Blue and White Porcelain, is characterized by its simple yet elegant designs, bright colors, rich pattern decoration, and its refined white quality. They are distinguished from other porcelains by their blue flowers, and other uniquely Chinese motifs. The materials of the blue flowers, and other designs, are comprised of a natural cobalt mineral, which is easy to use, but never fades. Blue and White Porcelain is made by using the color blue, usually cobalt oxide, to create a design on white clay. The color and clay are covered in a transparent glaze, and baked in a kiln at high temperatures.
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There are many things we love here at Rooms & Gardens: our eclectic mix of handcrafted furniture and vintage pieces, sumptuous array of accessories, and of course, John Robshaw’s textiles. We had a great time a few months ago when he dropped by to surprise us in our Santa Monica store. Last week his gorgeous fall collection made its way to our shelves and the separation anxiety really started kicking in. We decided to give our good friend a call, reminisced about his visit, and discussed some of his favorite finds from our store.
John was immediately drawn to our framed vintage map prints. “I try to escape to the coast as often as I can. Nautical maps always help plan my next adventure,” said John. He was referring to a black and white California map from our collection. The map is a high quality reproduction set in a classic weathered black frame, and can serve as a true focal point for a living room, office or bedroom.
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Botanical studies are a beautiful and historical works of art. Dating back to ancient times, floral compositions have been a popular artistic treatment for quite some time. They not only represent some of our earliest scientific efforts, but they also stunningly illustrate the entities of our favorite garden beds.
The Codex Vindebonensis, the oldest surviving illustrated botanical manuscript, and dates back to 512 AD. It was created in Constantinople for the Emperor of Byzantium’s daughter, Juliana Anica, in the year 472. It is primarily copied from the De Materia Medica, which was written in Rome about 60 AD.
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On Memorial Day weekend, Rooms & Gardens celebrated its 21st anniversary of the opening its first store in Santa Barbara, and we are about begin our 9th year in Santa Monica! In order to be able to reach out to our loyal clients from California to New York, and everywhere in between, we have kicked off a major project to greatly enhance our web presence. New designs, fresh products, and the latest trends from Rooms & Gardens are now available online, and can be delivered right to your home. As part of our efforts, we are happy to debut our very own blog.
To kick things off, we wanted to introduce you to Academy Award winning actress Mary Steenburgen, co-owner of the Santa Monica store, to discuss a few of her favorite Rooms & Gardens things! Before partnering with Eric & Jami Voulgaris to open Rooms & Gardens in Santa Monica, Mary was a longtime client and friend of the couple. Her style is right in line with our stores' California casual meets British colonial, with an air of French and Oriental influence, look.
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