Tabulous Design

Getting The Blues: Chinoiserie Blue

June 22, 2017

By Tab Byrum

If I lived in a large home I would devote one room to Chinoiserie, which is defined as “the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, literature, theater, and music.” There’s something about the look at that appeals to me greatly. I think it’s the use of nature in their designs of pottery, china, wallpaper, and other decorative objects. Probably the best known Chinoiserie decorative product is Blue and White porcelain, I’ve discussed Blue Transferware before and Delft Pottery after our trip last year to Amsterdam and the Netherlands, but today I want to look at Chinoiserie Blue as part of our look at decorating with different shades of Blue. Chinoiserie Blue has a distinct feel to it, it’s very natural as far as the decorations used in Chinoiserie since of course nature is very important in Asia. Chinoiserie is also known for its use of scenes depicting life, whether it’s everyday life or life in a royal palace. Join me for a look at Chinoiserie Blue and how you can do a little or a lot to enhance your home and its decor. Enjoy!!! (above image via)

May 11, 2017

By Tab Byrum

Interior designers are always a great source for new products, they always have wonderful ideas swirling around in their minds and I have to say I love these new “creations” from the design mind of British designer Lee Broom and his collaboration with British icon Wedgewood. The collection is made up of four pieces, 2 lidded pieces, an open vase and a bowl. The pieces are done in a classic black and white stripes, which were initially done in the 18th century by Wedgewood on their Panther vase, in classical shapes, done in the past by Wedgewood, with a modern twist using colorful spheres on three of them and a blue base on one. I definitely have to do more research and prepare a more in-depth post on Lee Broom the designer but for now, take a peek at all of the beautiful pieces from his collaboration with Wedgewood, Enjoy!!

April 18, 2017

By Tab Byrum

Tomorrow I’m heading to New York City for a few days, I’ll give you more details on the trip tomorrow, but I thought today we would look at one of my favorite NYC artists/shopkeepers, John Derian. Derian is known for his wonderful decoupage art, all his decoupage is done in his New York studio using images he reproduces from his large collection of vintage prints, all the images are transferred to handblown glass. John Derian’s images come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes including ovals, round, rectangles, and multi-piece wall hangings. I have a couple of the smaller trays and paperweights he’s created but I aspire to one of the multi-piece wall hangings. Today I want to share some of the newer pieces since we last checked in on John Derian, I love his use of florals, animals, and especially the more “unique” pieces such as the multi-piece skeleton wall hanging. I hope you like the work of John Derian as much as I do and remember you can see his work here and order online if you can’t make it to New York. Enjoy!!! ( above image Roses III)

August 15, 2016

By Tab Byrum

It’s always impossible to visit and see everything you want to do on your first visit to a new city or country, one thing I wanted to do was visit the city of Delft in the Netherlands but we just couldn’t squeeze it in. Lucky for us though there are several shops in Amsterdam that sell the beautiful blue and white creations from the city of Delft. Delft pottery is also known as Delft Blue, it’s made by applying a white glaze to pottery pieces then painting designs with metal oxides that turn blue when exposed to high heat in a kiln. I was amazed at the different price ranges on pottery, one shop we were in had a vase that had the clerk say sold for over ten-thousand euros and we saw some pieces to hang on the wall that were priced at eighteen-thousand euros, then there were smaller pieces for five and ten euros. The pieces are beautiful and brighten any space they’re in, especially the tiles that depict scenes of Dutch life. Here’s a peek at Delft Blue, Enjoy!!! (above image via)

August 11, 2016

By Tab Byrum

Yesterday we took a look at some British offerings from One Kings Lane leading up to my post about our day at Stonehenge and in Bath, today we are going to look at what’s available as far as a Paris theme leading up to a post about our day trip to Paris. French furniture and accessories always have a special feel to them and they definitely add that bit of something extra to any look or decor. I love the colors that the French use, especially in antiques, that soft French Blue, yellow, and all the earth tones, and of course they’re known for their use of bright colors in artwork and posters. One Kings Lane has a great selection of merchandise from France on their website, here’s a quick look and check back later this morning for a look at our One Day In Paris. Enjoy!!! ( above is View of Paris in oil)

