A Design Trend I Am Loving Right Now: Chinoiserie
The color blue immediately comes to mind when I hear of the chinoiserie trend. When I think of blue, I am often reminded of my Nana’s house. Her countertops were navy blue. She had these little navy coffee mugs that I would fill with Dr. Pepper and pretend to drink black coffee just like her. Her dishes were patterned with Blue Willow, a design with delicate blue-inked scenes on them, reminiscent of this same style, chinoiserie. We would use them for family dinners. My mom collected plates and dishes that were blue and white too. We had cobalt-blue pitchers we used for sweet tea. Clearly, we appreciate this rich blue color since I’ve continued using it in my house.
Chinoiserie is a design trend I am loving right now. It loosely embraces and embodies East Asian artistic styles. This was a style of art and design that was actually developed in Europe between as early as the 17th century, so it is not to be confused with specifically authentic Asian art and design. Chinoiserie is a trending style in textile design and interior decor. If you do a search for it, you will quickly see home decor items with blue and white designs ranging from furniture, ceramics, pillows, table linens, and more. I enjoyed this article on House Beautiful explaining the history and cultural sensitivities to be aware of surrounding the concept of chinoiserie.
I had a traditional English Tea at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath two summers ago. I loved the blue and white china dishes. I regret not getting a teapot, but will have to get one next time. The sponge cake was so good, and the plate it was served on is so beautiful.
English Tea at The Jane Austen Centre
Sponge Cake at The Jane Austen Centre
My Color Palettes for My House
I have color palettes for different rooms in my house. I feel like as a designer, it is understandable to want cohesion in color palettes so that anything I bring into the house matches the current aesthetic. My dishes and kitchenwares are white, mint green, or a turquoise blue. My uncle is a potter so I have a large collection of pottery. My living room is navy blue, white, gray and a little bit of a light blue as an accent. When I picked out a playpen for my baby, I chose the navy one because I knew it would spend a lot of time in the living room and I did not want it clashing with the color palette. There are some colors I totally appreciate, but cannot visually tolerate in my living space. Blue is such a calming color, and I really enjoy it being the main color. Anything else I choose color wise is typically a mint green.
I found an art print of chinoiserie vases to match my living room at a Home Goods store. It goes well next to my accent chair in my living room that aligns with the same design trend. I have a crocheted blanket from my mom and pottery from my uncle that incorporates the blue color palette.
Chinoiserie art print
Accent Chair
Crocheted blanket
Pottery
Pattern Design
These are simple patterns with one motif in two or three colors I used for some of the chinoiserie ceramic illustrations.
I love the simplicity and complexity of this pattern, that showcases vases with repeat patterns and scenes on them. It shows patterns within patterns!
Chinoiserie Design Inspiration
Whenever I see something I like when I am out and about, I take a photo for design inspiration. I loved this cabinet display full of blue and white ceramics that I saw at a boutique. The yellow flowers paired well with the chinoiserie ceramics too.
When I was traveling with Jared for a garden talk, we went to a gala one evening. The host had a china cabinet filled with blue and white ceramics. I created a color story with blues and a cream color for the dishes and vases, and wood tones for the cabinet itself.
These dishes make me so happy! I loved illustrating them and placing them in a china cabinet. This could be a fun, whimsical art print like the one I have in my living room.
