One particular photo caught my eye in a recent Southern Living magazine. I absolutely LOVE so much about this dining room!! First, it seems the vast majority of photographed interiors with these luxurious wall coverings have equally formal, baroque and over-the-top ornate elements, creating a rather stuffy and museum-like tone. In contrast, the dining space below mixes the more formal wall covering with clean lined furniture, contemporary accessories, and the overall look is more balanced, modern, and comfortable. Second, this wall covering uses my favorite grass green shade, one that I labored over for weeks while selecting a paint color for our master bedroom (sadly in our former home!) I am determined to use a fun green somewhere in our new home! Finally, I love the stunning contrast of light and dark in this room. Perfection.
Over the holidays, we were visiting my childhood bestie in their new home in St. Louis, and she asked me for ideas for her dining room. These gorgeous chinoiserie wall coverings immediately came to mind. She has a beautiful collection of antique mahogany furniture, and a pretty traditional/formal interior design style. So, I can picture something similar to this in her home. However, these custom hand-painted wall coverings from Gracie and de Gournay are exorbitantly priced at approximately $1,000 per 3 ft x 8 ft panel. Griffin and Wong is a less costly source of hand-painted panels, at approximately $400 per panel. I suspect there may be even more affordable, digitally printed versions available (see below for one example by Designer Wallcoverings). You may not get the same hand-painted detail and exquisite texture, but a similar look regardless.
If your heart is set on the real deal, an alternative I have seen often, is to purchase and frame singular panels, which serve as large-scale artwork and give a similar chinioserie vibe to a space. I think I would lean in this direction if I were to attempt this in my own home.
Here are a few examples of using framed panels...
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| Framed chinoiserie panel (source unknown) |
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| Framed chinoiserie panels (source unknown)...but this has Mary McDonald written all over it!! |
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| via Luxe Magazine, Gracie Framed Panels |
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| via Lonny Gracie Wallpaper Panels, design by Lynn Nigro |
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| (source unknown) |
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| Another example of just a framed panel used beautifully in a space... |
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| Hand Painted Wall Covering by Paul Montgomery in 'Kew Garden' design |
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Designer Wallcovering's Digital Et Cie Collection in 'The Rockefeller' -
looks identical to Paul Montgomery's Kew Garden above |
The following are more inspiration photos of rooms with these beautiful Chinoiserie hand-painted wall coverings....
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How lovely to enjoy this view while doing laundry!!
From the DC 2009 Design House, room by designer Draza Stamenich |
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Aerin Lauder's Dressing Room - Gracie Studio
(again, love the mix of traditional, 'fancy' wall covering with more contemporary/clean lines of the brass desk) |
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| Gracie wallcovering....from Architectural Digest by designer Elissa Cullman |
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| de Gournay 'Askew' design in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Beijing |
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| Hand Painted Wall Covering by Paul Montgomery in 'Dunmore' design |
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| de Gournay 'Jardinieres Citrus Trees' design on paper and satin materials...Charlotte Moss |
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| B. Mori, company based in San Francisco, custom hand-painted textiles |
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| Another panel by B. Mori |
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| de Gournay 'Earlham' design...room by Mary McDonald via House Beautiful |
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| de Gournay 'Abbotsford' design....love the repeat of chinoiserie elements in wallcovering, rug AND the complementary shades of greens and orangey-reds |
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| de Gournay 'Askew' design...again, love the mix of traditional and contemporary elements |
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| de Gournay 'Chelsea' design - LOVE the bold yellow color |
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| de Gournay 'Coutts' design, Bergdorf Goodman Restaurant NYC, design by Kelly Wearstler |
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| de Gournay 'Earlham' design....love how they covered the door as well! |
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| de Gournay 'Jardinieres Citrus Trees' - LOVE the neutral color scheme with pops of bold color! |
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| de Gournay 'Oriental Landscape' design |
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| de Gournay 'Portobello' design, interiors by Remus Interiors |
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| de Gournay 'St. Laurent' design |
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How about a hot relaxing bath in here?
de Gournay 'Temple Newsam' design, Balfour Castle Scotland |
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| de Gournay 'Askew' design, interiors by Alison Henry |
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love the calm, elegant tone of these wall coverings in a neutral color scheme....
