Hi Everyone,
Hope y’all are having a good week! I am hanging in there and riding the reno-wave.
Tomorrow, I have to meet with another structural engineer to look at the wall I was told by contractor #1 I didn’t need to have looked at.
However, let’s bring our focus to Ralph Lauren. I’ve long been a fan of his collected, elegant style. A few years ago, I saw this room vignette that feels like Ralph Lauren, but with a newer side to his style that’s timeless and refreshing.
Maybe it’s the green. If you love green and white rooms, please go to this post.
I love the crisp wallpaper design and the white upholstered or slip-covered upholstery. All of that is juxtaposed against rich dark wood, a warm natural fiber rug, and highlighted by accents of gold and black and lovely accessories.
You are busy, so I’ll just cut to the chase.
I tried with all my might to find that beautiful wallpaper. I came up with it all right; however, despite some false promises, it was discontinued.
Ralph Lauren Tea House Floral Racing Green
I don’t get it. Ralph Lauren should discontinue EVERYTHING else and only make this one slice of perfection. Alas, no one listens to me. haha. It’s gone, and so we’ll have to see what else we can come up with.
One brand always comes to mind when I think of Chinoiserie wall murals. And that’s the exquisite Gracie wallpaper.
Mark D. Sikes uses Gracie frequently, as well.
A Gracie Beauty by Laura Tutun
And, then, I remembered another green Gracie paper.
Mark’s sensational bedroom with green and white (mostly) Gracie wallpaper that he did for last year’s Kips Bay Showhouse in New York City. Actually, it looks a little darker here than in most photos.
And, I love this paper here.
But, it’s not that deep saturated green like in the Ralph Lauren original Room.
Another amazing photo found @younghuh – via instagram – Taken at the Ralph Lauren Home Showroom in High Point. Apparently, Younghuh adores it too!
If you read the comments on Younghuh’s instagram linked to above, you’ll SEE just how much people are dying over that discontinued wallpaper/fabric. I still can’t believe they discontinued it!
Although…
The scale looks awfully huge in the photo above.
Above is another image from the showroom at High Point taken by Monica from Monica Wants It.
Could it be that this is the same pattern, but that this was hand-painted by an artist for their showroom? And, in a larger scale?
I think so. The vertical repeat on the fabric is about four feet, and we’re looking at more than that. Well, now I feel a little better.
And, I’m thinking of Maura Endres’ dining room with her stunning hand-painted mural. And maybe the answer is a hand-painted wall. But, that requires a lot of effort, TIME, and some talent. That is unless you can afford to hire an artist to do it.
However, the wallpaper is the pivotal piece of this room.
It is the star of the show. Without the star, there is no show. So, we need to try and find something equally stunning.
Fortunately, there are some wonderful, more affordable options. Please note I didn’t say they are cheap. They are more affordable.
One suggestion I have to save money, and it’s a great look, is to do the panels with several inches of the painted wall in between. This way, you get a break in the paper, and you can also save yourself the cost of several panels.
In addition, in the intervening years since I first tried to come up with a good substitute, I have discovered some beautiful alternatives to the discontinued Ralph Lauren Wallpaper.
First up is this lovely Chinoiserie wallpaper from Tempaper.
I first saw these removable wallpapers at the High Point Market several years ago, and they are lovely.
However, there are some gorgeous new wallpaper murals at the Mural Source!
Mughal Garden – designer – Ariel Okin – The Mural Source
Look at all of those beautiful panels!
Please also check out the gorgeous Instagram account of the Mural Source. If you scroll down, you’ll see my New York bedroom!
There is a cool widget coming up with many furnishings, including more Chinoiserie murals, and one I found that’s very close.
Aside from the white upholstered sofas, the furniture is an eclectic mix but has some British Colonial East Indies style pieces.
Or, sometimes called Anglo-Indian style. That means most of the wood is mahogany and has a fairly dark stain. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t throw in a painted piece and definitely need some gold accents.
Above and below are two other Ralph Lauren spaces to give you an idea of what I’m talking about. Most of Ralph’s rooms have this influence.
Above from the Ralph Lauren Men’s shop in NYC
As you can see, Ralph used the number one sofa; that’s an enduring classic. The English roll arm in a white fabric. Definitely, it can be a performance fabric or even a slipcovered sofa. Remember the pretty one in this post that’s super inexpensive?
