Bringing peonies home

one poem
per blossom is not enough
for a peony

                              

   —Ryumin

I’m lucky to have a neighbor who plants peonies but spends the month of May in Florida. Luckier still that she invited me to pick her peonies whenever I want, and when it comes to peonies I don’t wait for a second invitation. 

Seeing them out our bedroom window every year is, indeed, glorious. They’re a flower I grew at our previous house, and I miss them.

BoHo Home

I've been watching those buds, and after Monday's deluge, I just knew there'd be blooms Tuesday, ripe for the picking. And all that beauty unplucked seems a great sin, you know? As any gardener worth the dirt under her fingernails will tell you, picking flowers begets more flowers, not fewer.

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Maisie-Cat agrees. My morning harvest amounted to seven huge blooms, which I divided into the two arrangements shown here and in the previous photo. Thank you, Nelda (my neighbor)!

BoHo Home

Both her pink bush, across the lane from our bedroom window, and her white bush out front (which I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t started walking) are FULL to the brim with buds. Now if only the storms will let up and not destroy what’s left. I want to try to pick some to dry and perhaps reward my neighbor with a wreath after she returns home.

You didn’t know they dried well? 

Via Just Grand

They’re stupendous dried flowers and retain their color well. The white blooms dry a lovely antique white. Just pick when the bloom first opens so the petals will remain tight. 

My Mother's Pearls

Then hang upside down singly or in bunches of two or three. I tie them together with rubber bands and hang the bands on a nail, around a cupboard knob, or strung on a line. A clothes rack works well, too, if you use string.If I make a wreath this year I’ll take pictures and post instructions.

Waiting for these beauties to bloom got me thinking about peony motifs in home décor

I’m forever seeing bouquets of peonies in interior design magazines, but peony designs have populated the decorative arts since what seems like the beginning of time. At the least, since the beginning of decorative arts.

Linda Merrill

For instance, look at the suzani tapestry spread beneath the tray this bouquet sits on. What inspired the huge, round flower motif? It could easily have been a peony.

One Kings Lane

And what about the pattern in this quilt? Looks inspired by peonies to me. What other flower that shape do you know of that gets so large?

Marco Polo, after all, reported back from his visit to China, where peonies were first cultivated, that he found roses as big as cabbages. He was writing about peonies. Indeed, peonies open larger and wider until the heads fall over from their very weight.

Thomas Darnell photo / Martha Stewart Living

There’s something positively wanton in a peony bloom—something blousy and sexual and free, like a Rodin sculpture—and that certainly comes across in the wallpaper used in this bathroom. Even the mirror looks like a white peony opening further and further from its center.

Chinese Peranakan Style, Herry Ashari Collections

The Chinese have, in fact, been putting peonies on china for centuries.

Austin Monthly

You’ll also find peonies blooming on rugs….

Hometeka

…pillows…

Natalie Shelton photo / via Keltainen Talo Rannalla

…and upholstery, as on this pair of matching ottomans.

The peony motif is versatile, too

Miguel Flores-Vianna photo

Sometimes it lends an oriental look, as on the pagodas of peony blossoms in the fabric used for these wing chairs.

Photo courtesy of Kit Kemp / via Lonny

While other times the look achieved is more of a traditional/modern mix.

It can even look decidedly boho. That's my favorite, of course.

Alexandra Kaehler Designs / via Mix and Chic

But whatever style it graces, the effect is always romantic. 

It’s a sexy flower, I’m telling you!

Husman Hagbery photo / via Planete Deco

I’d be hard pressed to miss the peonies in this wallpaper. They have a William Morris feel to them and look so senusous in this otherwise minimal scandi dining room.

This wild tangle of peonies on a mural with a midnight-blue background makes a perfect backdrop for a bed. Peony seeds, according to legend, glow in the dark just like the images here seem to.

Design Loves Detail photo / via Domino

Even peel-and-stick, repositionable peonies are available these days to customize the effect you want without the work or permanence of wallpapering.

Peonies are also popular subjects in art and prints

Kimberly Gavin photo / Studio80 Interior Design

I love how this print brings together all the elements in the room.