de Gournay 'Badminton' design, interiors by Bunny Williams |
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Again, love the mix of traditional wall covering with more modern elements
Bedroom by Miles Redd |
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| Another beautiful bedroom by Miles Redd via Veranda Magazine |
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| AND, another bedroom by Miles Redd via Elle Decor |
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| de Gournay 'Jardinieres Citrus Trees', interiors by Charlotte Moss |
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| Another view of Charlotte Moss's dining room |
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| de Gournay 'Orchids' |
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| de Gournay 'Portobello' design, interiors by Philip Ver Hoeye |
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| Architectural Digest, interiors by Thad Hayes |
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| Another view... |
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| via Architectural Digest, a Paris Apartment Dining Room |
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| Timothy Whealon Swedish inspired |
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| Gracie Wall Covering...Red Cross Palm Beach Showhouse, designer Nancy Pearson |
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| Gracie Wall Covering....interior design by Rinfret |
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| Gracie Wallpaper in Tory Burch's NYC circular Foyer |
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Here, Cote de Texas blogger Joni Webb installed this beautiful paper by yet another source,
Simon Scott in her master bedroom |
And now, a few examples of the gorgeous Zuber murals....
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| A Craftsman using vintage wood block to apply color to Zuber wallpaper |
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| Zuber wallpaper in Brooke Shields NYC apartment, via Architectural Digest |
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| Zuber (or Zuber-like) mural wallcoverings via Architectural Digest |
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| Here, Michael Smith used these beautiful Zuber mural wall coverings in this masculine yet serene bedroom |
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| Zuber Wallpaper (source unknown) |
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| Another Zuber (or Zuber-like) Mural in this dramatic foyer via Architectural Digest |
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| Zuber wallpaper, love the pop of orange in the camel and headpieces... |
“New
York’s Wallpaper to the Stars” – by Gotham Magazine's Suzanne Charle
“We’re
having a ‘moment,’” notes an obviously pleased Mike Gracie, president of Gracie, a fourth
generation New York–based family business, which for decades has created
elegant hand-painted wallpaper for le
tout Manhattan. Sitting in
his office in the D&D Building, Mike motions to the wallpaper,
appropriately named Gracie Square, that serves as a setting for his work. People appreciate the high level of artistry and beautiful details, he
says. One can see why, looking at the finely painted birds and butterflies that
flit among the exuberant flowers, all on a Hermès-like orange background.
The
fashion crowd certainly does. Gracie wallpaper frequently serves as a backdrop
for fashion shoots for top magazines. Tory Burch, who has Gracie wallpaper in
her apartment entryway, chose a pattern inspired by an 18th-century Chinese design for her Spring 2012 runway. Aerin Lauder used Gracie papers
in a display of her jewelry and also papered her dressing room with Gracie
panels; Anna Sui used its designs for the
walls of her Paris apartment.
Of
course, interior designers are Gracie’s main clients-cum-devotees, among them
society designerdoyenne Bunny Williams, David Easton, and Victoria Hagan.
This
“moment” has, in fact, been the culmination of a rather long winning streak:
115 years, to be precise. Charles R. Gracie, a furniture restorer, opened his
studio in 1898, selling architectural moldings made by Italian craftsmen along
with Asian antiques and porcelain to decorate New York society homes. (The firm
continues the tradition by selling fine antiques and porcelain, as well as
lacquered furniture from the Far East.)
The
Asia connection dates to 1927, when an antiques dealer introduced Charles
Gracie to a Chinese business dealing in hand-painted wallpaper that Gracie soon
began collecting. His clientele—the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and Astors as well as the Hollywood
elite—appreciated Gracie’s eye for fine detail, as did their decorators: Elsie
de Wolfe, Dorothy Draper, McMillen Inc., and William Haines.
The
Depression and World War II restricted import, but Gracie resumed business with
the Chinese firm during the postwar years. Today about 100 Chinese artists
paint wallpapers to Gracie’s specifications, creating new works inspired by 18th- and 19th-century Chinese, Japanese, European,
and American scenic wallpaper designs.
Mike
estimates that one 3-by-10-foot panel takes about 75 to 100 man-hours of
painting alone. “Everything is done by hand,” he explains. “But such attention
to detail and demand has its rewards. Business is brisk.”
Most
of Gracie’s work continues to be for private (and not so private)
houses—including the White House, which, as Mike explains, is not surprising.
“George Washington had Chinese hand-painted wallpaper in his home, as did many
of the well-to-do in Colonial America,” a perk of the growing China trade that
was so important to the young country. Generations later, America’s well-heeled
are enjoying a new version of this China trade. D&D
Building, 979 Third Ave., Ste. 1411,
212-924-6816