For other less expensive pieces, this is an entire post of inexpensive sofas and chairs. That’s one of my favorite posts.
Do I frequently say, “It’s one of my favorite posts?” haha.
That’s because I have dozens of favorites!
Next in price is the Carlisle series of sofas and chairs from Pottery Barn.
If you don’t know, PBs upholstery is ALL made in the USA now, so the quality is much better than the PB of yore.
Here, you’ll also find lots of customization possibilities with fabric as well as a feather-down insert option. And, for a made-to-order custom sofa, the prices are very reasonable.
However, if you have a little more to spend, I would definitely go with a Serena and Lily sofa and chair. One of the Miramar sofas is a good option if you want a beautiful English roll-arm style. Lee Industries make them.
There are some lovely natural fiber rugs in the widget, but these on Overstock are well-priced.
One last thing I want to point out is the sconces. Finding these sconces is difficult, at least for a reasonable price. I love the ones that Furlow Gatewood, John Rosselli, and Bunny Williams use in many of their projects.
The best Anglo-Indian sconces I’ve found online are on 1st Dibs.
Below is a mini widget with some of my favorites. Please click on any image for more information.
Below is in the manner of Ralph Lauren widget inspired by the room with the wonderful Chinoiserie wall mural.
And well, a lot of his other rooms, as well, that I’ve seen over the years.
Many of the items are currently on sale. Some items are expensive, but if they are on here, it’s because I think they’re amazing. I could pin these images every day for an entire year! Most things are relatively inexpensive or at least moderately priced. You can click on any of the images for more info. Please also look in all of the hot sales widgets for other items in the manner of Ralph Lauren.
Hope you’re as inspired as I am by the influence Ralph Lauren has had on our tastes for many decades.
If you are, you’ll also love another favorite post featuring Ralph Lauren Palazzo styled by the fabulously talented Steve Cordony.
xo,
PS: Please check out the newly updated HOT SALES!
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All you need to do is click this link and forget about it if you’re not ready to shop now.
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48 Responses
I got very lucky recently. I found a sofa on craigslist very much like that pair of rattan chippendale club chairs for only $400. The seller was a classic furniture lover who was moving. I love it.
Any thoughts on the “peel and stick” papers I’m seeing everywhere? There’s some great pattern, but hesitant to but. Thanks
Hi Lizo,
I’ve never used it, but the Tempaper papers are beautiful. You know, I’d always have a pro put up any wallpaper, unless you’re super good at that sort of thing. I am not. The point of it, is it’s not permanent.
Sigh. Ralph Lauren does it right. So gorgeous. I would love to see his showroom home in high point you mentioned. That green makes me drool with wanting it somewhere in the house. I’m old enough to remember going to Fern bars, and the dark green walls, dark wood, with gold/brass metal fixtures and plants is still a look I love.
So, I was super-confused by all the comments from 2019, thought I’d gone back in time, like my kids are always trying to do! 🤣😍
I’ve been carefully graphine my living room/dining room, and cutting up little pieces of graph paper “furniture” to plan the rooms. (I tried picmonkey, but I’m really old-fashioned – I use paper and sitting on the floor to figure things out!)
Can’t thank you enough, Laurel, for hammering home exact measurements before decorating!!! I could have sworn a 9 x 12 rug would work, but eyeballing has me looking at a 6 x 9. We have the option of flipping our two rooms, and based on function, I’m excited to make the house more pleasant & usable (thanks also to the Doneanddone decluttering course by Kate & Ann!)
Thanks again, Laurel, for all the inspiration and knowledge. I recommend your blog often!
Happy reno-days!
Hi Gabrielle,
For years, I’ve wanted to remove the dates from the post URLs. At this point, many of the posts are new versions of old posts. Some of them have as much as 95% new content, but the updates are always significant and sometimes take as long as the first go-around. However, Google wants to see up-to-date content and so do people doing searches.
Before Tim removed the dates from all the URLs, I was still updating posts, but in that case, had to start over and then once the new version was published, I had to do something called a 301 redirect. I have a plugin that helps me with that. However, over the last six years or so since I’ve been updating old posts, it created a lot of problems which I won’t go into, because I probably lost you six sentences ago. haha
The upshot is that you’re likely to get the old comments as well as the updated post. This is also beneficial, because sometimes the comments are better than the post! If I have a chance and some of the comments are related to something not current, I’ll delete them.
Hi Laurel! I am building a house and am having to select trim soon. I see your guidance regarding height/width for baseboards, crown moulding, etc. based on ceiling height (all in a nice, handy chart form), but I can’t seem to find any guidance from you regarding sizing for window and door casing. Have you covered this previously and I just can’t find it? Help!
Hi Sharon,
I haven’t talked specifically about door and window casings, (trim.) However, a wonderful resource for trim is Kuiken Brothers, in New Jersey. Their website is fantastic and they have trim packages for rooms with all ceiling heights. Of course, you don’t have to get their moulding. However, the sizes they’ve selected are great.
I had my head in wallpaper books most of the winter and spring. The home store near us had a huge collection of Anna French wallpaper books. Worth checking out.
Reminds me, Laurel, Just between us girls, did I ever tell you of my long-time love affair with Ralph Lauren…(design)? : ) Whether, fashion, interiors, accessories, architecture, locale, … whatever. Even now at 85 y/o, it all still takes my breath away. btw, Enjoy following your reno progress. I’ve saved your long ago “rendering” of the entry/kitchen. Love the whole thing…your blog, too, so Thanks!
I love you Laurel, you are just the best!
Oh, thank you Jessica! That just made my day! xoxo
The Irving chairs upolstered chairs were made in China and the quality is embarrassing. Mostly because I accepted it. As for the Jake sofa legs, they invert because the place they attach under sofa is not flat so we put washers between the legs and sofa frame to balance and flatten out the connection. The back sofa cushions are half leather and half black fabric therefore they can not be flipped. On a positive note the sofa fits perfectly in a very unusual configured living space where I did not want to block the view. Now I must get back to reading your post on timeless kitchens! Let’s hope I can tackle my next project well.
Hi Jean,
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Laurel, you’re the rock star of interior design!!! I’d love to read more posts about rock bottom prices… or rock moldings refresh post. Sorry for too many rock, I’m drinking coffee and super excited to see your blog post
Thank you so much Val!
Sorry, I meant Hegemone not Wisteria! Their new website is :-/
Oh, I haven’t seen their new website, I don’t think. I’ll have to check it out.
These walls reminded me a bit like Farrow & Ball Wisteria in the Vardo version, but I know teal is a long way from hunter green :-). Still their papers have that lovely painted quality.
Yes, I love their wallpaper and did the Ringwold pattern a number of times.
Hey! I ordered hand painted silk wallpaper through a company called Griffin & Wong. I think I found them through Pinterest. When you order from them you are buying direct from a workshop in China. The price was approximately 1/3 the price of a paper bought through Gracie or De Gourney. The communication was good. I received a fan deck on the front end, and some large sized samples. The colors are based on Benjamin Moore paints. The basic process is that silk is layered over paper, painted, a basic design is block printed onto the paper and then all the details are added by hand. I ended up very happy with my wallpaper, and it blows people away. As a caveat however, you need to price the installation of the paper before you buy it. This is not normal installation, especially if you have a backing put on so that you can remove the paper later if you ever want to move. The paper comes slightly too wide and needs to be professionally trimmed. And, the design is specific to each wall, so they have to be installed in order. There is no repeat. The cost of the installation was significant. You can avoid that if you buy a regular paper. However, if you are dying for that truly custom handpainted look, companies like this will bring it into the realm of a possible splurge.
Hi Elizabeth,
I do know of Griffin & Wong and featured them in this post from over five years ago!
Thank you too, for the information.
There are a lot of sources for Chinoiserie wallpaper which I think I linked to. One of course, is Mural Sources. It’s not hand-printed, but the quality is beyond superb. So clear, and the colors. Plus the paper feels and looks like silk.
Another hand-painted source that I’ve seen for YEARS but know nothing about first or secondhand is YR Mural. However, since they’ve been in business for quite a while, I imagine that they’re doing something right.
However, none of these are quite like Gracie. If you put them side-by-side, you’ll see the difference. It’s not that the others are bad, just different. Less painterly than most of the Gracie patterns. Painterly, as in a looser, quality, not necessarily more detail.