Society Social

And I am absolutely, positively, swooning over this juju hat tipped in magenta to look like a peony. I’m not even a big juju-hat fan, but I’d hang this one in a jiffy, right above my bed, of course! No sense wasting any of that good juju, right?

Via DigsDigs

And what’s that pendant light shade meant to emulate, if not a peony? There's even a pillow to repeat the flower's shape, and the crosses on the throws do the same, though in a more abstract way.

Here, the sunburst mirrors, painted pink, remind me of peonies against all that spotted wallpaper and fabric (which represent the plethora of buds!) in this sweet little girl’s room.

Area Environments

But I think us adults need to save some of the peony’s lustiness for our own private spaces. One poem certainly may not be enough for a peony blossom, and one peony blossom is certainly not enough for a home.

1. Pink Peonies Chenille Pillow Cover
2. Black & White Wool Felt Peony Pillow
3. Bring Me Peonies Pillow Cover
4. Peony Fabric Shower Curtain
5. Floral Print Desk Mat
6. Asian Bowl
7. Peony Flower and Antler Print
8. Hand-Embroidered Peony in Embroidery Hoop
9. Pink Peony Cone Photo Print
10. Robert Allen Peony Vine Fabric
11. Waverly Reflection Pool/Darjeeling Fabric
12. Peony Adhesive Wallpaper
13. Peony Peel-and-Stick Repositionable Wallpaper
14. Felt Rose & Peony Garland
15. Handpainted Peony Mandala Stone
16. Vintage Chinese Peony Floor Lamp
17. Peony Bespoke Matchboxes
18. Peony Placemats
19. Lychee Peony Candle
20. Bunch of Dried Peonies
21. Pink Peony Chinese Fan
22. Vintage Cloisonee Peony Egg
23. Vintage Handmade Peony Parasol.

If you want more..

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Got Mail #6 / Boho must-haves from Anthro spring collection

Anthropologie

I know I’m guaranteed some boho home décor beauty when the seasons start to change and Anthropologie rolls out its new collection. Take it from me, this year’s spring home-decor offerings are a breath of boho fresh air.

I also know the door’s open in this photo, but let’s stay inside a bit and look around. After all, that’s what a lookbook’s for, and this one will have you ogling, drooling and spending before you know what’s hit you.

Comfort for living

I can’t begin to identify every new piece in each photo, but I’ll try to hit the highlights.

Anthropologie

My absolute fave in this photo is that wild and crazy chair—the Medina-Printed Rivona Chair. The Medina print reappears in other new pieces. The inspiration for the fabric is Moroccan, but the chair is all midcentury modern. Love those legs!

Anthropologie

Told you you'd see it reinterpreted on other pieces. Meet the Medina-Printed Tassa Sectional. It’s low-slung and pillowy, and if you fall asleep on it you’re liable to wake up in One Thousand and One Nights. Scheherazade never had it sooooooo good.

Anthropologie

Here’s another view of the Tassa, paired up with the equally transporting Moroccan Wedding Ottoman. It functions as a coffee-table ottoman OR a bench for extra seating. I’m just wondering why it took someone so long to turn the ubiquitous Moroccan wedding blanket into multifunctional furniture.

Love those slender golden legs! I think I have legs on the brain, if that's anatomically possible...??

Anthropologie

Here are some other beauties that caught my eye (clockwise from top left):

• The Floret Occasional Chair (you caught a glimpse of it in purple earlier but it also comes in green) features cotton velvet upholstery on a rosewood frame. What more could you ask for? 
• The Moussem Ceramic Stool, designed by Tracy Boyd, made of glazed white clay. It wants to cuddle up to a chair in my living room, but it would also work on a patio.
• The Zaylie Chair is inspired by Suzani applique and embroidery and sports embellishment all the way around, so be sure to place it where it can be viewed from a variety of angles. 
• The Kezia Occasional Chair is upholstered in your choice of three printed velvets. ‘Nuf said, right? 
• The Tanja Trunk makes a terrific coffee table or end-of-bed accent with its natural wood, incised eight-point stars and antique-iron accents. 
• This collection of Sketched Safari Chairs, by fashion designer Edward Hall, is the perfect anchor for any global-inspired home. So many shapes, sizes, animal prints and colors! Begin your safari hanging out with the elephants on the Purple Holloway Chair and the Canary-colored Tillie, then run with the big cats in the Indigo Bixby and the bright Orange Tillie. The collection also includes a flamingo-printed chair, as well as elephant wallpaper and a tiger lampshade, but I’ll let you hunt those down on your own. 

