Hi Everyone,
I hope you’re doing well this week.
Today’s post is a fairly brief conclusion to Sunday’s post about the art and hex codes for my living room and entry.
Thank you so much for all the kind words. If you’ve already read part 1 please click the link below to skip to part 2. Otherwise, please keep reading from the top of the page.
Part 2 Begins Here
Hi Everyone,
Oh, man! I’m still recuperating from Thursday night’s party. However, things are 99% cleaned up, and I’ve been taking it easy the last two days.
Okay, here’s a funny story.
In the middle of the party, the wine in the kitchen had run dry. Of course, there was more wine.
There were 9 more bottles in the mini-fridge under the stairs behind the hidden doors. Above, you can see how they looked before everything was color-drenched Benjamin Moore hc-160 Knoxville Gray.
Natch, I was busy in the kitchen and two friends volunteered to go and fetch the wine.
I told them to look for the wine in the closet under the stairs.
About 20 minutes earlier, I had taken them and about ten others on a little tour of the place.
Well, Laurel, did they like it?
Yes, they liked it. I gave smelling salts as a party favor. ;] Now, please let me finish my story.
A couple of minutes later, the two friends reappeared in the kitchen.
“We can’t find the closet under the stairs,” they said.
Oh man, I was dying because, of course, they couldn’t find the HIDDEN doors under the stairs. That’s the whole idea! So, I explained that the doors are intentionally made to not look like doors. “So, when facing the stairs, you will find a notch. That will open the left side door, and you should be good.”
That worked, and they returned quickly with the wine.
But, yes, yes, yes, the ladies were plotzing all over everything.
Several had been to my place before the reno, but not since. So, they very much appreciated the new staircase and kitchen.
And, I think I heard someone say. “Wait until you see the bathroom.”
haha
The next time I have a large party, it will be muuuuuch easier because I won’t be getting things like lampshades, toilet paper holders, ice buckets, hangers, and coat racks; plus, I have the plexiglass clothes hanging bars in two closets now. Oh, and let’s not forget all the running around getting the door knobs and stuff for the kitchen! I needed cookie sheets!
Okay, we’re finishing up the living room art which needs to coordinate with the art in the entry.
By the way, I sent off the schematic and colors for the entry tapestry mural to David Harrison at Romantic English. He’s so nice and said he’s on the task!
M, in the comments, asked for the hex codes. Okay, for Monday or Tuesday, I will make a tutorial showing how to grab them yourself. It’s useful to know, and it’s frighteningly easy to do. But also, please remember that in every image, there are thousands of codes, and some differences are so minute that our eyes can’t tell the difference.
Alright, back to the living room art for over the stairwell.
I had a lot of fun searching for the perfect art.
Somewhere along the way, I found a rather blurry image of an elegant apartment (Above). At this point, I don’t remember where, but I kind of fell in love with this tapestry and instinctively felt it was the right choice for my living room art. This pre-dated the entry art you saw the other day.
Something about it grabbed me. However, there was no information about it. I knew it was in the French Aubusson Chinoiserie style and looked like the work of François Boucher.
This will coordinate so well with the Gracie panels.
So, I did what I always do in these situations. I took a screenshot of the page and then cropped it (see above), so all I had was the tapestry. Then, I dragged and dropped that image into Google Images, and voila! It spat back at me many iterations of the tapestry.
This is when I found out it was the Parisian apartment of the legendary designer Elsa Schiaparelli, photographed by François Halard.
Below, you can see some of what I found in my Google search.
The company Meister Drucke can reproduce it, but their largest size wasn’t nearly large enough. When I contacted them, they said they could not make it in my needed size.
So, about a month ago, I thought I would take a chance and send it to David at Romantic English, asking if, by chance, he had this artwork in his library. It was such a shot in the dark!
As usual, David got back to me quite quickly and said:
I actually do have The Chinese Fair you selected—excellent choice! It was sold for 58,500 euros and is part of the Chevalier Collection I’m rolling out 😌. Would you like it on pure cotton canvas so you can stretch it yourself? I can create a custom size for you, just as you wish ✨.
Warm regards,
DH
Well, as you can imagine, I was overjoyed to hear this!
So, I got to work with my renderings to ensure the living room art would look coordinated.
First, I had to findhighest-resolutiont res image I find. I did, from this auction house.
However, the colors look a bit on the peachy side, so I needed to color-correct the image.
Interestingly, I found a few iterations of this design.
Below is the color-corrected version of the peachy Chinese Market by Francois Boucher.
Francois Boucher also painted the well-known Le Jardin Chinois (below)
I adore this piece’s colors but feel it would be a bit much for my living room art.
Okay, let’s see how The Chinese Garden tapestry might look reflected in the mirror.
Ohhhh, I love it!
And one more image.
Now, this is important.
