Blue and white Chinese porcelain is everywhere these days and although it has all the characteristics of a trend, it is also a timeless decorative element that’s been around for centuries. The difference is that in the past it only graced the shelves of grand houses and knowledgeable collectors. Unfortunately, truly antique Chinese porcelain, and we’re talking 100+ years old pieces, are rare and therefore command a serious price tag, as witnessed by this incredible story of someone finding a $35 blue and white bowl at a yard sale, a bowl that turned out to be a fine 15th-century piece that later sold at auction for over $700,000. 

Update: Our Café Design blogging schedule will continue as usual. Thank you so much for your kind words and support!

Writing this blog for five years has been an incredible journey, one that has brought me much joy in the process. I treasure each and every one of you as readers and am grateful beyond measure for your showing up here weekly, and for leaving the kindest messages a blogger can wish for. Thank you! But for some time now I’ve been feeling a tangible need to help and do more. There are many ways my family and I do that in our private lives, but professionally I have yet to create my own little universe. After studying interior design in San Francisco and writing this blog for so long, I’ve received many requests along the way from friends, family and blog readers seeking decorating advice and I did my best to take on those projects that felt “right”.

As you may or may not know, over the last year and a half my husband and I have been working steadily on updating our little Cape Cod style cottage. Then the pandemic hit and finding contractors and landscapers available in our small town has been nearly impossible. The home improvement business is booming right now and everyone’s working on their home, it seems, and that’s a wonderful thing. Home is sacred. 

Can you pass up a beautiful antique? I cannot, and I blame my grandmother for it, really. She was an antiques dealer and had a restoration shop for a good number of years and I grew up by her side, visiting grand houses in my hometown, looking at and buying interesting old furniture. I think it’s those happy memories that have shaped my love for antiques. I get a visceral reaction whenever I see a beautiful piece, it feels like falling in love…  Over the years, especially since moving to New England, I’ve fallen in love one too many times, and I now have quite a collection of old pieces and beautiful items that I sadly have no place for in our tiny home. The way I figured I had two options- store them in our basement and let them wither and decay, just because I love them and cannot part with them easily; or set them free and let these pieces bring someone else joy, and make someone else’s home beautiful. I chose the latter. I created a Chairish account where I now list my darling pieces one by one. I’m not a professional seller, I’m just a girl who can’t pass up a good antique and I think it’s time to face the music. 

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As much as we love color, there is no denying that neutral rooms can be just as complex and beautiful as those with a more daring palette. There are a few things that help neutral color schemes from falling flat and for me it’s all about contrast and variety. Contrast between darker and lighter hues, and a variety in finishes and textures. When working with a restricted palette, whether by choice or by necessity (the client’s wishes for instance), I think it helps to create tension by mixing in different elements that enhance each other: wood and metal, old and new, linen and velvet, woven finishes and more polished surfaces… When all the senses are engaged, the room becomes sensorial and interesting regardless of color palette, as witnessed by these beautiful rooms we’ve all admired over the years.