Turn Your Home Into a Personal Getaway With Travel-Inspired Décor

A soothing color palette helps to soften the rough, organic textures we used in this Cape Cod style bedroom in Dallas.

With travel restrictions in place due to COVID-19, many Dallas homeowners are wanting to surround themselves with memories of their time abroad. This may be why travel-inspired interior design is one of 2021’s trending looks.

Interior designers like myself often have our own favorite travel destinations and multicultural design influences. Over the course of my design career, I’ve been to Europe twelve times. I’ve also found inspiration in my travels to China, Mexico, and Canada. My business partner, Lea Barfield, and I own an antique buying trip business called Tour Décor, which helps our clients source European pieces for their residences.

When I take on a new design job, I enjoy finding ways to incorporate any antiques or multicultural art that my clients have collected over the years. Below, you’ll find some design tips and tricks for highlighting travel mementos in a sophisticated way.

Getting Started

Pictured is a collection of African milk bowls that we selected for our clients, displayed together on a kitchen wall.

One way to begin is by picking out a single piece you acquired abroad and using it as a touchpoint for the rest of the room. Putting together a collection of art from a place you’ve visited, or a gallery wall of travel photos, is another great way to memorialize.

If you’re an experienced traveler with many favorite destinations, you may have trouble narrowing down which styles to incorporate into your home. When in doubt, stick with what will complement your home’s architecture. In a midcentury modern home, you can easily blend in African, Indian, or East Asian accessories. However, if you own a home with Italian, French, or English architectural elements, you should probably stick with European furnishings and art.

If your room is coastal-themed, you can include touches of nautical whimsy, like this mirror with a rope frame.

Sourcing New Pieces

A travel-inspired home will naturally evolve over time as you bring home more treasures over the years. Make sure to leave some open space on your wall or floor for new pieces you acquire in the future.

If your favorite places in the world have lots of historic buildings, your travel-inspired room should have a sense of history, too. You can browse local antique shops in Dallas for fine, old antiques. The internet (especially social media like Instagram) can also be a great way to discover and commission artisans around the world.

Using world maps (whether printed and framed or used as a pattern in an unexpected place) is another way to communicate a feeling of wanderlust to guests. On the same note, globes are a great accessory for masculine studies and libraries.

Layering Your Space

Although a gallery wall makes a great focal point, don’t stop there. It’s important to make sure your room looks like a living space and not a museum. The solution is to spread your pieces throughout the space instead of isolating them to one part of the room.

This formal living room is Asian and Indian influenced, with its foo dog statue, incense burner, and Indian patterns.

For some clients, it’s not about a specific object they acquired, but a feeling they want to recreate. Reference your travel photos to help you get closer to the ambiance you want and identify the colors you associate with that place.

If you’re not sure what will be complementary with your travel-inspired elements, go with safe bets. Place your colorful textiles against a neutral backdrop of tan, cream, or grey. It’s also helpful to remember that natural materials like wood furniture can fit into almost any design setting. For a truly immersive feeling, try using scented candles, incense, or houseplants associated with the region you’re inspired by in the room.

Don’t forget to do some research too, especially if it’s been a while since you visited the country in question. Doing research on the history and significance of certain design traditions is not only interesting and educational, but will also help you learn how to incorporate these inspirations in a tasteful and respectful way.

Earth tones and African art make for a perfect combination in this Kessler Park guest bedroom.

There’s no better time than now to learn how to capitalize on the photos and art you’ve collected from your travels and weave a design narrative around them. That said, some people, especially those who are moving into a new home, may find the prospect overwhelming. If this sounds like you, you can reach out to us by sending an email to info@chambersinteriors.com or calling our Dallas office at 214-232-9501. When it comes to editing down your collections, having a professional second opinion is invaluable.

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The Top Six Interior Design Trends for 2021

This powder room we designed is a perfect example of three 2021 trends: bold colors, wallpaper, and global influences.

