A Very Versatile Cabinet

I have been eyeing this Cerulean Display Case from Gump's for a few months.  I've always loved Gump's.  As a kid, my parents would take me there on holiday shopping excursions in SF and I'd oogle at all the treasures until they dragged me out of there.  A shopper from the start!

This case is super versatile, don't you see?  Use it as a china hutch in your dining room, a cabinet for cookbooks in the kitchen, a display case on the living room or a toy & book cabinet in the nursery.  The drawers can hold anything that you need to stash.

The foundation of the style is Asian, but I might tweak it a little bit with new hardware (perhaps crystal knobs instead of aged brass pulls?), if the room called for such a tweak.  The rubbed black lacquer is so warm and lovely, but its the cerulean inside the cabinet that's the star of this piece. 

Thinking about cerulean now.  Makes me think of this scene, which was quite funny... I love the way she says "stuff" as if it hurts her mouth.
Cheers,
Whitney

Real Love for Red Lacquer

Do you remember when I posted about that awesome One Kings lane sale featuring this red lacquer settee and armchair by Alessandra Branca?  Good news, friends, it's still available!

Contact me [whitney@whitneyinteriordesign.com] if you're interested in purchasing this gorgeous set!  

Lacquer, especially in red, like this chinoiserie set,  just screams for attention.  Don't you think?  It's like applying a vampy red lipstick to a room.

Put a little shiny red into your space and watch what happens!

Cheers!
Whitney

RL You Listening?

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Ralph Lauren.  He’s more than just a clothing designer.  He’s more than just the Polo shirt.  He’s more than just Dylan (she of the Candy Bar) Lauren’s dad.  Ralph Lauren has been the master of marketing to every aspect of upscale elegant living for over 30 years.  Every seasonal collection is different but so elegant and of supreme design.  Rarely do you see a high end designer produce the number of different looks that Ralph has delivered.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy Awarding Ralph Lauren the Legion d'honneur in 2010. 

image via Town & Country. I find this photo to be terribly cute. 

Call me sentimental, or typical, or preppy, but I love Ralph Lauren Home.  Despite a few bumps and dips (all that heavy Baroque-looking stuff never did it for me) they consistently pump out lovely, livable design.  And I’m all about livable design. 

Be it masculine pinstripes, feminine French, clean & modern, earthy lacquer, Western smart, coastal or country, the designers at RL seem to get it right everytime.

Elegant and chic. Polished and confident.  For years RL's Home line has been setting the bar of high end luxury.  And, let's not forget, brought themselves into the department stores in more attainable bedding and accessory lines, giving more and more consumers the opportunity to enjoy the signature look and opulence of the RL products.

Ralph Lauren and Polo have a strong alumni, designers who began their careers within the RL brand system. 

Thomas O'Brien

Thomas O'Brien

Scott Sanders

Aman & Carson.  image via Elle Decor

Scot Meacham Wood aka tartanscot

Steven Scarloff

I *still* haven't seen the interview Ralph did with Oprah's crew last week.  Raina graciously covered it for Curbed.  I need to see footage of those teepees!  Heading over to Oprah.com...
Whitney

Xie Xie, Chinoiserie

This settee and matching armchair are for sale on Alessandra Branca's OneKingsLane Tastemaker Sale.  Just look at this fantastic vivid red Chinese Chippendale furniture.

via One Kings Lane.  Sale ends on May 10

I'm not sure how I'd work this particular set in a room; it would be so much easier/better/more symmetrical if there were two of the armchairs with the settee.  Nevertheless, I'd probably split up the set.  I'd use the settee on a porch, or across from my desk, or in a long hallway.  The chair would live in a dressing room or as a single showstopping chair in a small entry.  Oh, and wouldn't it look fantastic pulled up to a handsome secretaire desk?  I could go on and on and on -- Chinoiserie dresses up a room and gives a little worldly kick to any interior.  The Chippendale style also provides the ever-important flow of air; the lattice-back allows for an unobstructed view through the piece and toward the remainder of the interior.

English furniture designer Thomas Chippendale created dozens of now-classic furniture designs and styles, all shown in his book The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director.  Chippendale was best known for his strong-silhouetted mahogany furniture when he applied the newly popular Chinoiserie style to his classic English look.  This style, monikered Chinese Chippendale by collectors today, has been widely embraced by the Hollywood Regency style (see, Dorothy Draper, Tony Duquette), but can be used in a number of different ways.  You can find them vintage just about anywhere and now reproductions are being sold by Jonathan Adler, Williams Sonoma and even West Elm.

via The Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Director by Thomas Chippendale, 1754

via Chinoiserie Chic

via House Beautiful

via Elle Decor

via Williams Sonoma Home

The color, shape and historical character of this Alessandra Branca set are terrific.  What a standout, signature look!  If you're interested, go see it here, or contact me to purchase it on your behalf.
Xie Xie, Chinoiserie.
Whitney