A Whimsical Approach to Design

A little humor never hurt anyone, and the same can be said for design. A light-handed approach needs to be taken when injecting whimsy into a design scheme. Too much and it might look like you live in a fun house. With this in mind, here are a few fun finds that combine humor and style!


"Spangle" fabric in pink, from Andrew Martin at Lee Jofa


"Family Silver" fabric from Lee Jofa


"Bulldog on Pillow", Meissen, available at Moss


Four Panel Screen with monkeys, c. 1950, available at J.F. Chen

Image at top: "Sans Souci" lamp from Brunschwig & Fils

Hit Parade- Chinoiserie Prints

Have you had enough of me talking about Chinoiserie prints? I hope I don't sound like a broken record, but I truly don't think I could live without having something Chinoiserie in my home (how's that for drama!). Since I've never met a Asian print that I didn't like, it was hard for me to narrow my choices down, but here are a few that have struck my fancy.



"China Rose" chintz by Scalamandre


"Ping" linen by Scalamandre (this is my favorite- I have two armchairs upholstered in this print but in a glazed cotton.)


"Les Fetes d'Orient" by Clarence House


"Kings Dynasty" at Lewis & Sheron


"Masquerade" fabric by Thibaut


"Tea House" wallpaper by Thibaut


"Fishing Village" fabric by Thibaut


"Marco Polo" wallpaper by Thibaut

Photo at top: "Shanghai" fabric by Scalamandre

A Designer After My Own Heart

Bamboo prints are one of my all-time favorites. Imagine my excitement when I was reading the August issue of House Beautiful and found this Atlanta home decorated by John Oetgen. The kitchen (shown above) has walls and ceiling papered in Cowtan & Tout's "Bamboo" wallpaper. You'll probably need to click on the picture to clearly see the print on the ceiling. (I'm also crazy for the custom zinc stove hood!) And then, on the screened pavilion at the back of the house, there is a great bamboo print by Kolo Collection on the wicker sofa. I know we've been having a "bamboo moment" for a while now, but I think that these prints are true classics!




Another image of "Bamboo" from the Cowtan & Tout website

Photos of the home from the August issue of House Beautiful

High-Dowager Decor

A few weeks back I posted about old fashioned prints, and it reminded me of the Upper East Side home of Camilla and Carl Sorenson (published in Elle Decor, Dec/Jan '05). With the help of designer Steven Sclaroff, they set about decorating their apartment using "high-dowager decor". Inspired by the very English rooms at Chatsworth, they used a melange of old-fashioned prints; florals, stripes, and Chinoiserie prints are used together to give the apartment a slightly eccentric, slightly matronly, and altogether fresh look. What I like most about this home is that the overall design scheme gives a nod to the history of this pre-war building in a slightly cheeky way. This dowager decor will definitely grow old gracefully.

(To read my related post on old-fashioned prints, click here.)


The dining room is papered in a 1940s Chinoiserie print purchased from Secondhand Rose. The fabric on the sofa is Christopher Hyland's "Giuliana", and the armchair is upholstered in Maharam's Aria cotton velvet.


For a similar look, Secondhand Rose has this vintage Chinoiserie print on their website.


Another shot of the dining room, and a view of the living room with some fabulous gray and white cabinetry designed by Sclaroff. The armchairs' striped fabric is "Rayure Chenille" by Clarence House.


Top left: the master bedroom's sitting area with a sofa upholstered in Colefax & Fowler's Beaumont cotton-viscose fabric.
Bottom left: the dressing room with Clarence House's "Gothik Fretwork" wallpaper.

Photo at top: Another view of the living room; the sofa is upholstered in Scalamandre's "Foret" cotton.

An Iconoclastic Spirit

It seems to me that one trait that characterizes the legendary French designers is their confidence in their vision and style. I think that this is certainly true of famed French designer and shop owner Madeleine Castaing. Castaing's style could at the very least be described as eccentric. Inspired by 19th century antiques and interiors, Castaing strived for a romantic look (albeit a sophisticated one) that she achieved through vivid colors (blues, greens, and pinks in particular), mixing of prints, and a jumble of different styles of furniture and accessories. All together, this combination gave a room an unidentifiable style, but it was a look that seemed rather "weathered by time". Of course, Castaing's eccentricity was only heightened by her use of plastic flowers and her donning of a wig with a chin strap.

Although Castaing died in 1992, we are still able to purchase her favorite fabrics and rugs today. The rugs are manufactured by the French firm Catry and are available through Stark. The fabric is available through Edmond Petit. What I love about these prints is that although many of these designs are rather old, they still look fresh today.