Over the course of my interior design career, I have watched many trends come and go. Some looks are timeless and never seem to go out of style. Others fall in and out of favor in decades-long cycles. In this article, I’ll touch upon the six trends I am seeing come back for 2021: colorful interiors, antiques, globally-inspired rooms, home offices, brass hardware, and wallpaper.

Color:

Starting around the 2010s, designers and homeowners alike gravitated towards neutral interiors with cool grays, dark hardwood floors, and all-white walls. Recently, I’ve started to see things swinging back in the other direction. Colors, especially rich colors (like ocean blues), are finally back. I think this is due in part to Instagram, where colorful interior photos seem to attract more attention than neutral ones. While I have designed many white-and-gray homes at my clients’ request, I’ve always preferred color and am excited to see homeowners favoring it once again.

For this Preston Hollow dining room, we decorated the wall with antique Rose Medallion plates.

Antiques:

Contemporary design has enjoyed precedence for quite a while now; meanwhile, Old-World styles went out of fashion. Nowadays, however, people are wanting to mix old and new pieces again. Since people are spending a lot more time at home, buyers are more attracted to comfortable furniture with rounded curves and traditional detailing instead of sharp lines and sleek metals. Antiques add history, warmth, soul, and character to a house.

This older project from our portfolio still looks current today due to the use of bold colors and multicultural art.

Although antiques are not as valuable as they once were, I predict that buyers will begin to seek them out again this year. Antiques and vintage items also appeal to young homeowners because they are a more sustainable option than newly-produced furniture.

Globally-Inspired Rooms

Another trend that design experts are predicting for 2021 is globally-inspired and travel-inspired rooms. This makes a lot of sense, since many of us have spent the year yearning for travel. With the right décor, it’s possible to make any room feel like a tropical getaway, coastal oasis, or luxury hotel room. Some interior designers are also seeking to include influences from Africa and India in their work.

Home Offices

The patterned wallpaper we placed on this dining room ceiling helps to create the illusion that the ceiling is taller.

Global Workplace Analytics, a research and consulting firm, predicts that twenty-five to thirty percent of the workforce will continue to work from home for multiple days of the week by the end of 2021. Although most people will be working outside of the home this coming year, the trend of renovating home offices is here to stay. This year will also see many people turning their rooms into multi-purpose spaces, such as combining a living room with a home office.

Brass Hardware:

For many people, brass hardware screams ‘the 80s.’ Interestingly, it’s been making a comeback for the last few years. This may be related to last decade’s trend of tonal gray rooms: brass added some much-needed contrast and warmth to those otherwise cool spaces. One newly popular brass finish is “living finish,” which starts out bright and patinas naturally over time.

Wallpaper:

Wallpaper has been back for four or five years now and is still going strong. Lately, I see a lot of wallpapered ceilings and bathrooms. The one area of the house where it’s still considered “too dated” for wallpaper is the kitchen.

This north Dallas project we designed features framed de Gournay wallpaper prints.

The trendiest patterns include botanicals, geometrics with metallic colors, textured wallpapers, and trompe-l'œil wallpaper (such as faux bois or faux tiled patterns). Some people also frame wallpaper panels and display them as pieces of artwork.

If you’ve been wanting to redecorate but have worried that your love for color, brass, antiques, or wallpaper dates you, fear not. Now is the perfect time to capitalize on those looks, so reintroduce them into your home to your heart’s content.

Is one of your new year resolutions to update your home for 2021? You can make the process easier and smoother by enlisting the help of a professional interior designer. To schedule a free consultation with us, call our Dallas office at 214-232-9501 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

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Decorating with Chinoiserie

What is Chinoiserie?

Chinoiserie, a French word for "Chinese-esque," refers to European decorative art that was inspired by objects and stories brought back from the Middle East and Asia. It was most popular during the 1600s and 1700s, but there are many Dallas interior designers who are fans of this style to this day. Although Chinoiserie sounds like it should be primarily based on Chinese design, the style also owes its look to Indian, Persian, Korean, and Japanese art. 

