.
These wallpaper designs are perfect patterns for all types of interiors . I love this bedroom as it reflects a calm yet decorative environment.
Even Oscar Wilde loved chinoiserie as Zoella states below:
“This style of interior was fashionable in the 1890s, Oscar Wilde was a prominent figure in the promotion of Victorian chinoiserie. He was famously ducked in a pond (forgive the pun) because his rooms at university were too opulent and fanciful!”
Chinoiserie used in interiors today can be opulent but also have a clean crisp look to them like this bathroom.
The designer for one of The Apprentice TV show series featured our Oriental Scenic wallpaper design in black and tan in the foyer of the suites where the contestants resided during the competition. Very dramatic!
Other unique interiors feature chinoiserie screens, often used as art, a backdrop to an interior or as a dividing panel between two rooms. Still, the affect creates a stunning focal point in an interior.
And if you need more pattern, try repeating it so the room has an overall uniform design statement. Why not be enveloped with pattern and color like in designers Lee Radziwill’s Paris apartment. Surrounding yourself with a Chinoiserie pattern is cozy!
This is a perfect example of a chinoiserie design as it has that oriental flare while featuring the animal motifs and flowers.
So be bold and bring a little chinoiserie style into your life!
Images via: homewallcoverings.com;jaimabrownhome.com;pointclick.com;annecoyleinteriors.com;polyvore.com;gaitainteriors.com;Chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com
Jacobean styled designs have been around forever but are making a resurgence in design today. Influenced from the arts and crafts period, it originated from English embroidery which had oriental influences to the designs. Often, known as the “Tree of Life” design because of its trailing branch like pattern incorporating motifs of birds, flowers and fruits. Jacobean Embroidery was especially popular in fashion during the 17th century during the reign of King James of England. Look at the beautiful detail in these outfits that feature the Jacobean embroidered motif.
I personally love these patterns as they can be warm and inviting but also offer something of a story line to walls, furniture and accessories. I collect antique fabrics for design inspirations and the vintage fabric sample above came from England. It is almost like a quilt but of course is printed and not embroidered. The Jacobean design has come a long way in history and is now back on the scene in home decor.
The Doctor bag was created with a designer fabric and of course, is the tree of life pattern. As pattern infiltrates design at all levels this year, we see fun filled retro items like the alarm clock being re-interpreted with this classic pattern but is new and fresh adding in a little pizazz into our home. Of course, ginger jars are all the rage for patios and indoor decors and are often found with the tree of life pattern gracing them.
As wallpaper falls back into favor with interior designers and consumers, we brought out a new pattern “JACQUES” from the new Aja Collection by Jaima Brown Home. Use these patterns in powder rooms, dining rooms and even bedrooms. Its easy to create a focal point by wallpapering one wall making it a stunning backdrop for any interior. It really looks fantastic on a wall!
The other beautiful thing about this type of pattern is that you can use it multicolored like above or go with a silhouette feel giving this traditional pattern a more modern affect for the home. Whether its bedding, accessories, furniture or home fashion you can find the tree of life pattern thriving.
Bathrooms suddenly feel fresh and modern when wallpapered with our Jacques wallpaper.
So wether your style is modern or traditional this pattern is definitely universal. The white antique tub in this master bath looks great with the updated classic silhouette Jacobean wallpaper …….two classics together creating fabulously fresh new decor looks.
Until tomorrow…..Happy wallpapering!
Cheers. Jaima
Images via: jaimabrownhome, lilypulitzer.com;colefaxandfowler.com;Kennet alarm clock by Wild & Wolf;marigold-home.com;wshome.com
Hosting a special occasion or shower…blend in your home décor!
Instead of using gimmicky or party themed decorations, create an elegant
event by mixing elements from your home fashion. Use fabric from your
draperies or chairs to make a custom tablecloth, or use a plain table cloth
and dress it up with a complementary wallpaper border that coordinates with
the room like we did here for this wedding shower.
Use left over wallpaper to decorate a folding screen to place photos, place cards or gift cards. Incorporate your dining room color theme by designing a custom cake to match your decor. You can also incorporate your colors and style into your invitations and thank you cards so there is one unique theme to the entire event. Create custom gift bags for your guests to hold their party favors so they will have a keepsake to remember the special occasion. I love the canopy affect from the yellow stripe wallpaper on the ceiling. Very effective as it gives a tent effect but it makes a statement all year round!
