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| The Living Room |
Back in 2013, I did a series for The Glam Pad of fantasy inspiration boards for a wonderful historic Coral Gables, Florida home that was on the market at the time. I was married, living in Alexandria, Virginia, and the thought of living in Florida had never ever crossed my mind.
Fast forward, and here I am widowed, living in Sarasota, Florida in the middle of a pandemic. "May you live in interesting times." Interestingly, that expression has long been said to be a Chinese curse, but there is no truth to its origin being Chinese.
BTW, the house sold for $600,000 in 2014 and then was on and off the market since 2015, with an asking price of up to $1.85 million and finally sold in 2019 for $1.175 million. Chinese Village consists of eight homes built in 1923, designed by noted architect Henry Killam Murphy.
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| Chinese Village House in Coral Gables |
I thought it might be fun to repost my Florida Inspiration Boards. I still really like them!
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| The Entryway |
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| The Dining Room |
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| The Kitchen |
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| The Home Office |
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| The Porch |
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| The Master Bedroom |
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| The Guest Bedroom |
It's quite interesting to me that all of my things from my previous home have worked perfectly here in Florida. My only purchase was a navy blue velvet sofa for the living room because the sofa I had was too large, but I repurposed it for the sitting area in the master bedroom. I think my decorating style was always a bit more Palm Beach than Virginia, but then I think Chinoiserie Chic style is a classic that works anywhere!
I'd love to hear what part of the county you live in, what type of home (condo, townhouse, single family), and how you've used Chinoiserie elements in your own home.
For example, I live in a single family home in a gated community in Sarasota, Florida. I have a large collection of Chinoiserie, especially blue and white Chinese porcelain, art, Chinese Chippendale chairs, and pagodas that I use in every room of my home, including outdoors. My absolute favorite Chinoiserie element is blue and white ginger jars.
