Grace Your Interiors With Chic Chinoiserie
This whimsical style has survived the centuries for good reason - it transforms any space into something positively beautiful
Of all the design influences that have filtered into Western interiors from exotic cultures, chinoiserie is one of the oldest and most irresistible. It was sparked by China’s more flexible trade laws after 1684, enabling many Chinese goods to reach Europe. As travellers returned from the East with tales of a faraway land peopled by oddly dressed men and women, strange flora and fauna and architectural curiosities, European designers went wild. Discover the fascinating journey of chinoiserie to the West and see how it lives on with fresh and colourful appeal in today’s homes.
For the love of lattice
Open geometric lattice, copied from Chinese furniture and architecture, pervaded interiors and gardens at the height of Europe’s chinoiserie obsession. The lattice form is at its most elegant and distinctive in the renowned Chinese Chippendale chair. Thomas Chippendale took the arched lattice back, faux-bamboo structure and wide padded seat from Chinese examples and produced it as a carver, side chair and lady’s dressing chair.
Open geometric lattice, copied from Chinese furniture and architecture, pervaded interiors and gardens at the height of Europe’s chinoiserie obsession. The lattice form is at its most elegant and distinctive in the renowned Chinese Chippendale chair. Thomas Chippendale took the arched lattice back, faux-bamboo structure and wide padded seat from Chinese examples and produced it as a carver, side chair and lady’s dressing chair.
After 250 years, the Chinese Chippendale is still going strong. Lattice gives it its light structure and makes it a perfect dining, accent or office chair – it can be easily moved and makes a strong design statement in modern colours and materials. Many variations on the form have appeared, but it is still recognisably Thomas Chippendale’s take on Chinese style.
Whereas Chinese lattice-work carvings and shapes often had symbolic meanings related to wealth, prestige and good fortune, chinoiserie adopted them simply as decorative elements on borders and buildings. Modern chinoiserie follows this path with a light touch, as in the lattice accent on this table.
A passion for porcelain
The story of porcelain is the story of chinoiserie. European efforts to imitate the pure hard translucence of this material spanned many years (this obsession with porcelain is told authoritatively in Edmund de Waal’s recently published The White Road). The blue and white porcelain of the Ming Dynasty was a distinctive feature of chinoiserie and it has never gone out of fashion. It looks as good in modern homes as it did in the palaces and chateaux of Europe.
The story of porcelain is the story of chinoiserie. European efforts to imitate the pure hard translucence of this material spanned many years (this obsession with porcelain is told authoritatively in Edmund de Waal’s recently published The White Road). The blue and white porcelain of the Ming Dynasty was a distinctive feature of chinoiserie and it has never gone out of fashion. It looks as good in modern homes as it did in the palaces and chateaux of Europe.
Bamboo obsession
Bamboo was introduced to Europe in the 1800s. The natural malleable jointed form and tortoise-shell markings were much admired for furniture construction and were simulated in other materials such as European timbers and ceramics.
In the homes and palaces of Europe’s wealthy, bamboo was given a luxurious ambience in gilded metals on mirror and art frames. The so-called ‘faux-bamboo’ look is right on trend today and the rise of ‘bambooism’ in response to sustainability concerns has elevated the look’s popularity.
Bamboo was introduced to Europe in the 1800s. The natural malleable jointed form and tortoise-shell markings were much admired for furniture construction and were simulated in other materials such as European timbers and ceramics.
In the homes and palaces of Europe’s wealthy, bamboo was given a luxurious ambience in gilded metals on mirror and art frames. The so-called ‘faux-bamboo’ look is right on trend today and the rise of ‘bambooism’ in response to sustainability concerns has elevated the look’s popularity.
Sumptuous silk
Silk was a jealously guarded commodity in China for thousands of years, with a death penalty for those smuggling silkworms or cocoons across the border. The famed Silk Road eventually took the valuable fabric westward and introduced Europe to the beauties of silk. With the easing of China’s restrictions on foreign trade in 1684, the use of silk hit an all-time high, especially in hand-painted wallpapers.