You can only see all three pieces peripherally, NOT AS SHOWN. They are facing three different directions.
I’m sorry, but I have to make that stand out. If I don’t, someone will say something they would be better off keeping to themselves. That’s because, occasionally, someone comments based on the images without reading what that image represents.
The point is that I want a natural flow for all of the living room and adjacent art. Yes, if I had these three pieces lined up on one wall, it would be awful.
I’m very happy with how this looks. I plan to work on the color code for David tomorrow and Monday.
xo,
*********************************************************
Part 2 Begins Here
Monday February 26, 2025
Hi Everyone,
Today, we will see the color key for the Boucher reproduction. This image goes by more than one name. GL was so lovely to send me more information about this historic piece.
She sent a sister tapestry, and then I found an original (I’m assuming more than one was made) much larger than this one. And then I don’t know what happened to it, but I can no longer find it.
Wait, no Wait! I did find it!
Some parts of the design don’t show up on this version. This piece is La Danse Chinoise, a tapestry in three sections. I can tell that the image is off-color, so I took the liberty of color-correcting it.
I looked for a better version of this image, but this was it. After exhausting my resources, I enhanced it further using Picmonkey.
The only other larger version of La Danse Chinoise is this one, below, from Christie’s, however, it’s only a little larger.
To add to the confusion, the piece GL mentioned in the comments is indeed La Foire Chinoise (The Chinese Fair). While it has many of the same elements (in reverse), it’s not the same piece.
The figures on the left are the ones in La Danse Chinoise. (below) It’s easy to confuse these pieces, as no two are identical. I am not sure how many pieces were typically woven. However, I believe I read somewhere that one piece was about 50.
Thank you, GL, for providing your insights into this story!
Earlier while trying to find the more complete piece, I did find (see below) a super high-res version of the one I’m doing on this French website.
Natch, it is still looking peachy. Now, this might be how it is, or it could be a function of the photograph of the piece. Incidentally, photographic reproductions of a work of art already in the public domain are also free of copyright. At least, that is the law in the US. In other countries, that might not be the case.
Okay, below is the color-corrected version* I created in Picmonkey and my photo editor.
*I have about six versions of the updated version. Why that is so is a mystery. haha
Oh, these colors are fantastic! While many of them are the same as in the entry piece, there are also many new colors I grabbed from this piece.
What is fantastic about this is that, by doing this exercise, one can instantaneously create a beautiful whole-house color palette practically in your sleep!
Okay, many of you would like to know how to grab the hex codes.
I am going to show you two ways. There are more, but either of these will get you there.
In Picmonkey, you upload your image onto a plain board and leave space for your colors.
Above, I transferred the color I picked to the square you see that’s surrounded by dots.
Oh, wait, below is a better image because the menu is missing from my screenshot above.
- Okay, please go to the left menu and click “Graphics.”
- Click “Basic”
- Click the square icon or whatever shape you want to use. The square is near the top of the page.
It will pop up on your board or graphic and it will be black to begin with. - You must click the square graphic so the program knows what layer you wish to change.
Go back to the menu and click “change color.” (It’s highlighted blue)
Click the dropper (also highlighted blue) and use your mouse to hover over an area you’d like to grab.
That’s all you have to do. The square automatically changes colors as you move your mouse around, and you’ll see the hex code for the red square #bc3c1f next to the dropper. Of course, I grabbed the color from the man’s red robe. You’ll see an arrow on your screen, but unfortunately, it doesn’t show on the screenshot.
Method number two is from a site created to grab hex codes called Image Color Picker.
People create pages like this and then run ads on them. This is a super clever way to make a passive income. However, the technology has to be in place, and I’m sure part is not easy.
The palette was created for me. I did not do the line of colors on the bottom.
The colors in the circle change as you move your mouse. However, the colors you see are where the (invisible in the image) cursor is, off to the side, somewhere. In other words, the colors it’s grabbing are not directly underneath the circle. In this case, I held my cursor over the palm fronds.
Below, I selected another green by the boy’s shoulder.
Okay, I’m ready to send all of this off to David at Romantic English!
In the meantime, the fabric for my Roman shades has arrived at Dianne’s, the owner of By Harrington. Her prices are so reasonable, and like me, you’ll get 20% off your order if you put in promo code: SECRETSALE.
I realize the changes to my home are not moving very fast. However, they are moving. There is still a lot to do, but I am focused more on family, friends, and my business.
That reminds me. I forgot to include the shot of me at my party last Sunday.
I had to crop out my friends who are sooooo cute. However, I don’t have their permission to post them on the blog.
And, below, is the bar!
Next time I give a big party, I’m hiring help! But still, it was fun.
Finally, unrelated but not insignificant, there were two comments about what I will do next. I just wrote a response to Anastasia and Terry. It’s about brand partnerships and why I will most likely never do traditional publishing. (if you’re interested.) You can see the response near the top of the comments as of this writing.
xo,
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29 Responses
Another correction (sorry!): I looked at Christie’s site (see image and link above), and Christie’s says explicitly that their tapestry is the “Foire chinoise”. I implied a mis-labelling — should have checked first.
Thank you so much for all of your input, Gilly. Indeed, it is confusing and I appreciate your filling in the historical references. It’s quite interesting. We’re lucky that any of these still remain. The effort to create one had to be painstakingly difficult.
I’m going to add a bit more to this. Laurel’s right about the general confusion! And there’s a lot of mis-labelling on the images one can find. Her image at the top of part 2 is of a composite tapestry which puts together two different pieces. As you can see, the tapestry is in three vertical sections. The left two are indeed “La Danse chinoise”, but the right hand section is from “La Foire chinoise” and this panel is completed with new background elements compared to Boucher’s original sketch. But the “original” tapestry version made in Beauvais c.1758 widens Boucher’s scene on both sides, and the left-hand side (which corresponds to the reversed right-hand section of Laurel’s image) does contain the tent pavilion as well as extra figures and tall buildings in the background. Thus the cartoons by Dumons for Beauvais were already a bit different from Boucher’s original sketches.
Clearly, the image at the top of part 2 is a later Aubussson tapestry, made to a customer’s requirements for a wider piece and perhaps a deeper piece as well, as the Beauvais versions don’t have the flowers in the foreground. Laurel has brought hers closer to Boucher by re-colouring — her colours are much closer, although brighter, to the original sketches than to the Beauvais tapestries.
One of my comments I must correct. I mentioned the “owner” of the Aubusson workshop earlier. That’s not quite how it worked. The “manufacture royale d’Aubusson” was created in 1665 by Louis XIV, by giving the label to a whole series of existing individual workshops. In 1732 another royal edict gave the “manufacture” an accredited painter (Dumons) to execute the cartoons and a dyestuff expert to advise the weavers. So Jean-François Picon who commissioned the new cartoons was presumably the head of one individual workshop — he is described as a “marchand-fabricant”, i.e. a vendor and producer.
The new art will bring such depth and warmth. It’s a space I would be so comfortable in and would relish all the beauty you have created. Just exquisite!
It’s all so beautiful (including the lovely picture of you at your party)… what talent you have!
The art work is going to be perfect and flow seamlessly. What I noticed is that the colors for the Hex codes in the first Picmonkey of The Chinese Fair is that they are all in my personal seasonal color palette. I should probably redecorate using these colors.
I just love all the great stuff I learn from following your blog! Thank you for the information in Part 2. I never knew this was a thing. I love it! Great pic of you in your fabulous kitchen :] And thank you to GL for the cool info about the tapestry! I also love all the things I learn from your blog readers.
Amazing, fantastic post, thank you!
I sent Laurel some information about this tapestry, which was in the Chevalier Gallery collection until its sale at auction in October 2023.
The design is based on a corner of the original Boucher version, which is very different. What I sent to Laurel was the Boucher sketch, not a tapestry. If you wish to see the “Foire chinoise” sketch, you can find it on the memoirevive dot besançon dot fr site by entering “boucher foire chinoise” in the search box. As you will see, the original Boucher is very different from Laurel’s image.
Boucher made 10 sketches for the chinoiserie series in 1742, for the Beauvais workshop. Only 6 of these sketches were ever made into tapestries, with a total of 47 versions made between 1743 and 1775. Boucher’s sketches were turned into full-size cartoons by Jean-Joseph Dumons; none of these cartoons survives. “La Foire chinoise” (“the Chinese Fair”) survives as a tapestry probably made for Louis XV in the late 1750s (it has the royal arms in the centre of the top border); an image of this is visible on the website of the Galerie Deroyan.
The tapestries were so successful that in 1754 the owner of the Aubusson workshop asked Dumons to make another series of variant designs loosely based on the Boucher originals and with elements derived from other engravings. Customers could commission larger tapestries incorporating elements from more than one cartoon, or could request narrower versions to be placed between windows. Laurel’s tapestry is a narrow one, which takes the centre of a small group of figures from the original and places them in a new background which uses the palm trees from Boucher but eliminates the rest, and completes the tent on the right which is barely visible in the original.
Now that you’ve had a party in your gorgeous home, with all sorts of liquids possibly dribbling on your kitchen counters, do you still love your marble countertop? Has there been any etching or staining? I have to make a decision about the countertop material for my kitchen remodel very soon and I’d love to feel confident about using calacatta gold. Soapstone is another option that I like, but I like calacutta marble even more.
Hi Marna,
I adore my countertops and don’t regret doing them. They are getting a lovely patina, but they are honed, so etching isn’t much of a factor. These are Calacatta Caldia, not gold. Gold is in the stratosphere, price-wise. Caldia is closer to earth but I still gulped when I got the bill.
One small detail I love: in the view from the living room, the rounded end cabinet in the kitchen and the demi-lune table in the entry are like each other’s reflections.
Laurel,
I look forward to your posts every week. I have been looking at a Romantic English tapestries to fill a large upstairs hallway wall. It never occurred to me that a print was possible or that I could modify the colors. Wow!
I read Terry’s suggestion that you create a book about your renovation. Maybe you could fund this with pre-sales of the book? Maybe there is a way for you to create partnerships with some of the vendors you have purchased from to create the “Laurel Bern Collection” of x on their store fronts? The Greek key relaxed Roman shade that Harrington is making for you is your design. I could see Harrington adding it as part of a branded Laurel Bern Collection. The same goes for your Anglo-Indian scones. I know you ended up buying them at auction. Still you figured out how to make them. Maybe you could partner with Ballard Designs or Serena & Lily on an LB branded sconce? I encourage you to build on your success.
Thank you, Anastasia and Terry who first brought this up. Your ideas are fantastic. As for partnerships, for the most part, people ignore me. They don’t understand that I have a large following or that partnering with me will be good for their business. It’s not everyone, but the majority of brands– even brands that have already benefitted hugely from my sharing their products, etc.
The Zephyr range hood is the only thing I’ve gotten for free so far, and that’s probably because I had already won it. The majority of items I purchased were at the same retail price everyone pays. I tried to use my affiliate links of course. A few brands like Crown Point Cabinetry, Charles Spada (for the George Smith sofa), and Englishman’s gave me a professional discount, but I would’ve received that even if I didn’t have 33,000 followers on my blog.
That would be awesome if people would order my design. I am giving it to you. However, please know that everything on the Hot Sales page is an affiliate link, and if it’s not it’s a mistake. haha And that includes the By Harrington promo code. Dianne also gives me a small commission for your orders.
One thing I will never do is traditional publishing. Why? The publisher makes most of the money. That’s why. It would be a vanity thing, and something I don’t have the resouces for. It’s not worth it. My energy is not limitless and I need to be very careful with what I take on.
However, I am working on some new projects that I think many of you will love.
Gonna be perfect—you’re getting 2 of them!! The brilliance of mirrors. Love the addition of the colors.
Stunningly beautiful and elegant. All of it!
I love the story about your party! I can just imagine how exciting it was for everyone to be in such a beautiful space. I’d be plotzing too! Your choices for the tapestry murals look perfectly stunning for your space. Can’t wait to see them and the Gracie panels installed.
Perfection! Everything is absolutely gorgeous!
Laurel, I would so love to have a tour of your gorgeous home when it is complete!!! As a person who leans more modern, I absolutely love everything you have done!! You have given me a new appreciation of what I think is a more European vibe.
Who was the designer who said every room benefits by adding a touch of red? I think that art is stunning reflected in the fireplace mirror!
Laurel, I love your home and have enjoyed following the progress. Your art is beautiful. Art really makes the room. I told my daughters to buy art that they love and then furniture. Furniture comes and goes, but art can be with you forever and gives joy. It’s good for the heart. My art was collected over years at local art shows- nothing terribly expensive, but I love it. When the kids still lived at home, I would tell them that if there was fire, to grab a frame and run!
Laurel your curation is so beautiful. So perfect
Smelling salts! Wonderful 🤩
Every time I open your post it’s like Christmas all over again! What a difference the panels make in your living room. Love them all. Glad the party was fun. Those were some lucky ladies!
Wow, wow, wow!
Every time I look at the photos of your home, I think – magnificent! Now Laurel is finished. What ever will she do next? And then you take it to the next level. And the next, and the next.
That Francois Halard photograph of the Schiaparelli Paris apartment looks like a fine painting in itself. What a great eye he had for capturing the romantic charm of interiors. I’m so glad you pointed him out, as I’ve just ordered his book.
Your artwork is just fabulous and now I’m wondering if you will be putting out a book of your completed project.
Stunning. Just beautiful.
Good morning, Laurel.
Congratulations on surviving your party. I’m sure your guests were blown away with your home. I just hope nobody spilled something on your beautiful sofa.
I love how you think of everything when it comes to the panels you’re hanging. You make sure they look right on their own. But also the sight lines of the pieces. But most importantly that the works speak to you. You are creating a home that reflects you. And only you.
You are truly talented.
Laurel, the panel is really lovely – am looking forward to the video when all are installed. When do you expect your window coverings to arrive? Am looking forward to seeing them installed. 😊
I love it!!!! I love it all and the art gives your place it’s final “wow wow wow”!!
Yes, that’s going to work well with the rest of the living room, and the more exotic one of your panels in the entry will link up to it, which is nice.