Apr 5, 2007

Chinoiserie Silk Wallpaper

I've been keenly aware, dear readers, that you've been putting up with my whining about the designers' tastes on Top Design. What am I impressed with? I recall a scene in Gosford Park that took my breath away. The hand painted silk wallpaper in the guest room Maggie Smith's haughty character occupied was to die for. Here are similar samples...


CHINOISERIE WALLPAPER EARLHAM ON AN EMERALD GREEN DYED SILK BACKGROUND

I'm not so much into the ornate mirror, dahlings, as that fabulous one of a kind wallpaper. Below is another sample from the same company, de Gournay. They continue the tradition of using Chinoiserie for wallpaper, fabrics, and porcelain, that "reached its height around 1760 when Thomas Chippendale purchased Chinese wallpapers for the interior of Nostell Priory in the North of England."

An Example of Hand-Painted Chinoiserie Wallpaper, Shaun Castle.

This picture shows hand-painted chinoiserie hung at Marble House as part of the refurbishment by English Heritage. "The brilliantly coloured exotic birds, tiny insects, plants and rich pink and blue flowers against white trees and a cream background took Chinese artists 1,000 hours to create. The paper was designed and painted by the English company de Gournay. It’s made of small pieces of mulberry paper, which are pressed together, then backed with silk, hand-painted, and then glued and stretched on to canvas-covered batons.

The paper is as close as possible to that which Henrietta Howard would have had in her salon at Marble House, the 18th century home of the countess, and mistress to the young George II."

To order this unique wallpaper or to look at more exquisite samples from de Gournay, click here.




2 comments:

mumblesalot (Laura A) said...

Ms. Place

Chinoserie:
This is my obsession of the last few months. I have the blue background with orange picture on my table at the moment. I have a roll of canvas, not silk sniff, that I periodically try to capture some of the subtlety of these designs

THere was a great PBS series David Copperfield. Betsy Trotworth house had chinoiserie all over her room. I have never forgotten it. I might have to buy that dvd.

BigAssBelle said...

i do love chinoiserie. i snagged two lacquered planters at auction friday night. one has some rather significant flaws, but the other? perfection. i am delighted to find that we share this obsession. nothing prettier in my view.