There are few fabrics today that come close to the lustre and feel of silk. Pure silk in wallpaper, drapes and upholstery spells instant luxury and holds a hint of the mystique that has attracted the world to chinoiserie for many centuries.
DID YOU KNOW? About 4000 years ago, the Empress Lei Zu was sipping tea beneath a mulberry tree when a cocoon fell into her cup and began to unravel. She was so delighted by the silken thread, she invented the loom, and silk was born.
Silk was a jealously guarded commodity in China for thousands of years, with a death penalty for those smuggling silkworms or cocoons across the border. The famed Silk Road eventually took the valuable fabric westward and introduced Europe to the beauties of silk. With the easing of China’s restrictions on foreign trade in 1684, the use of silk hit an all-time high, especially in hand-painted wallpapers.
There are few fabrics today that come close to the lustre and feel of silk. Pure silk in wallpaper, drapes and upholstery spells instant luxury and holds a hint of the mystique that has attracted the world to chinoiserie for many centuries.
DID YOU KNOW? About 4000 years ago, the Empress Lei Zu was sipping tea beneath a mulberry tree when a cocoon fell into her cup and began to unravel. She was so delighted by the silken thread, she invented the loom, and silk was born.
Exotic pagodas
Another much imitated feature of chinoiserie was the pagoda. To European eyes, the broad upswept eaves of pagodas were intriguing and appeared everywhere from tables, bed canopies, staircases, lights and chests to Chinese garden rooms, gazebos and pavilions.
Another much imitated feature of chinoiserie was the pagoda. To European eyes, the broad upswept eaves of pagodas were intriguing and appeared everywhere from tables, bed canopies, staircases, lights and chests to Chinese garden rooms, gazebos and pavilions.
Pagoda motifs decorated the walls of elaborate ‘Chinese rooms’, a necessity for every grand house in chinoiserie-mad Europe. Today, wallpapers with scenes of pagodas, gardens and Chinese life are still highly popular for those seeking a touch of formality and fantasy.
FUN FACT: The most celebrated British example of chinoiserie is William Chambers’ 10-storey Great Pagoda in London’s Kew Gardens, built in 1762.
FUN FACT: The most celebrated British example of chinoiserie is William Chambers’ 10-storey Great Pagoda in London’s Kew Gardens, built in 1762.
Reimagined birdcages
Keeping songbirds in cages goes back many centuries in China. A prized bird’s cage was an elaborate and luxurious affair, often built as a mini-pagoda. Gilded or bamboo birdcages, carved and inset with ivory and gems, were features of 18th-century European chinoiserie. Minus the poor bird and harmful ivory, birdcages serve as graceful table centrepieces, candle holders and plant hangers.
Keeping songbirds in cages goes back many centuries in China. A prized bird’s cage was an elaborate and luxurious affair, often built as a mini-pagoda. Gilded or bamboo birdcages, carved and inset with ivory and gems, were features of 18th-century European chinoiserie. Minus the poor bird and harmful ivory, birdcages serve as graceful table centrepieces, candle holders and plant hangers.
Screens with scenes
Hand-painted screens, depicting scenes of Chinese life, pagodas, gardens and men and women in richly embroidered robes, gave Europeans an idealised snapshot of an idyllic and leisurely oriental existence. These characters appeared in many fabrics and ceramics produced in Europe’s chinoiserie period.
Chinese screens can serve as decorative features on large walls, taking the place of wallpaper or a bedhead. They are also a decorative and practical way of temporarily sectioning off open-plan spaces for a more intimate feel, and provide an elegant talking point at the same time.
Hand-painted screens, depicting scenes of Chinese life, pagodas, gardens and men and women in richly embroidered robes, gave Europeans an idealised snapshot of an idyllic and leisurely oriental existence. These characters appeared in many fabrics and ceramics produced in Europe’s chinoiserie period.
Chinese screens can serve as decorative features on large walls, taking the place of wallpaper or a bedhead. They are also a decorative and practical way of temporarily sectioning off open-plan spaces for a more intimate feel, and provide an elegant talking point at the same time.
Lacquered finishes
The Chinese had long been masters of indestructible lacquer finishes and, as Chinese articles flooded into Europe, craftsmen began imitating the look and applying it to furniture, often ornately painted in black, gold, blue and red.
This contemporary simple clean-lined cabinet in a brilliant lacquer sheen with gold details has nailed the chinoiserie look without overwhelming the space.
The Chinese had long been masters of indestructible lacquer finishes and, as Chinese articles flooded into Europe, craftsmen began imitating the look and applying it to furniture, often ornately painted in black, gold, blue and red.
This contemporary simple clean-lined cabinet in a brilliant lacquer sheen with gold details has nailed the chinoiserie look without overwhelming the space.
Curious creatures
Travellers returning from the East brought back stories and descriptions of animals never dreamt of in the refined salons of Europe. The dragon of Chinese mythology embodied everything fanciful and strange about the East and Europeans went dragon-crazy.
DID YOU KNOW? The 80 gilded wooden dragons that embellished the Kew Gardens Great Pagoda mysteriously disappeared around 1780. They’ll roar again in 2017 when they will be replicated and replaced.
Travellers returning from the East brought back stories and descriptions of animals never dreamt of in the refined salons of Europe. The dragon of Chinese mythology embodied everything fanciful and strange about the East and Europeans went dragon-crazy.
DID YOU KNOW? The 80 gilded wooden dragons that embellished the Kew Gardens Great Pagoda mysteriously disappeared around 1780. They’ll roar again in 2017 when they will be replicated and replaced.
Among the mythical beasts that arrived in Europe via travellers’ tales were the legendary guardian lions or ‘foo dogs’. In China, foo dogs at your gate denoted a home worthy of protection, and they became part of the chinoiserie craze for their grotesque and ferocious oddity. Many homes sport foo dogs today, not always guarding the gates, but in eclectic displays as bookends or flanking a fireplace.
TIP: Foo dogs come in male/female pairs – don’t separate them and put the male, with a ball under his paw, on the right, and the female, holding a cub, on the left, lest bad luck befall you.
TIP: Foo dogs come in male/female pairs – don’t separate them and put the male, with a ball under his paw, on the right, and the female, holding a cub, on the left, lest bad luck befall you.
Introduced to Europe from China around the 14th century, koi are loaded with Chinese symbolism, denoting almost everything – longevity, vigilance, prosperity, happiness and life force. They are an enduring motif in modern interiors for their grace and colourful patterns, particularly in wallpapers and fabrics. In this light, bright and whimsical room, ceramic koi cascade down the wall, hopefully bringing all the blessings of the symbolic fish.
Floral fantasies
Chinese flora, especially blossoms, peonies, lotus and chrysanthemums, caught the eye of European designers and artists and they remain favourite motifs today to add delicate and colourful chinoiserie accents to wallpapers and fabrics.
TELL US
Have a look around your home and tell us if you spot anything that has been inspired by the chinoiserie craze. Share with us in the Comments section.
MORE
In Vogue: Bolts of Blue
Flower Power: How to Make Florals Work in Any Room
Words of Warning: How to Avoid Getting Patterned Wallpaper Wrong
Chinese flora, especially blossoms, peonies, lotus and chrysanthemums, caught the eye of European designers and artists and they remain favourite motifs today to add delicate and colourful chinoiserie accents to wallpapers and fabrics.
TELL US
Have a look around your home and tell us if you spot anything that has been inspired by the chinoiserie craze. Share with us in the Comments section.
MORE
In Vogue: Bolts of Blue
Flower Power: How to Make Florals Work in Any Room
Words of Warning: How to Avoid Getting Patterned Wallpaper Wrong
Europe’s chinoiserie was opulent and showy, somewhat at odds with today’s more understated design aesthetic. In a modern context, subtlety is the secret to employing chinoiserie successfully - a beautiful jar or bowl, delicately-blossomed wallpaper or bright lacquered cabinet can inspire elegant, luxurious and timeless interiors.