Aloha, and The Look For Less

Aloha, and hello from Hawaii!

I just wanted to remind everyone that you can follow along with all the things going on while we are on this trip by hopping over and following my instagram page. I can't wait to work with Artsy Couture again with a book like the one I made for my Peru trip when I get back! Right now they're offering 30% off of all of their books, so it's great timing!

I'm still using my trust Canon Powershot Camera while I'm here, along with my iPhone, so I'm getting plenty of pictures to share!

Once I get back, I'll put them all together in a much longer post all about my trip and what we were able to do here. So far, we've planned a 7-hour snorkel and sail cruise around the Niihau and Na Pali Coast tour and Scuba Scooters in Oahu, and a flight over the island of Kauai that I haven't gotten confirmation on yet, but looks gorgeous. 

Before I left, I got a request for a look for less post on a living room in the home of Bunny Williams and Jonn Roselli in another beautiful tropical locale, Punta Cana. 

Firstly, let me say that you can get a lot of sage wisdom from Bunny Williams in all of her books. If you love this house, you really need to pick up this one: 

A House by the Sea is a book dedicated to the house she shares with her husband John in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. In the book, she gives many ideas for how to create a laid back and comfortable island look. As with most Look For Less posts, I have to preface all of this by saying that this is a million dollar home, and likely a room that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to replicate exactly. The pieces I link below are visually similar to pieces seen in the photos, but will likely be of less quality. 

Now, the good stuff! 

Building a collection of antique blue and white porcelain can be expensive, and frankly impossible. Thankfully there are some amazing and quality reproductions available that make it easy and affordable.

Most of us don't have the luxury of a huge space like this one. However, the rug linked here is a large rug for most living rooms, and comes in a variety of other sizes. It's also very similar to the one the Bunny used: cotton flat weave, and a cream and taupe stripe. Alternatively, you could layer a smaller rug like this one (less expensive) over an existing natural carpet, something in seagrass or jute, which can be far less expensive when searching for a rug to cover a larger area:

A big part of this space is the furniture, which Bunny had slipcovered and upholstered in robins egg blue cotton/linen blend. Because it's custom tailored, and a color that is taste specific, finding it for less is not easy. As always, I urge you to look at FabricGuru for inexpensive designer fabrics. Canvas and duckcloth can be purchased at a bulk discount through many online wholesale and retail outlets. I recommend Big Duck Canvas. 

For this look for less post, I'm going to focus on neutral fabrics and pieces that are easy to recover and slipcover on your own, like the French style bench above. You'll also see that I have chosen plenty of wicker, which I think would go well with this look. 

One of the things that you can do to your existing furniture, or to any of the pieces linked above to get more of the Bunny Williams look is to put beautiful textiles over the backs of your pieces. 

A few other pieces that you could pull together in a room like this for some additional beauty: 

And finally, a little drawing of what using some of these things might look like in a space: 

Not featured above but used in this sketch: 

Hope you enjoyed this installment of the Look for Less! And don't forget to follow along with me on the trip via instagram, here.

Blue and White Porcelain for less than $50?

Yep! Blue and White Porcelain for less than $50 is a reality, and I'm gonna tell you where. But first, I wanted to take a second to talk about quite possibly the most wide spread "trendy decor" ever in the world.

That's right. The blue and white export porcelain we know today has been the "it" accessory for hundreds of years. Porcelain began to be exported to Europe and then America from the 16th century. In China, ceramics have been made since the paleolithic era, and since the 17th century, even the best in Chinese porcelain has been made on an industrial scale to supply the demand. The use of blue and white themes, however happen in Chinese porcelain around the 1300's when China was doing export Islamic trade with then Persia and their cobalt.

Honestly, if you're interested in Chinese export porcelain at all - I highly recommend this book, which is BEAUTIFUL and brilliantly informative! Particularly if you're a quality collector:

It's not altogether inexpensive, but as a resource manual it proves invaluable. Alright, so back to the 16th century. China begins to export porcelain to Europe, and gifts are given to diplomats and royalty as part of China's commitment to fair trade. At this point, the pieces become covetable - and it's brilliant, right? I mean, I don't follow Kris Jenner on Instagram, BUT, I happened upon a post she made the other day where she got $5,000 worth of free clothes from Diane von Furstenberg. Clearly, she could afford those clothes, but she was given them for free because when she was seen with them, it would incite people to buy those things, and it probably has. 