July 5, 2016

By Tab Byrum

Don’t you love stumbling onto a new website or catalog that is full of fun and interesting finds? That’s how I felt recently about Kaufmann Mercantile, I was looking for a chair I saw advertised in a magazine and found the treasure trove that’s Kaufmann Mercantile. KM sells beautiful and simply elegant handmade furniture that comes in black walnut and white oak, there’s also a selection of beautiful dishes and their signature candle line made up simply of three scents, and their premium line of leather travel goods. Kaufmann Mercantile also features a wide array of merchandise from other artisans and manufacturers, including items for camping, the office, the kitchen, and grooming. Today I’m going to share a few of the interesting finds I made, check them out yourself and see all the wonderful made in America merchandise at Kaufmann Mercantile, Enjoy!!!

June 8, 2016

By Tab Byrum

Hot Summer days mean wanting to get cool and lots of time that means getting in the water and today we are using that for inspiration as we check out some of the newest additions to tabletop at Pottery Barn. Whether it’s being on the water and focusing on boats and everything nautical that goes with them or being in the water and focusing on all the creatures dwelling below the depths, Pottery Barn has some awesome plates and serving pieces. Any and all of these pieces will be perfect in a house on the beach by the sea or your family’s lake house. In the meantime, I’ll get the shrimp and crab legs and you set the table. Enjoy!!!

June 7, 2016

By Tab Byrum

I grew up using placemats on the kitchen and dining table and it’s something I still do today in my own home. Placemats are great because they keep the table from getting scratched, catch spills or drips off the plate and I like how they “define” your space at the table. I have seen paper placemats around for quite a while but decided to do a post on them after seeing some of the latest designs from Plat du Jour. Plat du Jour says they have “fresh, modern, and iconic designs for the table,” with the designs ranging from elegant mats done in antique china patterns to ones decorated with simple black silhouettes. Plat du Jour placemats are perfect for however many people you’re feeding or entertaining and when you’re done just gather them up and toss them in the recycling bin, Plat du Jour also has selections in matching cups, trays, place cards, and napkins but we’ll save those for another day. Check out some of the awesome designs here and visit the Plat du Jour website to see all their offerings, Enjoy!!!

May 31, 2016

By Tab Byrum

I’m very excited about today’s post, it’s my first post for a collaboration I’m doing with At Home. If you’re not familiar with At Home they are a Texas based company with large stores across the country filled with merchandise focusing on what you need to live in and love your home both inside and outside. I’m one of the several bloggers chosen by At Home to work with them, every month they’ll be giving us a choice of challenges, we choose a challenge and make it happen using products from their “aisles and aisles of style”. For my first challenge, I chose outdoor entertaining. I went to my local At Home store and found tons of merchandise I can use to freshen up a friends patio and help them throw a little party. I settled on a color theme of blue and green and as you’ll see from the pictures today it turned out great, join me for a tour of the punched up patio and get a small taste of all the great things available at At Home, Enjoy!!!

May 25, 2016

By Tab Byrum

I was recently in a culinary store here in Oklahoma City and as is often the case I was looking for one thing and found something completely different, the “Crumpled” collection from Revol. In the store they were showing the coffee and tea cups, I went on the Revol website and found a few more items as well as more uses for their cute cups besides hot beverages. Revol is a family owned porcelain company that’s been making beautiful and fun creations since 1768. I think I definitely need a few of the Crumpled Cups, I love the idea of individual desserts in them, Enjoy!!!

'Dishes and China'

Getting The Blues: Chinoiserie Blue

June 22, 2017

By Tab Byrum

Wedgewood Collection by Lee Broom

May 11, 2017

By Tab Byrum

John Derian 2017

April 18, 2017

By Tab Byrum

Delft Blue

August 15, 2016

By Tab Byrum

French At One Kings Lane

August 11, 2016

By Tab Byrum

Good Stuff @ Kaufmann Mercantile

July 5, 2016

By Tab Byrum

Under and On The Sea @ Pottery Barn

June 8, 2016

By Tab Byrum

Setting The Table With Plat du Jour

June 7, 2016

By Tab Byrum

At Home and Outdoor Entertaining

May 31, 2016

By Tab Byrum

Getting Crumpled @ Revol

May 25, 2016

By Tab Byrum

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