Who doesn't love a beautiful, well made ginger jar? By far, they are one of the most stunning and popular pieces of pottery to add to one's home. In addition, they're both elegant and classic and can be used to style in any space during all four seasons of the year. But Summertime without a doubt is a great season to brighten up your space or make it even more lively with some classic ginger jars.
Sources + Creative Credits:
Interior Design & Styling: Allured By Design
Creative Direction: Tachic Hickman-Piazza
Design Photography: Stacy Marks
Location: House Piazza
I'd had my eyes on the Williams-Sonoma Home collection of ginger jars for quite some time, as they're known for carrying some of the most beautiful high-end collection of jars in various colors, prints and patterns. But of course the classic blue and white jars simply stole my heart away. If you're a new subscriber to my blog and don't know...My heart is loyal, tried and true to the color BLUE. Hence the reason my living room is dedicated to various hues of blue ranging from indigo, cobalt, sapphire, royal, navy, teal, pale, and right down to the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year, classic blue.
For reference, see the collage of photos below highlighting some of the best captures over the years of my living room, including the debut of my ginger jars. Also for blue inspiration you can always head to my design gallery and get your fix by clicking here. All photo stills were shot by my Primary Photographer, Mr. Stacy Marks.
So to all of my long time followers and blog subscribers, it should come as no surprise why I chose the classic blue and white ginger jars to spruce up my home, more particularly my living room for the Summer season.
In addition to my new jars from Williams-Sonoma Home, I also own a few other ginger jars from one of my favorite local boutiques in my area, Niche Modern Home. Of the few, my gold ginger jar is my all time favorite, which is usually staged and styled in my home year round and frequently moved about to different areas in my home as well.
Also, as you all know, I'm a huge advocate of shopping my own home simply by repurposing what I already have and re-styling it a in different way. Just last year, I used my favorite gold ginger jar for my Christmas holiday styling and added a festive twist to it. To see images from that particular shoot, click here because it's never too early to begin getting ideas for the holidays.
But back to my 2020 summertime styling...Ginger Jars are not only elegant, classic and beautiful but they can also be multipurpose when used for styling. You can style them completely as is with the tops or lids on, which is honestly my favorite way to style them and allow the beauty of the jar itself to shine through. Or, you can fill them with floral stems to further enhance the beauty of the jar, or in my case to add brightness and that pop of color needed to bring both contrast and interest to the space.
Speaking of multipurpose, do you all know the history of ginger jars and how the name came about? But of course, allow me to indulge you...
The ginger jar originated in the days of the Qin Dynasty (221 BCE-207 BCE) as a storage receptacle for spices like salt and ginger. When ginger became a chief export to the Western world, the vessels in which it was stored and transported became known as "ginger jars." They didn't begin being exported to Europe until the 19th century, which is also around the time they begin being used not only for transporting spices but as decorative objects as well. Hence making them multipurpose.
Although ginger jars do come in a variety of colors, the blue and white designs became the classic look and style, which is still and clearly very popular even today. Some of the decorative motifs on the jars include dragons, landscapes, floral designs and things of Chinese culture. My Mom used to collect the classic blue and white ginger jars and usually would buy them from a store called Bombay, known for their high-end and formal euro designs. They no longer have a brick and mortar store in New Orleans, but they still have an online presence. I remember as a child, thinking the jars looked so formal and stuffy and I most certainly knew better than to play around them for fear of breaking them and getting into trouble.
But one of the things I LOVE about the Williams-Sonoma Home line of classic ginger jars is that they've updated the design, making it look a tad bit less formal (in my opinion that is) and a little more modernized. For me personally, I LOVE that their jars are trimmed in gold detailing simply because of how much I absolutely love mixing metallics when designing and styling my home. And, my most favored metal to style with is without a doubt, gold. So this was an almost impossible product (s) for me to pass on. And, as I previously mentioned...I'd had my eye on these beauties for quite some time.
