Commona My House: Throwback Thursday: Chinoiserie 101

Chinoiserie. A French term meaning "Chinese-esque". You pronounce it sort of like:

"Sheen-waz-er-ee".

I would recommend that you could just sort of say it as you are coughing in your hand.

It has been popular throughout Europe since the 17th Century, depicting ornate, overly- fanciful, Chinese imagery imitating Chinese porcelain themes and patterns in laquer, silk, accessories, furniture design and wall paper.

{Various European monarchs, such as Louis XV of France, gave special favor to Chinoiserie, as it blended well with the rococo style. Entire rooms, such as those at Château de Chantilly, were painted with Chinoiserie compositions, and artists such as Antoine Watteau and others brought expert craftsmanship to the style. Pleasure pavilions in "Chinese taste" appeared in late Baroque and Rococo German and Russian palaces, and in tile panels at Aranjuez near Madrid. Entire Chinese Villages were built in Drottningholm, Sweden and Tsarskoe Selo, (Catherine the Great's country residence) in Russia. Thomas Chippendale's mahogany tea tables and china cabinets, especially, were embellished with fretwork glazing and railings, ca 1753 - 70, but not every adaptation of Chinese design principles falls within mainstream "chinoiserie". Chinoiserie media included "japanned" ware imitations of lacquer and painted tin (tôle) ware that imitated japanning, early painted wallpapers in sheets, after engravings by Jean-Baptiste Pillement, and ceramic figurines and table ornaments.}

With the HUGE come back of all things FLORAL and EXOTIC in both fashion and interiors, you'll be seeing Chinoiserie all over the place... but the question is...do you see it in your place?

Take a look at these classic uses and scroll down to see some of my suggestions...

Children's Room by Martensen Jones Interiors

Aerin Lauder's dressing room, ELLE Decor

Lightened up Chinoiserie Dining Room via House Beautiful

Lovely office space with Chinoiserie wall paper, silk curtains, Chinoiserie style desk
in a clean gray and white palette.

Cheery Chinoiserie

Mark D. Sikes, House Beautiful
Blue and white porcelain against a mint Chinoiserie background with shells, coral,
palms along with the natural seagrass basket creates a lighter Seaside Chinoiserie look.

So, it's overall a pretty formal look, but it doesn't have to be. Here are some of my Chinoiserie picks to bring this look into your home with modern appeal: