My Chinoiserie Chic Home Tour With House Beautiful

In my blue botanical chinoiserie bedroom. Image credit Brent Darby for Hearst Magazines UK

When we moved into our suburban home nine years ago, it hadn’t been touched since it was built in the 50s. Avocado tones, wildly patterned carpets, rice textured wallpaper (on the ceiling!) and small dark rooms were a sight to behold. 

We got the keys when I was 8 months pregnant (as you do) and had an emergency renovation on our hands. We DIY’d our way to an acceptable modern living state, then over the next few years added personal touches like my own hand painted chinoiserie murals.

Related blog post: Painting a chinoiserie nursery - the entire process

It was all perfectly pleasant, but generally too small and the DIY touches were starting to show their cracks! I yearned for a home with clean professional finishes that was flooded with light and decked in my chinoiserie wallpaper and art.

In March 2022 building work began, it was seriously invasive but we were promised just 3 short months for a 5 metre square rear extension, 2 metre square front extension and total renovation of the ground floor.

Eight months later we had our dream home, it took longer than expected and was extremely difficult to live through but the result has transformed our lives. 

Natural light was my top priority when designing our chinoiserie chic family room, as well as feeling connected to the garden. So we created a bright and airy space using full width sliding doors, 3 velux windows and a skylight. We’ve retained privacy by using sheer curtains, made to perfectly fit our space by Jane Clayton, using Harlequin fabric. 

The entire space was planned around my pink framed chinoiserie panels, these artworks took me many months to paint and are available to you as paper and canvas prints. They’re inspired by antique Chinese wallpapers and feature exotic birds, flowers and butterflies. 

Related blog post: The Timeless Allure of Chinoiserie Wallpaper

 They are part of my ‘Faraway Land’ collection of chinoiserie wall panels which I printed onto canvas, mounted on a backing board and framed with a slim gold moulding. 

The floral chinoiserie designs on the wall are echoed in the fabrics on the cushions, which are my own paintings transformed into fabrics by Harlequin.

All I ever wanted was a modern pink kitchen! It’s the heart of our home and a space I feel incredibly thankful for. The tone of pink was very important to me, I wanted it to feel fresh and not overly girly so I opted for a peachy tone. When paired with the brass accents, natural stone and warm wood floor the space feels gorgeously sophisticated.

Prior to the new renovation we’d never had a separate area on the ground floor as everything was open plan, so it felt truly special to design a space just for relaxing. I call it my sanctuary, a cozy living room inspired by classic blue and white chinoiserie decor, with decorative ornaments and a myriad of lighting options.

There’s actually a giant 75” TV nested into the wall just out of shot, as we LOVE watching films as a family, but I also didn’t want it to dominate the room. So I created a statement with the fireplace wall by hanging large framed chinoiserie artworks and decorating with blue and white ginger jars. 

Related blog post: How to make a TV look beautiful in your home! 

The chinoiserie paintings are in fact cut from my Florence wallpaper mural! I chose my favourite two sections of design from the wallpaper and showed my local framer how I’d like them to look. He pasted the wallpaper onto a backing board and framed them with a slim moulding, glass wasn’t needed so it was quite affordable and the result is stunning!

You could even achieve this yourself like home blogger ‘At Home With Ashley’ 

Here’s the digital rendering I put together prior to the building works, it helped me to visualise the space and was how I communicated the artwork size and position to my framer. 

Tip - You can create digital renderings like this using free apps such as Canva!

In the hallway I’ve centred my botanical ‘Lucy’ print above a gorgeous chest of drawers that I found on facebook marketplace. I painted it in a rich green to echo the artwork and changed the handles to add sophistication!

In the cloakroom we opted for the 'Rosa' cherry blossom mural which feels so elegant when combined with the brass accents and feature lighting. The basin surround was custom made by Almaz Worktops from a quartz offcut I found at their yard. 

I wanted the master bedroom to be wallpapered with my 'Florence' chinoiserie mural on all four walls, so I could feel encapsulated in nature and beauty. It really helps to brighten my mood every morning as I feel like I'm waking up to a summer's day all year round! 

To create this design, I took inspiration from antique chinese wallpapers found in national trust houses and added a modern flair by using bright, bold colour. It’s actually the same wallpaper mural I used to create the artworks in the living room, just in a different colour way!

See how I painted this collection of wallpaper and fabric! 

My youngest daughter Bonnie chose a green and white chinoiserie wallpaper and pink floral fabric to decorate her newly extended bedroom. She initially wanted the bold green wallpaper on all four walls, but I convinced her to break it up with this simple stripe which pairs beautifully. 

Related blog post: Our maximalist green and pink chinoiserie room!

The wonderful team at Jane Clayton offer made to measure services for soft furnishings which has been key to me achieving the home of my dreams. Jane Clayton created this Kit Kemp inspired headboard from a sketch I provided, as well as the bespoke cushions using fabrics from my Harlequin collection.

My teenage daughter Rosie is also a fan of my art, so she opted for my cherry blossom wallpaper mural in pink. The design is called ‘Rosa’ and I actually installed this one myself! 

After many months of builders in our house we called it a day and decided to take on this final room as a DIY job. It took a while to actually get round to it, but once I got going the wallpaper was very easy to install, even though it was a first for me!

Related blog post: How To Install A Wallpaper Mural 

The final room to share with you is my creative space, where all the chinoiserie magic happens! This room was built a few years prior to the main renovation when we could see that my business was starting to take off. We converted the attic which was a great use of an otherwise empty space, and the best part is that my morning commute is just a flight of stairs! 

I use the walls in the studio stairway to hang all my artwork, it makes for great storage and also serves as a gallery! 

I hope you enjoyed this tour of my chinoiserie chic home with House Beautiful, you can also watch the video tour on YouTube for an even closer look! 

For more home decor inspiration take a look at my blogs on chinoiserie decorating and grandmillennial style!