Dining with pleasure

Anthropologie

Nothing tells a sweeter story, gathered ‘round a table, than Anthro’s Folkthread Chairs, reinterpreted this season in recycled silk in three colors to mix and match. I’m also in love with the plushy Kinza Rug beneath. It’s shown in ivory but also comes in a black-and-white version.

Anthropologie

And what would any gathering be without romantic, mood-setting lighting? I’m loving (left to right): the Abalorio Chandelier, the Nomad Pendant, and the Beadcraft Chandelier.

Dreamy boho bedrooms

Anthropologie

The Premium Leather Rhys Bed comes in 13 colors and four sizes. Here it’s dressed in one of my favorite new duvet sets, the Kessabine, shown in slate but also available in orange. I love the embroidery, pompons and fringe against soft cotton, don’t you?

Anthropologie

The striking Geo Brass Inlay bedroom furniture collection includes this platform bed with massive headboard in tropical hardwood, inlaid with brass, and the diminutive nightstand shown. There’s also a three-drawer chest of drawers to complete the sweet suite.

Anthropologie

The Prana Bedroom Collection showcases the natural beauty of multi-hued, live-edge oak and includes the bed, nightstand and six-drawer chest shown. And there’s that Moroccan Wedding Ottoman again, this time at the bed’s foot. All items are sold separately.

Anthropologie

If this rooms isn’t glamorous boho—glambo—I'll eat my pompons. The Velvet Ainesworth Bed comes in 18 colors and two sizes, each and every one fit for a princess, a diva, a super-model, or glamorous, boho you. The Velvet Edilyn Bench comes in all the same colors so you can have a custom match as well as a comfy seat to take your shoes on and off.

Anthropologie

Some of my favorite new Anthro bedding includes (clockwise from top left) :

• The Kerry Cassill Persica Quilt and shams, which call to mind lovely, gently worn bedding you might find in the Paris Flea Market. Here it’s paired with the Lulie Wallace Cascabel Sheet Set. I can almost smell peaches, can’t you? 
• The Woven Sunset Duvet and shams is by LA’s All Roads Design and features standard, king and euro sham options. I love its happy pinks, and, of course, I adore anything that comes out of the All Roads’ workshop. 
• I don’t often point out cute kid's stuff (unless I want it for my adult self!), but the Wilderness Map collection of toddler and infant bedding is an exception. It’s perfect for your little cowboy or trailblazer or bronc-buster. Check out the buffalo! I bet there’s an antelope in there somewhere too. 
• Ditto for the Cat Collective collection. Wish I had a young child so I could decorate with that, right down to the cute little bereted cat pillow. Turn him over and check out his stuffed tail! 

Weave me some happiness

Anthropologie

Nobody does textiles better than Anthropologie, and they’ve really outdone themselves this spring. There’s a vast array of new colorful throws, rugs and pillows….

Anthropologie

...as well as designs in black, white and other neutrals. I just adore the detail and the workmanship in these pieces. I could look all day and touch all night if they’d only lock me in the store! (I keep trying!)

Anthropologie

My favorite rugs will probably be sold out by the time this post appears. From left to right, my penultimate picks include the very boho Versify Rug with its all-over tassels, the William Morris-inspired Wyla Rug done in crewel embroidery, and the Embroidered Tiger Rug, available in either orange or teal.

Anthropologie’s unique, handcrafted rugs do often sell out quickly, particularly in the smaller, less pricier sizes. If, like me, you have wall-to-wall carpet and no good space for an area rug (and your budget doesn’t allow a bigger size) get the one you like in a 3-by-5 and hang it on the wall as art. But get it quick, before it’s gone, K?

Anthropologie

I’m really into the look of a handcrafted throw at the foot of my bed since I redid my bedding with one of Anthropologie's throws. But now they have plenty of new choices for me to drool over. Clockwise from top left, meet my spring collection picks:

• The Tufted Desert Throw, the latest from All Roads Design, which simply SINGS summer sunset. 
• The Centrale Throw Blanket, which I simply MUST have for my living room. 
• The Woven Poms Throw in mind-bending boho coral. 
• The Textured Indira Throw in a cadre of neutrals. 
• The rug-like Aldalora Throw in either neutral or blue. 
• The Tufted Yoursa Throw with its sweet patchwork of soft stripes, outlined in poms.

Anthropologie

And I could never forget throw pillows, especially these, with lots and lots of fringe, poms, tassels and embroidery. From left to right, shop the Marisol collection (which includes the 30-by-30-inch floor pillow shown at bottom), the Tufted Leyland collection, and the Tufted Yoursa collection.

So many textiles, so little time!!

Delicious décor to feed your (my) decorating habit

Anthropologie

My storage picks, clockwise from top left, include:

• The Eyelash-Fringed Catchall Basket, handcrafted by women in Rwanda, 
• Ditto for the Lidded Tassel Basket, in white. 
• The Cassatt Woven Vessel, a delightful mix of glazed stoneware, wool roving, and manila and cotton rope, designed by mixed media artist Karen Gayle Tinney. 
• Playtime Canvas Bins, which are just too cute in my book to limit to the kids. (I want that sweet alpaca one for my office.) 
• The Cat Study Hook in orange, designed by Brooklyn-based Leah Goren. 
• The Tasseled Pera Baskets, which come in in three colors and shapes (my favorite, a gorgeous gold, is not shown). 

Anthropologie

Fiber wallhangings have been making a big comeback from the 1960s and 70s, and Anthro adds to its collection each season. But when each style's gone, it's gone. Here are, left to right, newbies Ojai Fringed Wall Art in your choice of two motifs, the statement-making Macrame Woven Wall Art, and Salinas Fringed Wall Art in your choice of three motifs.

Anthropologie

What would any Anthropologie catalog be without unique pottery? Clockwise from top left, meet my new best friends, Wild Alpaca Pots, Gold Accent Dessert Plates (hang them on the wall as art!), Arletta Coasters, and Simea Mugs.

Anthropologie

Last but not least are two more woven wonders: the Tulum Hammock, which is embroidered but reminds me of mud cloth, and the Beadwork Hammock, designed by LA artist, sculpture and jewelry designer Julie Rofman to emulate the look of her intricate beadwork.

Anthropologie

Here are some close-ups of each hammock. Can you guess the missing detail?

If you guessed me (or you!) lounging away a sultry summer afternoon therein, you’re on the winning track! Just 17 more days until spring, so summer can’t be far behind.

Until then, if you want more…

• Explore the products and stories behind the Anthropologie spring collection in the Spring Home Journal and Studio Sessions. 
• Request your very own catalog. 
• See everything that’s new in the Anthropologie house and home collection. 
• Become a BoHo Home follower by subscribing, using one of the services at the bottom of this page. Or, follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Fashion designer does boho home decor collection for CB2

Crossover designer Matthew Williamson describes his new London Eclectic collection for CB2 as “controlled bohemian” with “no hard and fast rules.” I would call it refined boho rather than controlled, which seems in conflict with “no hard and fast rules.” Its also moody and glamorous—so refined glambo?—elegant and edgy without being stuffy or overly formal.

Particulars of wording aside, the furniture and accessories riff on the dark, moody interiors trend we’ve been seeing more of lately, as well as inspirations from nature, destined to be big in 2017. Okay, the peacock thing may be a little cliché—after all, didn’t Pier 1 do it about five years ago?—but Williamson’s interpretation is less cartoonish while still including a few made-for-fun pieces among its five items of furniture and more than 20 home décor accessories.

“Everything I've designed is intended not to match perfectly but to sit together in harmony, to add flair and personality to any room,” the British designer adds, and that it does. And lest we classify Williamson as merely a fashion designer, his collaboration with CB2 is not his first foray into interior design. He recently launched a bespoke collection of upholstered furniture with Nottingham-based sofa manufacturer Duresta. And his growing wallpaper and fabric lines through Osborne & Little have been around since 2013. Interestingly, many of these items blend well with London Eclectic.

Williamson’s 3 faves

CB2

Williamson reimagined his iconic jungle print, Mother Amazon, for the Avec Apartment Sofa. The 100-percent cotton fabric is a slightly distressed rainforest of blue, green and purple. The slim-lined sofa with its elegant brass stiletto legs is scaled for smaller spaces, with cutback retro arms and a low tufted back. The Mother Amazon version retails for $1,999, but the sofa can also be ordered in 57 other fabrics, ranging in cost from $1,499 to $1,799.

CB2

He’s also partial to this cheeky Stoneware Parrot in brilliant blue, which works as a bookend or on its own and sells for $19.95. Polly want a giftcard?

CB2

But his absolute, number-one favorite, he says, is the Peacock Black Candelabra, an ornate flourish of feathers and scrolls sure to add some drama to any table or mantel. I can imagine a pair gracing a dining table. I also like how the black pops with the teal candles used in the photo. It is, however, a bit pricey at $99.95 (IMHO).

Now for MY faves…

CB2

My heart’s aflutter for the Butterfly Lamp. I think I could love it for its stunning green-silk shade alone, and I’m already imagining how that would diffuse light in an even darker, moodier deep teal room. The base is hand-painted, with a funky butterfly decal applied. Combined, the look is sultry, glamorous and fun. And I think it’s priced reasonably at $159.

CB2

Next, I'm gaga over the crazy and cute Flamingo Catchall ($29.95), pictured here alongside that parrot, as well as other items from the collection: the Peacock Hearts Teapot ($19.95), the Palm Tree Gold Taper Candle Holder ($49.95), and the Dragonfly Storage Box ($24.95).

CB2

What’s so crazy and cute about this flamingo is the back lifts off for storage!

CB2

My #3 pick is the collection of textiles.

CB2

Mostly I love the Rainbow Snake print interpreted on a pouf and in an area rug. The 30-inch diameter pouf is a linen-and-cotton blend and retails for $199. The wool-and-nylon blend rug is available in two sizes—5-by-8 feet and 8-by-10 feet for $299 and $599, respectively.

But wait, there's more...

CB2

The 100-percent wool Butterfly Wheel Rug is available in 6- and 8-foot rounds for $399 and $699, respectively. It pairs well with other pieces in the collection, including the Mother Amazon Dining Chair, which reinterprets the sofa print on a black Queen Anne-style chair. I like how the medallion part of the pattern is centered on the chair back...

CB2

...and how it looks just as snazzy from behind. Each chair sells for $449. The hide stools pictured are also new to CB2, though not part of Williamson’s collection. Follow the link for more information about them.

CB2

You already saw the Peacock Hearts Teapot, but in this shot it’s shown with its companion White Teacup and Rainbow Snake Saucer. Hardly anyone uses saucers anymore, but that cute print at the bargain price of $9.95 may change my mind! Another bargain is the Lizzy Royal Purple Teapot for $14.95. Its sculptural shape and purple silicone-over-porcelain finish means your guests won't be able to keep their hands off of it.

CB2

And what would a furniture collection be without accent tables? The two-piece Bronze and Atol Bunching Table Set sells for $678 but is $649 for a limited time. The frames are aluminum coated in brass, and the taller-but-smaller in diameter table has an enameled top that resembles an agate slice.

CB2

I’m also more than a little partial to the Peacock Linen Throw, which measures a generous 76 inches and costs $179. I especially love the black-and-white patterned banding between the Peacock Heart repeats.

CB2

The collection also includes bedding, a gaggle of throw pillows, and a coloring book that features the collection as well as some of Williamson’s fashion designs. I’m guessing the latter, at $24.95, is for those of us who won’t be ordering those dining chairs anytime soon.

Oh well! It’s almost as fun to look and dream, right? ALMOST, but not quite. Now where did I put my crayons?

If you want still more…

CB2

• Check out the entire London Eclectic collection in CB2 stores and on the CB2 website.
• View the latest CB2 lookbook introducing the collection.
• Watch a short video of Matthew Williamson talking about the collection.
• Get a gander at Matthew Williamson’s other home interior creations, as well as his fashion designs.
• Follow my blog with Bloglovin or by email using one of the subscription services listed at the bottom of this page.