"Castiglione" fabric


"Coppelia" fabric (one of my favorites)


"Rayure Fleurie" fabric (remember this from Mathilde Agostinelli's bedroom?)


"Leopard" carpet from Catry; this print was one of Castaing's favorites.


"Carrelage Castaing" carpet (this design is most of Castaing's most famous; Jacques Grange used it in a white colorway for Mathilde Agostinelli's apartment)


"Eglantines" carpet


"Feuilles de bananier" carpet


"Cachemire Castaing" carpet

Photo at top: The private bath of Castaing at her shop on Rue Jacob

Old Fashioned Prints

For a few years now, certain prints have held our attention; graphic prints, prints with that 1960s/70s vibe, and exotic prints have reigned supreme. This is certainly not a criticism because I too have used many of these. That said, wouldn't it be nice if some of the "old fashioned" prints made a comeback? There are beautiful floral prints that were designed many, many years ago that are still just as charming today. Or what about document prints, which are reproductions of historical prints and patterns? Here are a few designs that truly are vintage (such as those from Secondhand Rose), some that were inspired by old prints, and others that are new but look old.


"Barley Twist" fabric by Robert Kime


"Sunburst" wallpaper by Robert Kime


"Marblehead" wallpaper by Tyler Hall. This print was inspired by an early 19th c. American document print.


"Nosegay" wallpaper by Tyler Hall, inspired by an 1850 English document.

Vintage sea creature wallpaper from Secondhand Rose


Vintage bird wallpaper from Secondhand Rose

Photo at top: "Shannongrove Blue" fabric from Carleton Varney

Top Ten Fabric

There are certain classic prints that appear often in various designers' work, and "Le Lac", a glazed chintz by Brunschwig & Fils, is certainly one of them. This chinoiserie design was created back in the 18th c. as a brocaded silk by Philippe de la Salle. La Salle also designed the brocades for the Versailles bedroom of Marie Antoinette (this according to the book "Keith Irvine: A Life in Decoration"). "Le Lac" was given new life as a print in the 20th century.

Keith Irvine of Irvine & Fleming has used this print often and includes it in what he calls the "Irvine & Fleming Top Ten". Other designers, such as Todd Romano, have used this print as well. Because there is an array of colors in this print, "Le Lac" is a very flexible fabric. It looks great in green rooms (such as that of Irvine), red rooms (like that of Todd Romano), and really any other color. And because of the large repeat, there are a multitude of different scenes from which to choose.



A wing chair upholstered in "Le Lac"; design by Keith Irivne (photo courtesy of "Keith Irvine: A Life in Decoration")


Chair upholstered in "Le Lac" in home of Todd Romano


Room designed by Meg Braff, with chair upholstered in what I believe is "Le Lac" (although if anyone knows otherwise, please let me know)

Photo at top: A room with "Le Lac" upholstered chair; design by Keith Irvine

Just Scandinavian

Josef Frank, the Austrian designer whose whimsical and brightly colored fabric and furniture designs have long been cult favorites, is poised for a major revival. Over the years, some of his most popular patterns such as "Hawaii" have been seen in chic interiors, usually used on pillows or the occasional chair. Now, however, a whole new audience is being introduced to Frank's fabric by Anthropologie, who is upholstering many of its chairs and sofas in Frank's fabric.

In the past, I remember being able to find some of Frank's fabrics at the Brunschwig and Fils showroom as well as online at Svenskt Tenn in Sweden. Fortunately, there is Just Scandinavian, a shop in New York that specializes in fabrics, furniture, and tabletop accessories created by Scandinavian designers. Of course, Frank's designs are well represented here (the Scandinavian connection is from Frank's work for Svenskt Tenn in Sweden). There are, however, works from other Scandinavian designers as well. Here are a few of my Frank picks from the site, including one of my favorite Frank fabrics, "Manhattan", seen above.

For other posts on Josef Frank, see my posts from February 5 and January 16. To learn more about Frank, you may want to read Josef Frank: Life and Work by Christopher Long and Josef Frank:Architect and Designer: An Alternative Vision of the Modern Home by Nina Stritzler-Levine.

(Update: After writing this post a few days ago, I was reading a copy of InStyle Home magazine last night and found an article about Josef Frank. I believe Frank's revival is here!)

"Anakreon" print on linen by Josef Frank


"Drinks" print, linen, by Josef Frank


Three-armed brass lamp by Josef Frank


"Rox & Fix", linen, by Josef Frank


Elmoot and walnut table by Josef Frank

(All photos courtesy of Just Scandinavian)