Bamboo: The (ongoing) Quest

Everyone who has an inkling about my decorative preferences knows that I am a devoted fan of bamboo. I'm not talking that hip "green" material pressed into cutting boards or woven into soft and sustainable fabrics (although very nice developments in the world of bamboo). I'm talking vintage and antique bamboo furniture - bentwood, twisted, designed, and pieced together into delicious fretwork.

I have some standards when it comes to bamboo furniture, but really most of it has potential. There's a collection of 1980s "rattan" that migrated to our coastal areas and lived, en mass, in beachfront condos and vacation homes. Maybe these days it seems a bit dated, but a coat of glossy coral paint and a Hicks-ian style print would give these consignment store finds new life on your sunny porch (don't forget the garden stool accents!).

My preferred obsession is the type of incredible fretwork bamboo shown below...my quest for the chaise version goes on. I have no doubt at least one will cross my lucky path in my vintage safaris! I'll keep you posted, dear reader...



Touches of Chinoiserie

Please do not get me wrong; I do not think an entire space should be covered with chinoiserie. After all, no one I know actually lives in a pagoda (even then I feel like the pagoda interior is tres sparse...). The bit I love about dashes of chinois here and there is that it authenticates a space.

I especially mean vintage and antique chinoiserie. Nods or full interpretations of Chinese design in new pieces can look ravishing if the item is high quality or has the right detail. The bonus with vintage is, although it may be faux, it often has the credibility of age that lends itself to Carte Blanche chinoiserie style.

If you're new to my full on addiction, start slowly. Introduce a garden stool. See how it feels (it will feel great!) and whether or not you want to seek out other accents that add diverse authenticity to your home or office.

I urge you to try it in the office unless you're in a grey cubicle made of resin walls. At this point hire a contractor and build a pagoda roof for your cubicle immediately. Contact Gracie Paper and ask them to cut the panels to fit a cubicle sized eye sore. Oh, tangent! This is a subject for another post...

Excuses in the Garden (and out)

As I mentioned before, I have a small herd of garden stools.  They are not all for the garden.  As a matter of fact, none of them are in my collection! 
Surely I am preaching to the choir here on the usefulness of a darling garden stool whether it be blue & white, elephant shaped, or some whimsical bright glossy color. 
This will not be my last post on the Essential Garden Stool.  For now, let's talk in pictures. 



This pair of vintage, colorful, textural garden stools with foo dog detail really have it ALL!  Available at Palm Beach Regency via Ebay or their store in Lake Park, FL (click here for their website and address). A STEAL for the pair at $440!  Truly a one of a kind chinoiserie operation.  And side note, Palm Beach Regency is a TRESURE TROVE of incredible chinoiserie pieces.  In.Cred.I.Ble.



A lovely sitting room by Dorothy Draper at The Greenbrier Hotel.  Note the garden stool in the bottom right corner.  Faux bamboo of course.  Dorothy knew what she was doing and really stepped out with color, print mixing, and lovely regency design that we collect today.  The Greenbrier Hotel is an absolute MUST. 



A blue & white garden stool goes straight to my heart...  Always a fresh touch to any room. 



Hey elephant garden stool!  These are super cute and chic.  Some are new (Calypso Home has a lovely white one for $975. Oh and Lilly Home maybe?).  See the next photo for one little elly you could call your own! 



This is our store mascot at The Boxwood Cottage. He is available to a new owner for $200 (pick-up only).  Such a DEAL! He is vintage, made in the Orient (Vietnam or Thailand, I am unsure as he is unmarked), glazed terra cotta.  He has one little chip on the base, not bad for being at least 45 years old. 

Problem

It's official.  I have a chinoiserie problem.  I obsessively buy blue & white cantonware, anything adorned in faux bamboo, pagodas to the moon, and carved or silk chinoiserie screens to cover the Great Wall. 
I didn't think that liking a little ginger jar here (pairs please), or a gilt pagoda mirror there would be classified as an addiction.  It wasn't until I realized that a herd of elephant garden stools and an absolute need for fretwork sent me into a breathy state of lightheadedness that I began to accept my addiction. 
Part of being an addict is recognizing it.  The other part is the desire to remedy the problem.  Well, my problem really isn't hurting anyone (except maybe the next obsessive collector in my footsteps at a show!).  I think my collection is actually making the world a better place - or my home at the very least.  Without obsessives we would be lacking in some of the world's most incredible museums, right? 
I know there are more of you out there in the world.  I see you on Pinterest (I follow you and you pin from me, too, admit it).  You come into my shop and confess, out of earshot of your friends, that your eye beams to the nearest bit of blue & white upon crossing the threshold.  This little blog is for you.  It's for all of you who may dress for the day inspired by your chinoiserie dining room, or cannot resist that vintage charm bracelet with the little Chinese characters. 
Cheers to us at Chinoiserie Anonymous!  May you always lounge on bamboo, add more fringe, and be illuminated by a ginger jar lamp...



 

An excellent entry.  Note the foo dogs, blue and white, and a tray.  Obviously.  We must have a nice tray on the entry table. Ikat and chinoiserie are friends and really compliment each other.  I love a little print mixing and bold color. 

Hello, I would love this pagoda bed.  It may be the only canopy bed I would consider (unless of course there was one adorned with heaps of tassels...)