Laurel, as you mention RL sheets; I do not know if all their bedding is made in China or they have a high and low end but a reversible (king size) comforter of theirs that I purchased a few years ago, was definitely made in China according to its tag. To elaborate; I purchased it namely because I loved the fabric and wanted to make Roman Shades and its wider width was a plus (no seaming) however when taking it apart I discovered how poorly it was made as its construction wasn’t the best compared to the quality of the fabric itself. -Brenda-
P.S.: It took me about 30 minutes maximum to take out all the stitching.
Well, in your case, the loose stitches worked out well.
Actually, Laurel, I do like the wall treatment, and I was not implying that it’s less beautiful than the Mark Sikes wallpaper. I agree with your remark about lots of interruptions and architectural features, and about restraint. I think the scheme would be lovely, but if you’re hooked on decorating, your ideas might move on too fast for the “investment” in this — and the discipline required to make it work.
What really prompted my call for prudence is that in 2015 I saw a pic of a stunning kitchen with dark green cabinets (glass-fronted uppers), black soapstone counters, wood floor and lots of copper. Absolutely beautiful. But it didn’t take long to think that I don’t want to be stunned by my kitchen, just by the food I cook in it!
Hi Gilly,
The solution, I think, is to have two houses. lol
I love your honest, fun and real blogs. Glad i found your site while researching colors. November 2018 I finally ordered pottery barn furniture. Finally, because I could finally afford it and I’ve loved their furnishing for 30 years! Yep, I know I’m using the word finally, correctly! The quality is horrible. The two chairs I ordered are not made in USA and have serious issues. The jake sofa legs invert and the cushions were stated to be down filled are not (unless you count the back cushion). PB gave me $300.00 off the chairs price due to lumpy upholstery, gaps between back and arms etc. Since I had company coming and had sold all my previous furniture to make room, I accepted it. Live and learn. My opinion of Pottery Barn quality has changed dramatically and I just had to put my two cents in.
Hi Jean,
Oh gosh. I’m so sorry. I did look up the Jake leather furniture. I’m curious what is meant by inverted legs. They are steel and shouldn’t be moving. Maybe they were attached incorrectly? They other thing is, leather furniture sometimes takes some time to “break in.” I can’t say if that’s the case here, however. Apparently, most of their leather furniture is still imported. Their carlisle sofa is made here in leather. But as far as I know, all of their fabric upholstered furniture is constructed here.
Laurel, the British racing green fabric is still available at patio lane for $86 per yard.
Yes, I saw that too, but my guess is that they haven’t updated their system. None of these places stock fabrics. So, if it’s discontinued at one source and not available at another. (Decorator’s Best), I’m 99.9% sure that Patio Lane doesn’t have it either. But, if it was for a client, you’d be sure that I’d be on the horn asap with them. I’ve been through this before. Too many times. sigh…
Check out BallandBall.com for reproduction sconces at much better price point than $2000!
Thanks so much Melissa. I don’t know if you realize that those are the real-deal antique sconces and thus do have greater value. Still, I think that price is a little high like everything on First Dibs.
And the other thing is, I have not seen any reproductions of that type of sconce. Alas, not at Ball and Ball either, unless I missed it. My favorite source for lighting of this nature is also one of my favorite < a href=”https://laurelberninteriors.com/laurels-rolodex/” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>Laurel’s Rolodex sources which I’ve used dozens of times, is Authentic Designs, located in West Rupert, VT. It’s a family business and they are absolutely fabulous to work with. Can’t recommend them highly enough.
They have a huge selection and they do custom-work too. Could they are Ball and Ball make this type of sconce? Maybe, but theirs are quite a bit different from anything they already are making. Maybe there’s a repro source in England.
Silly me, I shouldn’t have even asked since I’m not doing a room (but when/if I do I would need a blue the depth of the actual green). You’ve trained us well,so I know where to look…I was just being lazy, I guess. It’s not that you’re busy or anything like that, is it! Your blog added to a very pleasant Sunday. Thanks!
It’s okay. It was a looooooong day yesterday.
That room with the racing green wall covering is stunning! I just adore Ralph Lauren’s design sensibility. I bought two of his Daniela crystal table lamps a few years ago after lusting after them for years, and I’m so glad I did. I can’t help but wonder why that particular color would be discontinued. Perhaps it didn’t sell very well. Thanks for the pretty post, Laurel.