With the economy the way it is, there is a trend towards celebrating anniversaries, showers and weddings at private homes, this can be more economical while also making the special day a more personal event. Just remember, when you start to design and create your party, start with your interior style and colors as a guide. This way, your main room for the event will flow with your home environment and be cohesive with the party style. Doing this creates a more personal event as well as making a stamp on your style.
So create a personalized stylish setting at home and leave your guests talking about your event for months to come.
Have fun and celebrate! Jaima
Images: S.A. Maxwell Co. Kenilworth Collection.
Toile, is a French word meaning “linen cloth” or “canvas” and has been in the English lanquage since the 16th Century. It does have many meanings but I want to discuss Toile de Jouy, which originated in France around the late 1700’s. Of course, in the French lanquage it literally means “cloth from Jouy-en-Josas”, a town in northern France. In this town, there was a factory owned by a famous french textile entrepreneur Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf who was known for producing beautiful linen cloths known as “Toile de Jouy”.
Toile’s were pen and ink drawings printed on a white or off white canvas usually depicting pastoral scenes, couples picnicking by the lake or of floral bouquets.
Oberkampf was famous for printing monochromatic Toiles in red, blue or black on a cream background. Royalty, such as Marie Antoinette helped popularize Toiles in society. She loved Toile images of the French countryside reflecting daily life ,work and leisure as well as hunting scenes. It was around 1783 when King Louis XVI proclaimed that the factory in Toile de Josas was to be the official manufacturer of Toiles for royal families. Once royalty popularized Toiles, the craze filtered down to all levels of society.
Independence Day from Parasol Collection 7766-556
Toile designs have been around for years but started to become popular around the year 2000. Toile fabric was mainly used for interior decoration but by the 1970’s Toile was starting to be used in apparel and more into other home decor products. Today, a wide range of products from fashion to home accessories can be found with Toile designs.
Toile is a fabulously versatile design style that is often designed into living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, powder rooms and even children decor; it is classic and timeless.
Kentucky from Retreat Collection
Independence Day from Parasol Collection
Even kitchens can be uplifted and modernized with a Toile wallpaper.
Bedrooms of course, are a natural and one of my favorite rooms for using this style.
Avignon from Chanicleer Collection
So Joie de Vivre….or shall I say Toile de Vivre!
Keep decorating! Jaima
Images: www.jaimabrownhome.com;nextag.com;poshliving.com;armani.com;horchow.com;alices-adventuresinwonderland.blogspot.com
Most girls have been dreaming of their wedding day since they were 5 years old. Don’t let worries, frustration and sometime family ruin your planning, have FUN, remember it’s YOUR special day.
Make yourself a to do list and include a few of these important things to do: select your bridal party, decide on the number of guests, determine a theme, set your budget, consider a wedding planner
and start organizing your event at least 18 months in advance. The church
and/or venue will play a key role in your overall time frame. Your nerves
will be frazzled as butterflies flutter in your stomach; after all you are
planning the biggest day of your adult life so far.
Consider doing something extraordinary that will stand out from typical weddings…use pattern.
Find a fabric or design you love and incorporate it into your invitations, gift table, thank you cards and favors. Drape the tent or table tops with the same themed fabric and add a touch of your
gown pattern to make it truly unique. Here we chose a beautiful designer floral fabric and mixed it with a co-ordinate sage green lattice to finish off the tent. Dress up your table top by laying a border across the center of your table to give it individual flare.
Roses, hydrangeas, lilies, freesias and a few other various flowers filled the silver center pieces, all color coordinated to go with the designer floral tablecloth. As the wedding was outside by a lake, it was important to create an atmosphere that made it feel like you were inside an interior designed room with a beautiful water view. We added lots of greenery around the top of the tent, chandeliers and table lamps with shades for dramatic lighting, all this added to creating an elegant atmosphere.
Each guest was lucky enough to receive a custom made tote bag, various patterns were used and were made in the same fabric as the table clothes. The tote was filled with local goodies and snacks as well, each guest had a mini vase of roses wrapped with our signature printed wedding ribbon. I think every room should have flowers so to feel at home immediately when one arrives at the hotel. A custom guest book was created by mixing various wallpaper patterns and the fabrics as well as the sage ribbon also used on the invitation and program and other momento’s included throughout the pages of the book made it a real keepsake of the entire event.
Another great idea is to make a CD of your favorite music. We labeled it in the floral pattern and wrapped each with floral wallpaper and a signature printed ribbon, then placed one at each persons place setting. A practical and simple gift which every one loved along with the tote bags. For the children, clear bags made up with shredded lime wallpaper, a small lattice paper was used for the backdrop of the bag and then fill them with candy, tie each one with a bow and voila…..a lovey candy bag that is fun for the kids but also flows with the theme of the wedding.
