CasaSugar

Crave Worthy: Harwick Bench

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:30:29 -0700

You don't need to paint your house a neon hue or put a middle finger sculpture outside your home to make heads turn. Set a glamorous, cerise bench like the Charleston Gardens Harwick Bench ($1,195) on your front porch, and your neighbors will be drooling with envy. If you'd prefer this elegant Chinoiserie-style seat in a more subtle color, the cast aluminum bench is also available in a powder-coated white or black finish. Whatever you choose, rest assured, this durable piece has a 15-year warranty!

Get the Look: John Loecke's Cozy Dining Room

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:00:26 -0700

Cruising through the portfolio of New York-based interior designer John Loecke, I fell hard for this cozy dining room. First and foremost, I love the arrangement of the furniture here. It works perfectly with the oddly shaped room, and the sectional, round table, and upholstered dining chairs make for super-comfy dining. A careful combination of colors in the accessories here makes this room interesting to me. My favorite thing is how he's painted the door frame to match the Chinoiserie chandelier. I also love the natural light in this space. Those plants have an ideal home in that sunny window! Lucky for you, this room is easy to re-create with a few readily available furnishings. See my finds when you read more.

The first item on your shopping list should be a tole Chinoiserie-style chandelier like this Red Bells Pagoda Fixture ($1,500). Hunt flea markets and antique shops for this. Or, find one on 1stDibs.com by searching keywords "Pagoda" and "Chinoiserie." Whatever color it is, paint a door or window surround to match. If you like this lime green or have a specific color in mind, paint the light fixture accordingly! Here are a few more furnishings:

If Money Weren't an Issue . . .

CasaSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:00:17 -0800

. . . would you hang this Red Pagoda Chandelier ($1,750) in your home? The red-orange semi-gloss paint would certainly punctuate any room, and its faux bamboo frame has a wonderful Chinoiserie style. But, as with most things, this chandelier is not for everyone. What do you think?

Midday Muse: East Meets Modern

CasaSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:00:21 -0700

I prefer to mix and match elements in a room, instead of attempting an overarching theme. Yet for some reason, surprisingly, I am loving this Far East-style living room decorating idea from House to Home. At first glance, you might not notice the Eastern theme; it's very subtle and modern, and the blue palette is a bit nontraditional of the Far East. Look closer, and it's all there: the lacquered Chinese cabinet, the Chinoiserie patterned wallpaper, the Noguchi coffee table.Perhaps you're not loving this room, or simply don't gravitate toward Chinoiserie, but I think you can use it as a template that you can follow to design any interior. Choose a theme, and just a few subtle pieces that emulate the theme. Then, fill in the room with neutral colors, and natural accents (like the sisal rug here). Then, go against the grain of the theme in someway; instead of red for your Chinoiserie-themed room, go blue!

Crave Worthy: Jayson Home and Garden's China Blue Stool

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:00:38 -0700

The robin's egg blue of this China Blue Stool ($495) from Jayson Home and Garden has me thinking of Spring. It would be a colorful update to any room in your house, and a pair of these would look great as bedside tables in a chinoisierie -inspired bedroom. I'm imagining some DwellStudio bedding, a cool wall panel, and the Anthropologie chinoiserie bed in white.

Crave Worthy: Chinoise Garden Bird Toile Plate Set

CasaSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:14:45 -0800

I must admit, I am, in most cases, not a huge fan of chinoiserie. I'm also a nonfan of toile, aside from Hazelnut's New Orleans toile and Sheila Bridges' Harlem toile. But, the two styles blended together in this Chinoise Garden Bird Toile Plate Set ($224) is actually quite the eye pleaser. Too pretty to eat off of, I'd hang this plate set on the walls of a midnight gray kitchen with slick, white-lacquered furniture, or place one on my dresser as a jewelry catch-all. Do you love it?

Room Therapy: Red Lacquer Walls

CasaSugar — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:34:31 -0700

Welcome to this week's Room Therapy post, where users submit questions and you, the readers, help answer them. The questions can be about anything, from a decorating conundrum in your home to a coveted piece of furniture you can't find anywhere.

Deepasood wrote us saying, "I am dying to paint a large wall in my house a deep red lacquer. I want it to look stripey (for lack of a better word), and maybe even textured. Definitely going for chinoiserie. I was thinking you might have some tips, or that your readers would."

The better word that Deepasood was looking for is strié, which is a type of faux finish that we've covered before. To get a strié finish, you apply a glaze over a base color of paint, then run a dry paintbrush over the glaze. A textural variation is not something normally associated with lacquered walls, though. The idea is to sand until the walls are smooth, roll on the paint, and then finish with multiple coats of high-gloss polycrylic. So, I wouldn't necessarily recommend combining textured walls with a lacquer finish. If you're insistent on having a textured finish, you could skimcoat venetian plaster onto the walls before you paint and lay on the high-gloss polycrylic, which will create a shiny, stone-like appearance.