Hi Lisa,
Well, I’m finding it hard to believe that the other colorways sell better. The only thing might be that the green was sooo popular that they ran out of it and for whatever reason are no longer working with that mill or decided not to continue manufacturing it. So, it’s not that the other colors are better, it’s that they still have some yards left in stock.
Oops! Forgot to ask: What “blue” paint color comparable the to RL wallpaper green would you suggest? Thanks!
Hi Gloria,
I’m smiling because there are so many! And, it wouldn’t be prudent to blindly recommend specific colors. That’s because I could throw one out and it might be a terrible choice for you. There are a lot of posts here which suggest some beautiful deep blues. Maybe if you do a search for dark blue or navy, you’ll find them. There’s a little box in the side bar.
And then, there’s the Laurel Home Paint and Palette Collection. There are many beautiful shades of blue from light to dark in the collection.
Oh, Laurel. I want to hug your neck for this trip to (my idea of) decorating heaven…sheer heaven! You’re something else! (btw: I referred your blog to a decorator this week. She will be glad!) 😉
Thank you so much! I really felt like I was walking a tightrope with this one. Ahhh… but that IS the real life of an interior designer/decorator. Fortunately, in this case, it’s only my face I was hoping to save. haha.
saw some killer wallpaper in latest issue of H.B. magazine; looks like gray storm clouds. Cost? $250/roll. Fancy designer name starting with the letter F that has those dishes with the faces on them….
Hi Susie,
That would be Fornasetti. Yes, his stuff is quite fanciful and is sold through Cole & Son.
Amazing post!!! Superb! I have always wondered about these sconces too. They are beautiful. I’m wondering about Ralph Lauren furnishings… if they’re made in China or am I nuts
Hi Lisa,
As far as I know, E.J. Victor, is the exclusive licensee and manufacturer Ralph Lauren Furniture. The furniture is all manufactured in North Carolina. The accessories and more moderate end part of the operation, like sheets, etc. I don’t know. I’d have to research that.
Laurel I LOVE this post! Ralph is my fave home designer ever, i always keep him in mind when trying to decorate. Have you been to his polo bar in the city? Omg it’s gorgeous!!!
Also, how funny, I JUST yesterday ordered a PB SECTIONAL (ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!) and drooled heavily over the Carlisle, literally drooled. But alas, my husband wanted more casual for the family room
so we went with the Pearce roll arm, he let me pick the fabric at least (white sunbrella). I was super super anti PB until I happened to watch one of their videos and learned all their furniture is made here in North Carolina. Yeah!!
Another high-low RL option: Pb Caden equestrian ottoman— gives that RL feel and is priced at $1,100 but has 25% off this month.
Ps I think you’ll be quite happy with my new kitchen results!! It’s all done:-)
Thanks so much Heidi! And no, for others reading this, Heidi doesn’t work for me! lol
If you’re really desperate to get this room, I think painting the walls, using about 4-6 stencils (and not huge ones), could do the trick. Paint the wall an ivory white, cut the stencils with extreme care, in order to use the cut-outs as well as the stencils. Working in panels, arrange the stencil cutouts, fix with spray adhesive, paint the walls the dark green. Remove the cut-outs. Go on to the next panel. Leave it all to dry. Then go over the whole lot, this time positioning the stencils, and paint with the ivory and then pale grey shadows on the flowers etc freehand. Bingo!
But before you invest time and effort in this, a few remarks. The original room works because the walls are the only patterned surface in the place. Notice: no cushions! You also need a hot climate, large windows with outside slatted shutters and the British-in-India furniture, all white upholstery, appropriate accessories and not very many of them. And no tweaking by adding stuff later — when it’s done it’s done, finished.
Finally, it’s stunning because the print is over-sized — put Mark Sikes’ beautiful green wallpaper there instead and it doesn’t work the same. Question, how long will you love being stunned every time you walk in?
Hi Gilly,
I gather that you’re not too fond of this wall treatment. :] I think for it to be successful, it needs lots of interruptions with windows and other architectural features. And yes, you’re right no pillows. That’s another thing that’s special about this room.
Restraint. I think that’s probably one of the most difficult things to achieve. Darryl Carter is a master at restraint.
It’s true the MDS Gracie paper would not be the same at all. I guess I implied it without coming right out and saying so.