Notice I said beauties, (as in plural) because it is very common to see ginger jars styled in clusters considering they're often offered in varying sizes and shapes...and, of course different patterns and prints. My signature style whenever I'm creating a design vignette on either a coffee table, a buffet, a console, a tray, or a chest...my rule of thumb is to style in threes. In short, that means I always work to select three decorative accents, (to somewhat serve as the conversation pieces) which will be my focal point of styling. From there, I build the rest of the vignette around those three main accents to further compliment and enhance the beauty of the furniture piece as well as the overall space.
Now as much as I love the stunning beauty my new ginger jars add to my blue living room, updating and styling my home just wouldn't be complete without a refresh of my toss pillows. And, ya'll know how much I am seriously obsessed with gorgeous toss pillows!! In true loyal form, my theme continues to be centered around blue and I even kept my gold and white damask pillows I used this past spring and last year for Christmas. (Clearly, I love them that much!!)
But to add both balance and a contrast to some of the deep blue tones and in an effort to make my summertime look a bit more bright...I added in my favorite all white textured pillow, which I've personally dubbed "the marshmallow pillow."
Whenever I look at this pillow or touch and feel it, I get the vibe of a soft, plush marshmallow. It's just so divine in color and texture. The sides are a smooth velvet with the center being a glossy crocodile pattern. I absolutely love the dual textures and overall just everything this pillow brings to my space.
Also, because I went with pink floral stems to add that pop of color and vibrancy my blue living room needed...I carried the pretty in pink tones over to my foyer as well.
In doing that, I recently realized for the past couple of years pink has definitely become my go to additional accent color for either my Spring or Summer seasonal updates. Mainly because it pairs so beautifully with hues of blue. Perhaps next year, I'll use a different color. But of course I have no idea what that color will be just yet. Nonetheless, in the meantime...I hope you all enjoyed seeing the beautiful photo stills of my summertime home and styling with my new ginger jars. I definitely hope you all have received design inspiration from the visuals alone and if you've ever been interested in styling with ginger jars before but just never quite committed to doing so...I hope this blogpost will lend you the encouragement you need to get started.
There are soooooo many stores and vendors where you can purchase a wide range of ginger jars ranging from the classic blue and white designs to other colors as well. Obviously, you all know my featured jars came from WSH/Williams-Sonoma Home and they also have various other styles of jars. WSH is a higher end brand so the cost of their ginger jars will run you some money. For me, it's always always always about the quality of the product, which is the reason I had no quarrel with the cost from WSH.
Nonetheless, you can always find stylish yet less expensive ginger jars at deep discount stores like Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning, and Ross. Or, at large online retailers like Wayfair, Houzz and of course Amazon. Or, if you're anything like me...you'll search high and low at some of your favorite local boutiques in your area. Ya'll know I'm a huge stickler for shopping with small stores because it's there you'll always discover the most unique and one of kind finds.
Since this particular photoshoot, I've recently updated my living room rustic chest (as shown in many of my photos within this blogpost) to a gorgeous gold and white antique chest. Stay tuned for the video I'll be sharing with you all highlighting my new vintage piece. You don't want to miss it. And, of course be sure you're following my social media pages where I'll be dropping even more photo stills daily from all of my 2020 Summer photoshoots.
Facebook - Allured By Design
Instagram - @alluredbydesign
As always, I'm forever excited and continuously looking forward to sharing more gorgeous, high-quality creative content with each and everyone of you.
I love you all 3000!
Tachic-
"I believe a person's home should be a true reflection and extension of their personal taste and style...with beautiful collected pieces that compliment who they are, what their interests are, and what makes them feel good."
Founder & Principal Designer
Tachic Hickman-Piazza
Tachic Hickman-Piazza is a creative in every sense of the word. A professional Filmmaker with an Associate of Science in Film & Video from Full Sail University with a career spanning the course of seventeen years of experience in the Entertainment Industry. Blogging is a personal and beloved extension of her years spent studying creative writing for television and film.
Yet, Interior Design and all things Home Decor are two of her greatest passions, outside of Filmmaking. To learn more about Tachic and her journey into the world of Design, please visit her ABOUT page by clicking here. To view one of her most ambitious design projects to date where Tachic merged both creative worlds of Filmmaking and Interior Design, all while proudly wearing the mantle of both Designer & Executive Producer, with the release of her House Piazza Home Tour video, click here.