OK, all I can say about the entry in one of Martha Stewart's homes (above) is LOVE LOVE LOVE. I've been attracted to large-scale murals & etchings & toiles lately as you can see here.
Grisaille is a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome, usually in shades of gray or brown, particularly used in decoration to represent objects in relief. (I'm not going to lie, until I heard this term I always called them toile-like scenic murals ;) The 7 feet by 4 feet blown up Durer print on fabric that we're going with in our dining area (above) is my way of getting the look of a handpainted wall mural on a budget. (With the feel of a tapestry).
I thought I'd share with you a few beauties I've found along the way.... The image below from http://www.michaeldute.com/images_chinoiserie.htm:
This one below from House Beautiful has been floating around a lot lately biut I just can't get over it. I love the shades of green against the warm, rich browns of the furniture. perfection.
Here's one found in a restaurant by frenchbutchic.blogspot.com:
And of course, we needc to include some hand-painted wallpaper from de Gournay: 
SO GORGEOUS!!!! Here's another one, below:
The image below from http://charlottesullivan.com/portfolio/murals/index.htm and I love how soft it is, receeding in the background:
Remember this one??? More of a large scale toile but I'm in love anyway. I contacted the company about this handpainted paper but never heard back. (Just as well, I'm pretty sure it's just a smidge out of our price range. ;)
And here's just one more from de Gournay... Maybe one day I can replace my "tapestry" with the real deal???? Oh just so beautiful....
Hope you enjoyed these beauties. As soon as I get my "tapestry" up I'll post pics!!!
xoxo,
lauren
ps- If you didn't get a chance to weigh-in on the question in the previous post (below), I'd love to hear your thoughts!!!
As a decorator & a textile designer, this is my place to muse... perfection doesn't interest me; Reality and charm do. Fresh floppy flowers from the garden over long-stemmed roses any day, I love it when things are slightly off and tell a story. 
20 comments:
Wow!!! Those are some really fab murals.
Oh and regarding your previous question ... I think even if your home where your home office is not too big it can be a showcase of your creativity. In fact, potential clients might be amazed how you skillfully create an inviting and relaxing space at the same time elegantly pleasing given the space and other constraints at hand.
Can't wait to see your finished "grisaille" and find out more about the process of creating it.
You got some great comments on your last post, btw. They've all given me lots to think about!!
My favorite pattern is the blue one in the very last picture. I feel like Aerin Lauder used this one in her dressing room?
Love Martha Stewart's hallway. I recall her mentioning that she never finished an original pattern she started and had to hire someone to come in and finish the mural for her. Oh, what a luxury!
can't wait to see your tapestry!
OOh, great selection! You know, http://www.griffinandwong.com/ has stunning and affordable chinoserie wallpaper :)
And it's handpainted, you can decide yourself how many birds, what colors etc you want. :D Awesome service!
Beautiful, these grisailles!
I like them too!
And even in the French Toile de Jouy you can find those colours.
Greet
Lauren, I love the way you are making this happen in your own home (on a budget) very creative and I can't wait to hear how it turns out. I have been thinking about your last post a lot. It was a great conversation - loved the comments. I think an office (outside the home) is really important. Just think of getting your hair done at a friends home and rinsing it off in the bathtub (crappy) vs. going to a salon. You feel so much better about the salon experience (especially when you are spending big bucks). I know home offices are the most practice and an out of home office might just be something we all aspire to in the future but it is worth considering. There are a group of designers in my area that all share an office and central library (to keep expenses down). I would love to have an office there and hope that is something that happens for me in the future.
These wallpapers really bring wall murals to a whole different level!! They're very pretty. I'm looking forward to seeing yours once you have it up in your dining room :-)
Kelly
I have been obsessed with Martha's entry for a while!!! LOVE IT. Never thought to investigate it further, so thanks!
De Gournay paper is one of those things I have on my list of things I'll have when I grow up. I think I'm there. So where's my paper? ;) It's seriously one of the most gorgeous thing in the world, in my opinion.
Re: your last post. If I were hiring a designer, I would want to see where they work or live. Yes, it would be more impressive if they had the total showcase house. But, knowing that most designers are not super wealthy, it wouldn't bother me that they lived in a modest house. But it would have to be decorated tastefully and well. I believe in walking the walk so if a designer can't get his/her own house together, I wouldn't have confidence that he/she could do the job for me. Hope that's helpful. :)
These rooms are stunning!!!
Wow beautiful Lauren, and you are going to have something similar in your house! I can hardly wait to see that!!
xo
Maria
Crazy! I just read the word grisaille in a Canadian decor magazine this evening and wondered what it was. Thanks for the wonderful explanation. Like you, I love this look and am a big fan of etchings. If your wall hanging works out, I might steal your idea! you will have to explain the whole printing process, or did you already? Is there any copyright infringement copying an artists work? At least Durer has been dead about 400 years...
; )
xo Terri
I love them! Thanks for sharing, and I think everyone knows I love murals...
I recently bought a mirror that has the grisaille look to it for my new cottage redo. I looked it up online and in a paint technique book. It means greyness in french. I LOVE the murals though. There timeless and classic.(In a good way)
Oh my... they're just spectacular! It's a look I have always loved and I can't wait until some day I have a house that it would fit in with - we have a small Victorian terraced house with rather petite rooms... these wallcoverings deserve the piano nobile of a Roman mansion!
I thought at first I liked the grey/neutral ones best, but the blue one in the last picture is heavenly.
these wallpapers look gorgeous ! Grisailles are my favorite, they are so chic
Cutting Edge Stencils has a bunch of photos of grisaille murals that were painted using their stencils: http://www.cuttingedgestencils.com/wall-stencils-murals-large-stencils.html
I do think you would need a fair bit of artistic ability to approximate their fantastic end result.
Hi, I love grisaille!! Did the fabric tapestry work? How and where did you get it done? I would love to use that method in my living room. Thank you! I love your blog. Karen
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