History of Chinoiserie

Trade between Europe and Asia was open through the Silk Road beginning in the 1200s. Hand-painted porcelain, wallpaper, silks, and lacquered furniture were among the items brought back. In the year 1292, Italian merchant Marco Polo left China, where he had lived for 17 years, to return to Venice. Although Marco Polo was not the first westerner to travel to China, he was the first person to publish a manuscript about what he saw there: The Travels of Marco Polo. Europeans were astonished by what they read.

For westerners, owning expensive fabrics and ceramics from Asia became a status symbol. The demand for Asian imports outstripped the existing supply, so European artisans learned to make their own imitations. These pieces were a mixture of actual Asian design features and pure European whimsy. One example would be pastoral scenes, which are typically a Rococo motif depicting European nobility. In Chinoiserie, the artist would illustrate the Chinese Emperor and court instead. Since Chinoiserie was in vogue during the same period that Rococo was, the two styles share some similarities: asymmetry, scroll forms, and fantastical imagery. 

The earliest examples of Chinoiserie were Italian, such as the silks produced by Lucca factories. Over time, different countries in Europe popularized different kinds of Chinoiserie. Germany specialized in porcelain figurines. The Netherlands is still famous today for its Delft pottery factories. Meanwhile, England produced silver, tapestries, and embroidery with Chinoiserie motifs.

Chinoiserie's popularity reached its height in the mid-1700s, eventually giving way to neoclassicism's cool restraint. One hundred years later, the style made another comeback during the Rococo Revival. European nobility commissioned interior designers to create entire rooms for displaying their Chinoiserie porcelain and fabrics.  

How to Spot a Chinoiserie Piece

There are many different images and motifs that characterize Chinoiserie. In patterns and paintings, you will often see scenes of Chinese men with Fu-Manchu beards and long robes and courtly Chinese women in water gardens or pagoda pavilions. Landscape paintings were mountainous and misty, with bamboo, lotus flowers, and weeping willows in the foreground. The most popular animals in Chinoiserie art were a mixture of real and fantasy: fantastical birds, peacocks, elephants, foo dogs, and dragons of all colors.

Chinoiserie is not all flowers and dragons, however. Geometric designs are important to this style too. Thomas Chippendale, an English cabinet maker, took inspiration from Chinese fretwork when he made his famous lattice-back Chippendale chairs. Furniture makers also incorporated pagoda shapes to their designs--for example, in headboards, bed canopies, chests, and secretaries.

Though black lacquer and white porcelain are common in Chinoiserie interiors, this style can also be extremely colorful. Red, orange, teal, turquoise, pink, burnished gold, cobalt, and green can all be found in Chinoiserie interior design.

Decorating with Chinoiserie Today

Chinoiserie blends well with other styles because it brings a touch of worldliness and history into a room. Since this style is considered to have a feminine touch and is maximal rather than minimal in detail, it's best to use it with restraint by using a few well-chosen Asian accessories. If you want to go bold, an accent wall with Chinoiserie wallpaper will transform the whole look of a room.

Blue and white porcelain is beautiful in both traditional and contemporary interiors, so it's one of the easiest ways to add a little Chinoiserie. Since these ceramics share the same colors, you can mix and match different patterns without worry. 

While lacquer furniture is typical of Chinoiserie, not every furnishing in your room needs to be coated. Some pieces with Chinese fretwork will look best with their natural wood. Mixing natural wood and painted or lacquered furniture helps to create more visual variety in a themed Chinoiserie room.

If you're going for a more subtle touch, focus on details and accessories rather than furniture. Examples include tableware with bamboo-styled handles; small lacquered boxes; ginger jars, or lamps shaped like ginger jars; figurines of Chinese characters or foo dogs; or decorative mirrors and chandeliers with pagoda shapes.

