Saturday Inspiration - New Year's Eve Style

Will you be entertaining at home on New Year's Eve? Here are some great decorating ideas to close out the year with style.

Resolutions 2013

Last December 28, 2012, I did this post about my New Year's Resolutions for 2013 - the two rooms in my home I wanted to redo this year, my powder room and my laundry room. Here is that post -

Charlotte Moss

What would a New Year's Eve series be without New Year's Resolutions? Mine always seem to focus on home improvement projects. I have two rooms in my home I would like to redo this year. The first is a little powder room off the laundry room and the second is the laundry room itself. Here are my inspiration photos that I hope will inspire me to get these done. Of course both have Chinoiserie.

The Charlotte Moss powder room intrigued me because of the draped walls - wonderful if there are no architectural elements or things you need to hide. You will see what I mean when I post before pictures of my room.

The Draza Stamenich laundry room I saw in person at a DC Show House and I have never forgotten it - a tiny little space filled with luxury elements never seen in a laundry room like Gracie wallpaper and a Neirmann Weeks lantern.

It seems that I am always juggling so many balls that these two rooms never get attention. Hopefully this year they will. Do you have an home goals for 2013 that involve Chinoiserie?

Draza Stamenich

If you are a follower of this blog, you will recall that I did actually make over the powder room and the laundry room for this year's two One Room Challenges. Thanks to Linda of Calling It Home for inviting me to participate - nothing like competition and a deadline to keep one on track.

Here is a peek at my powder room. If you'd like to follow the entire powder room process you can click here and the final reveal is here.

I did my laundry room next. Here it is. You can follow the redo of it here and the reveal here.

Mission accomplished. I have decided on the next two rooms I will make over and both will be a decorating side of me you don't usually see. I will reveal them in a post soon so stay tuned.

If you have a room you would like to tackle, Linda of Calling It Home is hosting round two of the One Room Challenge Linking Party starting April 3, 2014. Perhaps you'd like to participate. A deadline is a wonderful way to keep a New Year's Resolution - trust me!

2014

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is getting ready to say goodbye to 2013. I thought 2013 was sort of a dysfunctional year for this country, but I have high hopes for 2014. Onward and upward, right?

This next week here at Chinoiserie Chic we have a fun week planned to close out the year with style.

*A look back at my 2013 New Year's Interior Decorating Resolutions - how did I fare?
*My 2014 New Year's Interior Decorating Resolutions
*The reveal of Chinoiserie Chic's Color of the Year 2014
*New Year's Eve Decorating and Entertaining Ideas
*Chinoiserie Trends for 2014

New Year's Eve Series - What Will you Be Wearing?

Chinoiserie Chic attire for New Year's Eve.

New Year's Eve Series - The Chinoiserie Champagne Cocktail

Are you entertaining at home for New Year's Eve? Here are two easy and sensational Chinoiserie Champagne cocktails to wow your guests. You need Champagne and a bottle of Domaine de Canton Ginger Liquer. Its pagoda bottle is stunning and deserves a spot on your bar for the bottle alone, even if it wasn't so delicious.

For a new classic, add one ounce of Domaine de Canton to a Champagne flute and fill with Champagne. Garnish with a twist of lemon or orange or a slice of fresh ginger. Did you know that ginger settles the stomach and combats nausea?

Or add an ounce of pomegranate juice and an ounce of Domaine de Canton to a Champagne flute and fill with Champagne. This would also be great for brunch tomorrow.

New Year's Eve Series - My Bar Cart

New Year's Eve Series - Resolutions

Charlotte Moss

What would a New Year's Eve series be without New Year's Resolutions? Mine always seem to focus on home improvement projects. I have two rooms in my home I would like to redo this year. The first is a little powder room off the laundry room and the second is the laundry room itself. Here are my inspiration photos that I hope will inspire me to get these done. Of course both have Chinoiserie.

The Charlotte Moss powder room intrigued me because of the draped walls - wonderful if there are no architectural elements or things you need to hide. You will see what I mean when I post before pictures of my room.

The Draza Stamenich laundry room I saw in person at a DC Show House and I have never forgotten it - a tiny little space filled with luxury elements never seen in a laundry room like Gracie wallpaper and a Neirmann Weeks lantern.

It seems that I am always juggling so many balls that these two rooms never get attention. Hopefully this year they will. Do you have an home goals for 2013 that involve Chinoiserie?

Draza Stamenich

New Year's Eve Series - Entertaining At Home

Will you be entertaining at home on New Year's Eve? One of my favorite tips is to have mini Champagne bottles for each guest set in ice with a straw. I would upscale these regular straws to some chic retro striped ones below from Paper Source. You can see both of these on Kate's bar cart in yesterday's post.

I like to use this mini gilded bamboo bar in my dining room for serving Champagne on New Year's Eve.

Phoebe Howard

Gold and white is a perfect color scheme for setting the New Year's Eve table. Add blanc de Chine figures for Chinoiserie style.

Style Court

A lovely idea for New Year's Eve at home - a silver tray set with a silver ice bucket, Champagne flutes, and Champagne flanked by a blue and white Chinese porcelain vase with flowers. 

New Year's Eve Series - Kate's Bar Cart

My daughter Kate's bar cart was recently featured in the Washington Post Express. Here are some of her tips for styling your bar:

1. It helps to start with a great bar or bar cart. I scored this classic bar cart, a reproduction of an Art Deco one at Target a while back for under $200. The original version on 1st dibs sold for $2,000.

1st dibs original on left and mine on right

2. I love colorful accessories - I am always on the lookout for cocktail napkins, bar tools, even mini Champagne bottles in bright colors. A colorful tray is a great way to organize things on your bar - mine is pink scalloped stripes and houndstooth.

3. Vintage barware is very chic - I scored these great gold rimmed glasses at a flea market. Vintage cocktail shakers are also very collectable.

4. I like to buy classic top drawer liqour and liquers like Grand Marnier, Beefeater Gin, and Maker's Mark Bourbon to add to the style of my bar cart.

5. Don't ignore the wall behind the bar - I framed three sheets of Chinoiserie paper from Paper Source in colors to coordinate with my bar cart accessories.

6. Have on your bar cart a cocktail recipe book like Mrs. Lilien's Cocktail Swatchbook - both practical and chic.

7. Everything need not be strictly bar related - I use Kate Spade mini posy vases to hold straws. You might use a pair of foo dogs, a plant, a small piece of art. I use lots of pink and green for a preppy girly vibe.

New Series Starts Wednesday

Alessandra Branca

On Wednesday, we will begin a series on a Chinoiserie New Year's Eve filled with tips on setting up a bar with Chinoiserie Chic style, my favorite Chinoiserie cocktails, my daughter's bar cart that was featured in Washington Post Express, setting the New Year's Eve table for those entertaining at home, and much more. We will also have an exclusive preview of a Chinoiserie feature in the upcoming issue of House Beautiful.