Designer Jackye Lanham is known for her luxurious interiors that combine both color and comfort.  She believes that a successful design not only includes collections, but has layers of details that encompass a room.  Wallpaper, drapes, furniture and finally accessories are all layers which if carefully chosen and edited can [...]]]>

Jackye Lanham Interiors - Transferware Wall Collections

Designer Jackye Lanham is known for her luxurious interiors that combine both color and comfort.  She believes that a successful design not only includes collections, but has layers of details that encompass a room.  Wallpaper, drapes, furniture and finally accessories are all layers which if carefully chosen and edited can make a grand impact and a bold statement.  Lanham suggests to start with a color palette.  I always suggest to include a color which you adore the most and work around that color using the color wheel.  Fabrics should flow from one room to another and objects should be interesting.   Lanham is known for her extravagance so it is no wonder that she suggests collecting silver, pottery and porcelain which all reflect the light and are brilliant all on their own.   Think about layering in collections which have exquisite ornate appeal such as transferware, tortoiseshell, walnut burl, and ebony.  Consider limestone flooring and detailed marble counter tops that pull the eye to the detail of the natural beauty.  Tantalizing textures such as gold and silver in vases, frames, or cutlery can go a long way to adding in the splendor of the room.

Transferware is known for its flaunting elegance and florid detail which can go a long way to dressing up any room.  Lanham  tells Southern Accents that "European manor houses and castles had whole sets of ceramics on the walls," Lanham explains. "The displays were a show of wealth in the same way that armaments in the entry hall were a show of power."

Jackye Lanham Interiors- Transferware Wall Collections

It is important to keep the colors uniform.   Patterns should be all in one shade with a few solid pieces that help highlight the others.  As you can see above, Lanham includes frames of additional collections, a mirror and additional pieces which match.  Let the patterns and collections play off one another. Carved frames or silver or gold-leaf can add tremendous depth and contrast.  Plates can be beautiful in any room, such as the bedroom, foyer, hallways and unexpected places.

Creating a design using transferware can be an overwhelming endeavour.   Lanham suggests a solution to working with odd shapes and sizes to first create a pattern such as you would see on fabric like damask or chintz.

You will first need a location that would best suit the collection.  Start with producing an uncomplicated shape such as a circle, fan, rectangle or square.  She says that in formal settings, it could be important to create a pattern with even amounts of pieces, but you can also arrange pieces in odd numbers such as rows of three in a grid pattern.

Atlanta designer Dan Carithers, gives a very practical tip that he always lays out the pattern on the floor in an area that corresponds in size to the wall he is composing for the ideal working space.  Doesn't that make sense?  Sketching the overall look on a piece of paper can allow you to put the plates away and continue collecting until the overall design has been met.  London designer

Jane Churchill also goes through a similar design process...." place the plates on the floor within these measurements, and then move them around until I'm happy with the arrangement."

Dallas designer Beverly Field plans the design on the floor, and then hangs the middle piece first.  "Decide if you want to work smaller plates inside the geometry you've made," she says. "It all fits together like a jigsaw puzzle."

Ralph Lauren's Le Grand Hotel Collection is an inspirational response to the coastal elegance of a Riviera.  Coastal decorating has become one of the most popular decorating styles, as it evokes a calming refreshment from the hectic and stressful lifestyles we all find ourselves stuck in.  Although marine [...]]]>

Navy Decorating Ideas ~ Le Grand Hotel From Ralph Lauren Spring 2010

Ralph Lauren's Le Grand Hotel Collection is an inspirational response to the coastal elegance of a Riviera.  Coastal decorating has become one of the most popular decorating styles, as it evokes a calming refreshment from the hectic and stressful lifestyles we all find ourselves stuck in.  Although marine decorating is most commonly seen in conjunction with distressed paint finishes, natural textiles and shabby finishes, RL shows us that we can have the city lifestyle in a serene setting.  The Grand Hotel collection sweeps the beauty of the maritime with beautiful rich palettes of navy, cream and white with touches of gold. When we think of the coast lines of Italy and the frontier of France, we get the spender of a rich lifestyle that encompasses the best of food and romance.  Today many coast lines are lined with marble skyscrapers and tremendously beautiful views that it has become an attractive escape for many people. Ralph Lauren shows us the luxury side of nautical decorating, and how to richly incorporate transferware pottery along side other accessories for a classic blue and white home.