What do you readers think? Have any tips for getting lacquer, strié, or textured finishes? Please let us know by commenting, or create Casa Cravings for any products or web sites that you think would help. Just be sure to tag your Casa Cravings with the phrase Lacquered Chinoiserie. (Here's a post explaining what a Casa Craving is and how to create one.) Thanks! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.

Casa Craving Recap: Modern Chinoiserie Bedroom

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:43:46 -0700

The once-stuffy chinoiserie look is getting a trendy update, so for last week's Casa Craving challenge, I asked you guys to put together a modern chinoiserie bedroom built around this Anthropologie Chinoiserie Bed ( $1,898 to $1,998). Thanks to everyone who played along!

You can see all of the modern chinoiserie Casa Cravings here, as well as the lists users created with their items. (Learn how to create your own lists here.) Here are a few of my favorites.

Look #1, designed by Janna890, who paired stunning Eastern-inspired shelves made from dark wood with feminine chinoiserie bedding from Dwell and a great floral lantern she found on Etsy.

Chrysanthemums and Quail, 1702 Giclee Print by Ma Yuanyu at Art.com	Chinoiserie Pattern Bedding By Dwell
Room & Board - Yoshi	Room & Board - Miyoko
Lamp- Smokebush	Black Bamboo Candleholders at World Market
White Mehndi Embroidered Curtains Set of 2. at World Market	Square Cast Iron Lanterns at World Market	Etsy :: Hand Made Japanese Rice Paper Floor Lamp - Japanese foral (Red)

Two more looks, so read more

Look #2, designed by CocoChic, who found an equally inspired headboard to set off her edgy plum-blossom and grass-green color scheme and more modern accents.

Look #3, designed by Fab_Kitty, who used a light peach paint shade called Jonquil to set off finds like a basil duvet and a beautiful antique secretary. I think the green and peach palette would look great with the red bed.

Foreign Tributaries En Route to China Pre-made Frame by Shang Xi at Art.com	Linens 'n Things - Bedding: Basil Damask stripe duvet and shams
Throw pillow - Kyoto - Belmont Home Decor	Triple Dresser \| Bedroom Furniture \| Drexel Heritage
Room & Board - Mondo- nightstands	Jonquil SW 6674-- Sherwin Williams Color Options House Paints Colors - Paint Chart
Handpainted Chinese Silk WallPaper :: Handpainted lamp	Secretary - Rare Chinoiserie Style Circa 1840 - Detroit Furniture- Kijiji Detroit

Casa Craving Challenge: Modern Chinoiserie Bedroom

CasaSugar — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:47:04 -0700

Every Thursday on CasaSugar, I'll give you a decorating theme and ask you to go Casa Craving for items that fit the theme. (Here's a post explaining what a Casa Craving is and how to create one.)

Until recently, chinoiserie was found primarily in stuffy abodes. Now, the European design style, which depicts traditional Chinese motifs, is getting a trendy update. Modern chinoiserie patterns and lines are at once elegant, clean, and contemporary.

Since I've been admiring this aluminum Anthropologie Chinoiserie Bed ( $1,898 to $1,998), I want to see you guys design a modern chinoiserie bedroom around it. So let's all createCasa Cravings for the Asian-inspired patterns and accents you would use to complete the look. I'll feature the results next Wednesday, August 22. Just tag your Cravings with the phrase modern bedroom. Even better, you can create a list of your bookmarks; TeamSugar has a great tutorial on listmaking if you're not sure how. Please let me know if you have any questions. For a list of online home stores to try, read more

Amazon Home
Bed Bath & Beyond
CB2
Crate & Barrel
Design Within Reach
Gump's
Ikea
Jonathan Adler
Lekker Home
Linens and Things
Macy's Home
Pier 1
Pottery Barn
Restoration Hardware
Room & Board
Target
Urban Outfitters
Unica Home
West Elm
World Market

Definition: Chinoiserie

CasaSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:53:43 -0700

Currently undergoing a trendy resurgence, chinoiserie is a design and artistic style that depicts traditional Asian and Chinese motifs. Literally translated from French as "Chinese-esque," this style of decorative art originated in 17th-century Europe and was especially popular in the mid-18th century. You'll often see chinoiserie prints on wallpaper and textiles, while illustrations of Chinese landscapes and figures are common on porcelain and furniture.

Source and Source

Monroe 48" Round Dining Table - $999.00	Ribbon-Border Roman Shade - Oatmeal - $109.00
Blake Sectional - $1,199.00	Natural Wonders Giclee Prints - $199.00
Large Typesetter Plaque - $29.00	Potted Aloe Plant - $24.95
Succulent Cube Set - $79.00	Saigon Planters - $79.00
Hand-Dipped Taper Candles Set of Six - $12.95	Medallion Panel - $69.00
Waterford "Gadroon" Candle Holders Console Pair - $120.00	Waterford "Gadroon" Candle Holders Tapered Pair - $175.00
A Poet's Likeness Sculpture - $129.00	Sylvia Armchair - $795.00
Sylvia Side Chair - $695.00