After the wedding ceremony, hand made cones made out of a lattice print wallpaper and sealed with a sheer ribbon were filled with rose petals for guests to throw at the bride and groom. Very Eco friendly! We decided to have a boat cruize for our rehearsal with a Dixie Land Band. To keep the festivities alive, we made hats with borders on them for guests to wear which carried the floral theme through the weekend as they were placed on the gift table to give it some interest with the custom wallpapered money/envelope box.
Every detail is important so when you select a theme and carry it through the entire event a beautiful story is told at the end of the special day. I hope some of you can use these ideas and make your day special like mine was! Jaima
Images via: Jaima Brown
Well, I do a lot of traveling in my car with my pets and have often thought about getting a mobile home to make life easier while on the road. With my love for pattern, I found a Swedish company Decor Maison, that showcases their wallpapers in Airstreams. I grew up in a home that was named Maison Rouge ( it was a red brick home and my mother spoke French, hence the name). The concept of showing a room within an airstream is very unique but also shows us in a capsule, how to use simple, modern patterns in different small spaces. Here they showcase a powder room……I love the outdoor shower…so trendy!
And to follow a bedroom……
How about a kitchen to go……..
Definitely an unusual, fun and whimsical way to showcase their latest wallpapers.
While fascinated by the entire Airstream “small house” decor idea, I discovered something very interesting, The Grand Daddy Hotel in Cape Town who features works from local artists and designers for their Airstream Penthouse creations. From the words of The Grand Daddy Hotel: “A gleaming fleet of seven iconic American Airstream trailers have packed up their corndogs and tucked away their picnic blankets to roost on the rooftop of The Grand Daddy Hotel. Here, the quintessential African skies and the alluring outline of Cape Town’s Table Mountain are reflected in the polished aluminum of the American Dream.
Peek inside – there’s more! Each of the seven trailers has been handed over to some incredibly creative Capetonian soul to find new life through playful, eccentric and dazzling décor interpretations of how life in an Airstream can be.”
Many are wallpapered and interior designed with outdoor gardens and even a mail box so you feel truly at home in America. Have a look at some of these wonderfully fun interior suites. Here are a few quick looks…..
The Love of Lace by Tracy Lynch.
Goldilocks and the 3 Bears by Mark and Joe Stead
I even love the gardens outside. Each one is very different on the roof top of Hotel.
This is certainly different penthouse living. How fun to stay and experience these unique and unusual design spaces. I love the entire creative project. Enjoy the view!
Images via:decormaison.se/eng/dm_eng.htm;granddaddy.co.za/hotel_airstream.php
OK….this is a bit to scary for me. I hate snakes and am terrified of them but when it comes to fashion accessories like shoes, jackets or bags….love it. I still love all animals and am avid on using faux animal skins as well as faux snakeskin so we can protect many of the species that are being cruelly killed and becoming extinct. This year snakeskin has been ever so popular in fashion and is actually making strides into interior design accessories but in home decor we often use a faux snakeskin leather. This image of model Anja Rubik from February’s Voque Paris magazine is fabulous but scary.
She is really brave but as they say, greet your fear and you will overcome it! I think this may be true. There are a few other great photographs of her featuring a real snakeskin necklace. Her bravery continues!
The greatest looks range from handbags to our high heeled shoes we women love but not necessarily love to wear. From belts to boots, you can find lizard skins in a wide range of offerings.
But what about the environment and the snakes? We need to protect them and the ecosystem they live in. To be honest, I never really thought about it until one gets educated about the facts. The truth is, mankind now makes fabulous faux products and snakeskin is one of them.
I know of several fantastic looking faux snakeskin and crocodile skin synthetic materials and often they just like the real thing. Sometimes even better.
Betsey Johnson Faux Snakeskin Dress
A wall covered in a faux crocodile or snakeskin wallpaper definitely exudes a luxury look while being eco and animal friendly.
So get wild and bring a little exotic flare into your home and your waredrobe with faux snakeskin and please remember you can be stylish while protecting the wildlife and the ecosystem at the same time.