Although over-the-top Chinoiserie rooms are not as popular today as they were in the 1700s, interior designers are still often asked about incorporating Chinoiserie in a room. If you need help tracking down the perfect antique pottery, wallpaper pattern, or Chippendale furniture to complement your contemporary or traditional space, Chambers Interiors - a Dallas-based interior design firm – can help you achieve the look. To schedule a free consultation, call Margaret Chambers at 214-232-9501 or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com.

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Guide to Collecting Imari Porcelain

Our last interior design blog took a look at the current market for antique collecting, specifically for antique American furniture. In this blog, we'll explore another hobby that has remained popular for decades: collecting Imari porcelain.

History of Imari

Imari porcelain can be Chinese or European in origin, but was first created in Japan. In 1616, the town of Arita became Japan's porcelain production center because it was near Izumiyama, a quarry rich in kaolin clay. The wares were then shipped to the West from the port of Imari, hence the name. The earliest Imari pieces had simple, hand-painted designs in blue against white grounds and were made to be tea bowls, dinner plates, and rice bowls.

By the 1630s, ceramic makers were introducing a wider variety of colors into their pieces. The designs also became more intricate, featuring images of cranes, fish, beautiful women, flowers and gnarled tree branches. These were the most popular images in Japanese textiles at the time. Pieces were under-glazed in blue first, with the blue used to delineate borders and backdrops. Afterward, other colors such as rust red, green, and gold were added and fired at a lower temperature. Imari's iconic color combination proved to be very popular in Europe.

Japan imposed a self-isolation policy in the mid-seventeenth century. The only other nation that could continue trading with them was Holland, so Dutch traders would import Japanese goods (including Imari) and trade them to the rest of Europe. Imari potters began to produce pieces specifically for European tastes. Dutch artists would suggest some ideas for scenes, which might depict geishas, hunting scenes with dogs, or Dutch men and women. Imari wares produced before 1750 are called “Old Imari” and command high prices because of their scarcity.

English factories such as Royal Crown Derby, Minton, and Worcester produced their own versions of Imari. Other European factories included Chantilly in France, Meissen in Germany, and Holland's Delft factories. Chinese potteries also began to release high-quality Imari pieces for export, which flooded the market and drove up prices for scarcer Japanese Imari.

The isolation period ended in the mid-nineteenth century. Now that Imari was more readily available again, its popularity exploded. The designs produced during this period have vivid tomato reds and deep cobalt blues.

Regional Styles

The most prized pieces among Western collectors are the Imari that were produced by the Koransha kiln from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. These are often densely decorated with bold and stylized motifs, including bamboo, koi, and irises.

Japanese collectors tend to prefer 18th century Imari from the Kakiemon and Nabeshima kilns, which had elegantly simple designs in soft colors. Kakiemon is named after Sakaida Kakiemon, who discovered a new technique for applying enamel decoration to porcelain. Although overlooked by many Western collectors, these are the most valuable at auctions today. They are more sparsely decorated in asymmetrical designs of subdued red, blue, yellow, and turquoise green. There was no blue under-glaze and the design of the piece emphasized the fine "milky white" background of the porcelain.

Royal Crown Derby, which produces English Imari to this day, is known for using intricate borders and an abundance of gold detail. French Imari is designed in a similar way. Meissen Imari from Germany are less cluttered than either Derby or Japanese Imari, and feature comparatively simple designs.

You can identify Chinese Imari by its brighter white and more purple-toned blue. The red over-glaze is also thinner and closer to orange than in Japanese pieces. Chinese Imari is generally more finely potted than Japanese, with a very even glaze.

Reading Marks

As you begin to research different types of Imari, you may be drawn to one factory's particular style. You can usually identify which factory produced a piece of porcelain by its mark on the underside. However, don't be surprised when you find antique Imari without any mark at all.

Before 1890, imports to the US were not required to be marked by country of origin. Those that were marked usually listed the name of the importer or manufacturer. Japanese Imari is especially difficult to date. Marks on these pieces can vary from personal signatures, the name of the customer, or the exporter and importer. Sometimes even pieces within the same set can be marked differently. 

