CHINOSERIE & OLYMPIC FEVER

Synchronized diving, track, the high beam—even beach volleyball—I must admit I’m mesmerized.

(courtesy of www.showchina.org)

Usually, I can barely turn on our state-of-the-art TV, but to watch the Olympic Games and the fabulous nonstop travel tours of China, I’ve managed to master the multiple remote controls and record-for-later features.

(courtesy of www.showchina.org)

Since I’m the sort of person who easily succumbs to the power of suggestion, I’ve been serving veggie stir fry more often than usual. I’ve also been fantasizing about decorating with fans, pagodas, paper lanterns and Chinoiserie.

(photo by Dan Mayers)

The word Chinoiserie was coined in the late 17th century to describe the Western world’s fascination with the architecture, art, fashion, and interior design of the Orient.

(Bird In Fruit Tree by Seabrook)

By the 1800s, fashionable European homes and grand estates boasted a “Chinese room” decorated with Asian style furniture and artifacts with a decidedly Asian appearance.

(Fishing Village by Thibaut)

As a suitable backdrop, the room’s walls were frequently covered with floral designs painted on hand-loomed silk or hand-painted Chinese panoramas made from tiny pieces of handmade paper pasted together to form long panels.

(de Gourney L’Eden in crystal grey)

Today, the de Gournay company recreates the 18th-century method as faithfully as possible, with small pieces of paper affixed to four-by-ten-foot panels. Artists then distress the panels to replicate the look of sundried paper before painting the designs. Then, as now, these papers are cost a king’s ransom.

(de Gourney Earlham on dark blue silk)

But thanks to technological advances in rotary printing and eco-friendly inks (with the look of layered, hand-applied pigment), several American wallpaper manufacturers now offer Chinoiserie’s romantic floral and exotic fauna patterns at prices even the masses can afford.

(Asian screen mural ($69) from Brewster)

So enjoy the Olympics and dream of your own Chinese room...

(Tea House from Thibaut)

And while you're watching those fabulous views of the Great Wall, remember that although these Tibetan artists may dance, they yearn to be FREE.

(courtesy of www.showchina.org)

*** BLOG DU JOUR ***

Since meeting at the Interior Design school, Emily and Lauren have turned their similar tastes in decor and their intense passion for fabric into a sassy blog. Visit the Material Girls for an irreverent take on the world of decorating and fashion.