Thorne Miniature Rooms

English Dining Room 1770

Last week I visited one of my favorite places, the Art Institute of Chicago. I wanted to see the Thorne Miniature Rooms and see the holiday decorations that they had added to several of the miniature displays. If you have never seen this exhibit, it’s a permanent display at the museum and is definitely worth a look. The first set of rooms were designed by Mrs. James Warde Thorne and were originally displayed at the 1933 Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago. The rooms were so well received at the exhibition, that Mrs. Thorne went on to make two more groups of rooms, a European set, first displayed at the Art Institute in 1937, and an American set, completed in 1940. Two ASian rooms were added in 1962, which completed the 68 rooms in the permanent display.

The Thorne rooms enable one to glimpse the elements of European interiors from the late 16th to the 20th century and those of American furnishings from the seventeenth century to 1940. Many are scale copies of specific rooms in historical houses, or were inspired by museum installations of period rooms. Mrs. Thorne herself assembled and supervised the skilled craftspeople who created the detailed rooms and furnishings at the scale of one inch to one foot. She also dealt with the technical aspects of lighting to effectively convey the illusion of daylight coming through windows and adjacent halls, which is one of the most appealing features of the rooms. Of particular interest to me was the period specific decorative painting and wallpaper.

Mrs.-James-Ward-Thorne

French Bathroom and Boudoir of the Revolutionary Period, 1793-1804

chinoiserie wallpaper

chinoiserie wallpaper

grisaille wallpaper

this room had a tiny shoe with toys inside set out in front of the fireplace

Tennessee Entrance Hall 1835

this Santa Fe style room had the table set for a Christmas feast

Tennessee Entrance Hall 1835

If you have the opportunity, this delightful exhibit is a great one to see for the whole family! To view all of the rooms online and get more information, visit the Art Institute’s website at http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/category/18

My favorite Decorating Trends of 2011-2012

As a decorative artist and lover of design, I try to stay on top of decorating trends and keep images and ideas that are fresh and exciting at the top of my head to use as inspiration for upcoming projects. As we come to the end of 2011 and start to look ahead to the coming year, I feel like it’s a good time to review some of my favorite design trends, interior and otherwise, and to look forward to see what will be popular in the coming months and plan accordingly.

One big look that has really made an impact across the board is the “Industrial Chic” look. Fueled by Restoration Hardware‘s gorgeous new line of furniture and accessories, this handsome and interesting style is full of rich textures, colors, and lines. It is distinguished by repurposed “industrial” items like gears and metals, vintage signs and clocks, and anything with time-worn patina and hardware. This look is a particular favorite of mine. Shows like American Pickers and Picker Sisters have added to the industrial chic craze.

a page from the latest Restoration Hardware catalog

industrial side tables

warm and exciting, cool and chic!

The next trend I love is the “Soft Modern” decorating style. This look blends traditional, modern, eclectic and contemporary pieces within a neutral color palette. It’s a style that is pleasing to most people and is easy to live with. It’s a hybrid of styles that is very warm and inviting while still being “sleek” and contemporary.

This modern bedroom is so serene

I love the retro wall

"roundabout" stencil by "wallovers" looks a lot like the wall in the previous pic

I don't typically think of modern as having so many interesting textures! It's gorgeous.

One color trend that has been hard to miss and can be seen across all decorating styles is the use of gray. Monochromatic gray rooms can look chic and elegant or vintage and shabby chic. I like both of these looks very much and love the freedom it allows homeowners to move accessories around their homes.

elegant gray zebra stripe stencil

The warm gray chinoisserie on the walls and ceiling are stunning and classic

Expect gray to stick around in the coming year. Yellow and “greige” a green/beige hybrid are expected to be popular, while purple and brown are out.
Finally, I love the use of burlap and other rich textures. I used unprimed linen sewn to another canvas for a custom piece of artwork for a customer this past year and was really pleased with the result. According to Beasley and Henley Interior Design, the hot look in furnishings is “Paris Flea Market meets Driftwood Salvage” Think reclaimed, rustic, vintage. Again, Restoration Hardware’s influence here can’t be denied.I particularly love the combination of old and reclaimed with classic and refined.

burlap fabric, reclaimed wood and hardware, vintage accessories

love the mix of burlap and french design on these chairs shown on apartmenttherapy.com!

detail of "burlap" canvas I created earlier this year

Clearly, there is an abundance of material to use as inspiration for new finishes in the coming year…stay tuned:)