Why In Design: Faux bois, a fancy name for a down to earth style -- it's all the rage

~happy weekend~
Let's leave our work desks 
with the quiet thoughts of walking 
in a beautiful garden or forest,
and a toast to Faux bois in design...

Faux bois (from the French for false wood) refers to the artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media. The craft has roots in the Renaissance with trompe-l'œil. It was probably first crafted with concrete using an iron armature by the inventor of ferrocement, Joseph Monier. In 1875, Monier designed the first bridge of reinforced concrete, crossing the moat at the Chateau Chazelet, in France. It was sculpted to resemble timbers and logs. ^[1]
~Wikipedia~

designs (above and below) from Alessandra Branca's collections; gorgeous plates and a gilded Faux bois tree stump garden seat

By now, chances are you have seen the many faces of Faux bois, er, false wood references in design from furniture to tabletop.  It's all the rage and we are collectively foraging our way through a love of everything "woodland" these days from obsessions with mushrooms to tree stumps.  Faux bois is the very popular nod to trees or wood, and with nature-inspired design on our radar  we simply cannot get enough.  I love the look of Alessandra Branca's porcelain plate collection and I showcased it on my blog last fall when she created a beautiful home for Designer Visions.  The fantastical feeling of bringing nature into our home, our tables, well, we are in love. I get the sense we  get the feeling of escaping back to nature when adding these inspirational pieces into our home.  A little whimsy makes a happy home, don't you think?  

Take a look...

Ballard Designs

1st dibs

even the artists over on my favorite website, etsy 

are getting into the action

love, love this table from Mecox Gardens

a glimpse of a chair's seat I designed using Robert Allen's Malachite fabric, Faux bois pattern.  

Target 

these Caspari monogram napkins are adorable

Farrow & Ball Folly Green 76 ~leafy green shade entices, and all this pontificating for Faux bois reaffirms my love for the paint color green.  As I plan my palette for this spring's Design On A Dime (more about that later), I am perusing paint chips.  But, that's another story and

maybe a topic for next Friday's Why In Design.  

The real bois!

 In the meantime,
Faux Bois to you, to me and to everyone!

all photographs sourced on my Faux Bois board
Happy Nesting 
XO Tamara