What is the secret to Lauren's luxurious shoreline look?

Featured in the home collection are bedrooms joined together by a drawing room, all unified by a maritime palette; navy-and-white and cream-and-gold.

In the first room, an impecably dressed tufted pinstripe bed shows us that the executive feel doesn't need to leave the office.  The French walnut Louis XV bed accents the navy nicely as the ornamental brass accents and paw feet give way to the established grandeur of the room.   Classic nautical elements such as brass, are paired with floral porcelain lamps, as we see with the neoclassical polished brass side tables.

The lavish details of formal Louis furniture go hand in hand with the upscale look of transferware china. Transferware has been tremendously popular in country cottage estates, but in this instance Ralph Lauren shows us that it unites with nautical decorating simultaneously.

Blue and white ginger jars sit atop a Italian walnut chest.  The combination offers a different texture all the while complementing each other. The antiqued brass pulls again give way to classic nautical style.

Lauren's second room evokes the timeless beauty of french decorating.  The room is situated around the fresh feeling that only white can bring, mixed with the grandiose of gold and slight hints of navy. Where the other room held the masculine richness, this room is softened by florals and silk details. The white framed gilded bed is decked with silk-lined linen pillows,a natural coverlet and finished off with an upholstered french gilded bench. A glass-topped white Louis XV desk is paired with a clear glass lamp and accompanies a gilded white Louis bergere chair which gives way to the soft finishes of this room.

The drawing room features many elements which pulls both rooms together.  Croc-embossed picture frames with many leather accents  provide a masculine touch to this nautical home. Informal marine striped throw pillows provide a comfortable setting amongst the white walls.  One cannot help but notice the Louis XVI-style chair upholstered in masculine suit stripe.  Along side that is a distressed leather Louis chair with a striking  gold frame which is undeniably the show piece of the room.  Woven dining chairs wouldn't be the common choice in such a luxurious home, but work perfectly in a nautical setting.

A table furnished with tableware in blue, white and gold set the tone for dining in this nautical home.  With layers of white and chevron-striped chargers, indigo floral porcelain and navy gold-banded china give way to extravagent dining.  It wouldn't be complete without the brass napkin rings and gold plated flatware.

Some things we cannot live without:  The rich oil blue paintings on the wall.  The over sized ornate blue and white Chinese vase and large planters.  The gilt ornate french leather chairs, and the unique pin striped accents which take the cake!  We love it!

Ralph Lauren's Navy Le Grand Hotel Collection

Blue Decorating Ideas ~ Ralph Lauren Le Grand Hotel Collection

Navy Decorating Ideas Le Grand Hotel Collection By Ralph Lauren

Le Grand Hotel From Ralph Lauren Spring 2010

How do you do this?

Simply trace your plate out on a piece of [...]]]> Decorating with China and plates is much like decorating with picture frames. In a previous post I reccomended cutting out the shapes of your plates (or pictures) with newspaper and arranging them on the floor first and then working your way to the wall.

How do you do this?

Simply trace your plate out on a piece of newspaper.  Punch out an obvious hole where the nail would line up with your metal plate hangers.  Then after you have all your cut outs, and have arranged a lovely pattern with all the cut outs on the floor, start with the center of your design and (thumb) tack the cutout to the wall.

(BUT first measure the distance of the two plates on either side of that middle plate) So you will want to measure the distance between nail holes.

Measure (on the floor of your design) from the center nail hole of that middle plate and  and hammer the nail where the hole would line up on your wall.  Then take the other two measurements of the neighbour plates and draw those spots on the wall.  Does your cut outs all line up?

Once you have the center plates lined up, it is all down hill from there.

I have messed up many walls in the past guessing where the hole may be.  With my best intentions and careful measurements they still always turned off center.  With cut outs you simply miss the multiple steps of pulling out the nail and filling it with puddy.   Enjoy the pictures

Tri Giovan

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