If you want to become a serious Japanese Imari collector, you'll need to learn to read the names of cities and kiln areas where Imari was made. An English/Japanese dictionary may be required, but there are also handbooks such as Japanese Marks and Seals by James Lord Bowes that you can consult. Imari marked with "Gold Imari, Hand-painted," are vintage Arita wares produced between 1959 and 1984.

Chinese Imari were always given an imperial mark that was either written in normal script or drawn in a special style of seal script. The 'handwritten' script was harder to fake because differences in penmanship would give away a forged piece.  Modern Royal Crown Derby pieces are always marked with a crown, the name of one of three factories, and the year the piece was produced. Meissen Imari are marked with crossed swords; the style of the mark determines the age of the piece.

Enjoying Your Collection

Since so much Imari was produced to be exported, you don't have to travel to Japan to find authentic antiques. Even here in Dallas, Imari can be found for fairly competitive prices. And due to their history of craftsmanship, these antiques will continue to rise in value.

One of the draws of Imari collecting is that newcomers can find high-quality, beautifully made pieces at a variety of price points. 19th-century vases, serving bowls, chargers, and platters in three-tone color schemes usually sell for under $1000 apiece. Smaller items, like tea caddies, figurines, and incense burners can also be good pieces for beginners on a budget.

Asian antiques have come back in style and can serve as statement pieces in a variety of homes – from English to French to American. This fine porcelain can add color to your walls in lieu of a painting. Consider also using Imari pieces for table presentation. In addition, a small collection of Imari can mix beautifully with leather-bound books in a den.

If you're shopping for fine porcelain, consider adding Imari to bring a beautiful piece of history to your home. To learn more about how Chambers Interiors can help you source the finest Imari available, call our Dallas office at 214-651-7665 or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com. (Please note that Chambers Interiors does not do appraisals. If you want to learn more about the value of your Imari porcelain, we recommend that you contact your local auction house or appraiser.)

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Asian-Inspired Interior Design Trends

Many interior designers and homeowners in Dallas today look to Asia for stylistic inspiration. "Asian-style" can refer to interior design with an East Asian (Chinese or Japanese) influence or South Asian (Indian) influence. Asian decor continues to be popular for a few reasons. Asian accessories or design elements can instantly bring tranquility into a room. Japanese style also blends very well with contemporary rooms, since both styles emphasize clean lines, open space, and neutral colors. Meanwhile, Chinese accessories, with their sense of history and craftsmanship, are well suited for traditional homes.

Characteristics of Chinese Interior Design

Curved, intricately detailed furniture is associated with Chinese style rather than Japanese. In a traditionally decorated Chinese home, it's common to see furniture with gilt details, hand-painting, carvings, and ornate handles. If you own a statement piece with these features, make it the center of attention by surrounding it with simpler furniture.

Oriental rugs, fine silks, and tasseled draperies are also characteristic of this style. When you're picking fabrics or patterns for wallpaper, keep an eye out for common Chinese motifs. Fish, flowers, dragons, monkeys, and tigers are all examples. Unlike the soothing earth and gray tones in Zen homes, Chinese style homes are more dramatic, with gold-painted walls or patterned wallpaper. 

A traditional oriental rug can still belong in a contemporary setting if its colors and pattern complement the rest of the room. The mirrors in this bathroom are also inspired by Indian design.

Some Asian accessories, such as blue and white china and chinoiserie, are also at home in a traditional room. Blue and white china pieces were imported to Europe as early as the 15th century. Chinoiserie, a French-term for "Chinese-esque," are traditional decorations that draw inspiration from Asian art. Examples of Chinoiserie include paintings, pottery, textiles, wallpaper, and decorated furniture that depict a fanciful version of China. 

Blue and white china adds refinement to this transitional home in Plano.

