wallpaper removal

A while back I found this darling little pink glass Asian lady figurine at one of my consignment stores for $7.00. Pink and Chinoiserie - a no-brainer for me. She has been sitting on my coffee table ever since. Yesterday I was looking at the Gump's website and saw these Asian sister figurines below. Not identical, but very close and $158.00 for the standing red one and $170.00 for the standing golden one. I like mine the best.

Thrift stores, consignment stores, yard sales, and the like are great ways to train your design eye. Generally things are not marked or labeled so you are relying completely on your own aesthetic and not a designer label. If you have a good eye and trust your instincts, you can find lots of treasures, big and small, for very little money.

A big thanks to Ashlina at The Decorista for featuring my One Room Challenge laundry room in "10 things that rocked my world this week...orc edition." I know how hard we all worked on our rooms and appreciate very much the shout outs.

The Pink Pagoda has come out with a green version of those fabulous botanical prints she made for Linda for the One Room Challenge. Wait until you see the inspiration board I have in mind for these!

Gump's Red Murano Asian Sisters

Gump's Golden Murano Asian Sisters

Set of Four Green and White Graphic Botanical Prints

Have you thought of using a pair of side/end tables, stools, or even Chinese garden stools as a coffee table? You will end up with a look that is unique, versatile, and budget friendly. In the photo below, two white Ikea Lack side tables are used at a cost of $16.00. Lack tables come in lots of colors and can be made very Chinoiserie with O'verlays as shown below. Beautiful vintage end table pairs abound and can often be purchased very cheap at auction, on Craigslist, and the like. A great idea for the Chinoiserie living room or family room.

Ikea Lack side tables

Lack table with O'verlays

Lack table with O'verlays

In my travels on Saturday, I ran into my favorite thrift store in McLean and found this darling pink crystal Chinoiserie lady who is perfect on my coffee table. I think a great tip in styling your own cocktail/coffee table is to pick a color scheme - mine is pink and black. Do you say cocktail table or coffee table? I wonder if this is a regional difference? I have a Pinterest board devoted to well styled coffee tables here.

Probably the most common request I receive from interior design clients is styling bookcases and coffee tables. Accordingly, I am always on the lookout for chic, unique, and whimsical pieces. I happened upon this darling black and gold Kate Spade lion in HomeGoods over the weekend and he is very happy on my own coffee table. Also in the KS collection are a giraffe, a zebra, and an elephant. I like them all! You can find them on the Kate Spade website and discounted on various online stores like here.

I have Pinterest boards on -
*Styling your bookcase
*Styling your coffee table
*Elephants
*Zebras
for even more ideas.