Let's take a look at how the royals decided to show off their gifts: 

Beautiful Chinoiserie Temple Jars on gilt and lacquer commodes at Windsor Castle. 

Sandringham House, the Christmas Vacation Home of British Royals with an impressive collection of Chinoiserie Porcelain. And much more recently:

The Kensington Palace apartment of Prince William and Duchess Kate. A Chinoiserie Garden stool (not old) and a collection of Chinoiserie vases on the back wall. American decorators have taken the blue and white porcelain collections and implemented them in their designs for decades. The great Elsie de Wolfe, who was known as America's first decorator used them, along with the great Albert Hadley, who used lacquer screens and furniture in nearly all of his designs.

Of course, Mark D. Sikes uses them, and has probably been paramount in bringing them back into the forefront, even though they've been here nearly forever. So, where and how can you get them at a price that won't break the bank?

Design by Suzanne Kasler

This beautiful dragon vase with handles is new, but inspired by antique versions of the same shape and size. $47.59 on Amazon with free 2-day Prime shipping! (P.S., links are available by visiting the blog directly if you're reading this in email.)

Design by Mary McDonald

An impressive 14" tall, this is a great piece for those of you who already have those 9" ginger jars, and other smaller pieces. A pair of these would look gorgeous flanking art or a mirror on a fireplace, chest, or entry table. You could even have them turned into lamps, like Mary did for the dining room sideboard above. The beautiful chrysanthemum pattern plays well with all other Chinoiserie patterns.

Design by Mary McDonald

I think that these pieces look best in collections of various sizes and shapes. These small ginger jars are great for mixing in with the larger vases, above, and they serve multiple functions. You can store things safely and privately inside, or remove the lid and use as an additional vase! They are also perfect if you're looking to dress up the inside of cabinets or bookshelves.

For the Smaller 7" version

For the larger 9" version

Design by Miles Redd

When you're putting together a collection, I think different shapes are important, too! I love these little tea caddy. It's small - perfect for putting on wall brackets (sconces) or for peppering into larger collections. And so affordable! 

Design by Mary McDonald

Another way to broaden a collection and also to have a variety of sizes and shapes is to include large bowls. This one is 12" wide, 5" deep - so it's substantial enough to be really a big impact, and also useful. It could have a utilitarian use as a place for keys at the entry table, or a decorative use standing along as is, or filled with pretty seasonal things like pinecones or white coral fragments, even utilitarian AND beautiful with fruit in it, like Mary McDonald did in the foyer of her former Beverly Hills home. 

Design by Mark D. Sikes

This pretty 9" vase would work beautifully in a collection, and also be great for putting on wall brackets (sconces). You could also turn it into a small lamp for atop your kitchen counter, or in a powder room! 

Design by Mary McDonald

Another lidded jar, this one is 11" tall, a good stacking height against those smaller 9" pieces on your way toward the 14" vases. Plus a whole new shape. 

Design by Bunny Williams

This beauty is 12" tall. So it's another one that you'd do well in buying a pair. Great for a fireplace, or a sideboard, and also could be turned into lamps! 

Design by Michelle Nussbaumer

Ok, so this one is a little more than $50. But for 18" tall, and that glorious glaze, it's still a TREMENDOUS value! They sell similar vases to this one at Wisteria for nearly $300! 

Design by Mark D. Sikes

Another wonderful way to grow a collection and spread your sizes and shapes is to branch out into jardineres! They look wonderful with a collection of vases and jars and you can keep them filled with beautiful orchids all year long! 

Design by Mark D. Sikes 

Talk about expensive, chinoiserie garden stools can really blow a budget. These little diddies are not cheap, but they look great as little side tables in living rooms or bedrooms (as above) and while this one is a little over the $50 mark, it's still a lot less than you'd pay for similar pieces! 

Design by Mark D. Sikes

Because of their construction, they also look great and weather well outside, depending on your climate.  

Design by Miles Redd

Much less expensive than a chair in most cases, they prove to be useful for short-term seating solutions, too - and can be beautifully tucked under an entry table when not in use.

Design by Mark D. Sikes

Design by Mark D. Sikes

Smaller vases also look great in groups with other blue and white pieces like plates, as seen in this living room designed by Mark D. Sikes.

Of course, for more inspiration about how to place your blue and white accessories, you could also pick up a copy of Mark's book: 

Or Miles' book: 

Or Mary's book: 

Or Suzanne Kasler's book(s): 

Or Michelle's book: 

And finally, the big book of blue and white, Bunny Williams' book on her home in Punta Cana, La Colina: