story

Growing up, many of my summer days were spent at the beach playing in the sand, searching for shells, watching boats sail toward the horizon of Long Island Sound. At the end of the day, I would retreat to the comfy home my mother made, where couches were covered in chintz and accented with plaid throws and Ikat pillows, and ginger jars teetered on shelves brimming with books. Maybe it was all that sun and salt, but my imagination would run wild in the bustling world of the little people and pagodas that lived in the chinoiserie patterns throughout our home...

I have always had a healthy imagination, but in 2012 I had an excuse to really get creative as I planned my dream wedding to my dream guy. The planning paid off and our wedding exceeded my expectations, but in the months following the wedding, my imagination was once again demoted due to the lack of creative opportunities in my career.

It wasn’t until I returned home from our delayed honeymoon to Thailand—rested, with a reignited nostalgia for shells and chinoiserie!—that I felt inspired and began to blog about the beautiful spaces and places I had encountered along the way. Our return to reality began with a house-hunt, which also contributed to my strong desire not only to decorate, but to recreate the familiar, albeit faraway, combination of the beach and blue and white porcelain.

Through shell & chinoiserie, I will share my many sources of inspiration for interior décor and document my journey as I decorate my own home.

Enjoy!

Emilie