Thanks! Jaima
Images:fashiongoneroque.com;Vogue Paris February 2010 | Vogue-à-Porter by Inez & Vinoodh;wallpaperstogo.com;telegraph.co.uk
Nothing beats the beauty and luxury of having silver on your walls and your surroundings. Nickel is not as ostentatious as gold but when an interior is finished with a burnished, brushed, shiny or satin nickel finish it automatically adds sparkle, sophistication and glamor to a décor.
Our simple yet sophisticated Augustine wheat wallpaper design featured in nickel is the
perfect focal point for a powder or guest bath. Add to the mix the nations best selling nickel hardware accents and a vintage silver side table and automatically a room is created that exudes elegance with updated shine.
Augustine Wallpaper
No longer does this metallic finish stand last but first, especially when mixed with so many high end furnishings. Silver has been popular for a while but now, more then ever celebrities like Beyonce, who share the love of bling in accessories and in home decor furnishings are flaunting the look….and doing is sportingly!
“Imperial Tile” wallpaper Beyonce
Nickel, silver or pewter, no matter what you name it, the finish still originates from silver metallic base but is now updated and aged and is even influencing the home color palette as gray is slowly infiltrating into home decor for upcoming seasons.
Designer Steven Gambrel
Even in this fashionable Hampton retreat, silver gray is integrated into designer Steven Gambrel’s clients weekend retreat creating a stunning living room with an elegant yet modern atmosphere.
So go for the nickel and get more for your look!
Images via:
jaimabrownhome;pointclickhome.com;www.jegem.com;www.edressme.com;homewallcovderings.com
Eastern influence in home décor brings balance to the design world. Feng Shui has been practiced in China for over 4000 years and is now taken seriously by builders, interior designers and
residences nationwide. Designers show a penchant for Asian design; it is in sync with our quest to simplify our surroundings and integrates a sense of calmness into our busy lives while helping to minimize every day clutter.
Lucky Bamboo 7766-542
The bamboo motif is exploding in popularity. Very organic, abundant in growth and offers incredible strength and durability for certain home furnishing products . You can find bamboo artwork, wallpaper, bedding, furniture, bath & beauty products, fashion, and of course plants…you name it and there is a bamboo version out there.
Celerie Kemble Interiors
Bamboo is an intrinsically classic pattern that can work with just about any design style. It is natural without being floral, it’s stylized and more graphic without being considered too geometric and has a gender friendly appeal. The real beauty of bamboo is its versatility for it can be elaborate, incorporated into an entire Asian influenced room or used more subtlety as an accent or backdrop to contemporary or traditional décor.
"Bamboozled " wallpaper 7745-313
The association between harmony and Asian influenced styles is at the heart
of Eastern design which often makes certain patterns, like Bamboo, timeless.
Bali Wallpaper in Sky 7766-542
This is a perfect example of less is more as many of the themes such as the tree of life, lotus blossoms, bamboo and caning are elegant yet simple. These types of wallpaper and fabric patterns are great compromises to keeping harmony in the home when spouses object to floral or more feminine motifs. Now that’s what I call keeping peace at home! Enjoy.
Images via:jaimabrownhome.com;kembleinteriors.com;homewallcoverings.com
Teal….a color to remember from my university days. A girlfriend of mine made me wear a teal bridesmaid dress for her wedding. I of course didn’t look good in this color but I still loved the color. Today, bridesmaid and designer dresses are much more sophisticated as with the color itself and styling.
Teal is a color that has many hues and is often associated with Tiffany & Co. and its famous little blue box. Today’s bride is seeking less traditional colors and targeting on more festive colors to help capture their special day.
In the late 90’s Mars Candies introduced the teal m&m, this unique color continues to grow in popularity and is gaining fashion ability on the home décor circuit; this blue/green color evokes tranquility, trust, spirituality and healing.
Teal works it magic best when paired with browns, deeper yellows, gray, lime or purple. Create you own special haven or perhaps mix it with peach, coral or pink and set a warmer more tropic atmosphere. In this modern interior, the organic wallpaper Augustine, from the new Aja Collection from Jaima Brown Home, offers a rich teal background with a silver organic leaf on top, keeping the mood serene and stylish.
Jaima Brown Home wallpaper Augustine 7733-269
It’s a color that can flow from room to room throughout a house while still offering fresh nuances in each room.
Just as Kiki Titterud writes about teal and green in her Trend Tuesday blog suggests “Going forward blues will emerge as the dominant color family in home décor trends. Turquoise and Teal will continue to motivate design.”
So put a little teal into your life and be “Tealrific”!
Imagesvia:sensationalcolor.com;jaimabrown.com;jimcouture.com;glamourousgowns.co.uk