A Chinese design philosophy that is sometimes utilized by Western interior designers is feng shui. Feng shui, when applied to interior design, is a very exacting style. Every piece in the room must serve a purpose. The choice in natural materials becomes incredibly important, as wood, water, fire, earth, and metal-- and the furnishings associated with them--create their own distinctive energies. By hiring an expert in feng shui design or studying up on it yourself, you can carefully reconstruct the emotional quality of each room.

How to Incorporate Japanese Influence

If you enjoy modern design, but also appreciate traditional rooms with a sense of culture and history, Japanese design could be the best of both worlds for you.

Japanese-style rooms are often described as having a 'Zen' quality. A Japanese school of Buddhism, Zen teaches that its followers must experience enlightenment for themselves, rather than simply memorize a list of teachings. Living a simple life, experiencing the here-and-now, and disciplined meditation in a calm environment are said to be the path to results.

When it comes to interior design, Zen-inspired rooms usually feature low furniture, natural materials, lots of light, and very little clutter. Common natural materials include stone, bamboo, rattan, earthenware, and dark woods. Designers will often recommend neutral cream and beige for the walls and restricting dark colors to the furniture. Red and black accents-- such as lacquer pieces-- can add a dramatic touch to an otherwise even-toned room. Furniture should also have clean, simple lines, as in modern and contemporary design. Avoid pieces with ornate details and asymmetry. 

Whether you're adding Asian influence to a traditional or a modern home, you don't want to overdo it. Including even just one or two Asian symbols or accessories transforms the entire feel of the room. For example, a Buddha statue brings with it a whole history of cultural and religious associations. Paper lanterns, silk screens, and lacquer jewelry boxes will also immediately give your room an Asian feel for visitors.

Small Buddha figurines are just a few of the multicultural accessories we used in this eclectic downtown Dallas highrise.

Because of this, Asian can be an inexpensive style to emulate. Swapping in red accent pillows, a calligraphy scroll, or a religious icon can all help you achieve the style. A very casual room can still benefit from the surprise and cultural flair East Asian design brings. Try adding potted cherry blossoms or bamboo window shades to bring both nature and an Asian influence to your informal setting.

Tips for Designing an Indian-Inspired Home

If you've ever wanted to incorporate the beauty of Indian patterns and furnishings into your home, here are a few suggestions.

When you think of India, certain colors probably come to mind. India has culturally embraced an abundance of colors, including both jewel and burnt tones. Burnt oranges, terracotta reds, and ochres can all be main colors. If you prefer something more understated, warm neutrals like taupe and sand will work too. Pure white is a color associated with mourning in India, so you will not see cool whites in traditional Indian homes; however, westernized homes will often incorporate warm and creamy whites. 

As for jewel colors like turquoise, green, purple, and magenta, these colors are usually reserved for accents. Common Indian accessories include statues of Buddha or Hindu gods, mirrors with carved or forged frames, and ornaments covered with small pieces of mirror or tile. Don't forget to fill your sofas and beds with lots of colorful embroidered pillows. For a truly traditional Indian look, you should use lamps, sconces, and lanterns for lighting rather than chandeliers.

An Indian room isn't complete without furniture made of exotic woods such as ebony, rosewood, and teak. Antique pieces will feature beautifully intricate carvings, but Indian furniture is not dainty-- these are sturdy pieces meant to last a long time. Seating tends to be low, and a sitting area will often feature an ottoman or pouf. That said, you don't need to buy a whole new set of furniture to get an Indian look.

You can also layer Indian throws, rugs, and textiles over what you already have. Consider using silks or even a sari as a sofa throw. Tablecloths patterned with woodblock prints and bedspreads with beading or metallic thread will immediately bring India to mind. Common Indian patterns for wallpaper and textiles include paisley, floral, swirls, birds, and elephants. 

Regardless of whether you're only including a few Asian accessories, or having a designer redo your whole home according to Zen or feng shui design philosophies, Asian influence will add culture, harmony, and worldliness to your home. Here at Chambers Interiors, our team has a lot of experience sourcing multicultural antiques for homes. To schedule a consultation with us, call Margaret Chambers at 214-232-9501 or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com.

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