FRENCH TOLE

Solid Color with contrast trim

Many years ago I ordered a few French Tole wastepaper baskets and boutique tissue cubes for my store. They were just plain white (kind of a Farrow & Ball "Pointing" white) powder-coated enameled tin with the most adorable scalloped edges. Needless to say, they flew out of the shop.

Tissue cube with striped base & solid top

Betty and I decided that we should order more and even offer to custom-paint them for customers so they could have a blue one, a pink one and maybe a striped one. However, our supplier had moved on to another style which was not adorable at all !

Never ones to shy away from a challenge, we set out to find and order these baskets and boxes for the store. Well, we did find them but we had to have them made especially for us and we had to order about a billion of them......at least it seem liked that many.

Solid Aqua with contrast trim

While you can still buy a "naked" wastebasket and tissue box, why would you want to when there are so many wonderful options to choose from that would make them your own?

This client wanted a basket that coordinated with the bathroom wallpaper in her vacation cabin. She asked for the cartouche with the name of the cabin, gave us a sample of the wallpaper and helped to choose just the right yellow for the paint.

Sometimes, we paint baskets and boxes for the store stock. I thought it would be nice to have a Tiger pattern that was color coordinated to match the D. Porthault "Tigre-brown" linens that we carry. This basket lasted less than a week on the floor before being snapped up by a savvy shopper who also bought a set of the Tigre linens.

We have also painted the Tiger (or Zebra pattern.....as it does look like both) for many clients in their choice of color.

 

  So too, for the leopard design above.

These Cherry hand-embroidered bedlinens from Nouez-moi in Paris, called out for a wastebasket and tissue cube to match and we obliged.

 

Betty's drawing of the famous Palm Beach Sandals has been painted in many colors....hot pink, lime green, and light blue. We even had our fabulous monogram house copy the deign onto some linen guest towels. What a cute addition to a Powder Room these would make!

We were commissioned to create the whimsical elephant design for a very lucky baby's room. We have since reproduced it with pink stripes and with beige stripes (always leaving the little pachyderms their natural color). Eventually, we made a set for our baby department and it is in stock now......what a great baby present this would make!

This basket and cube set were designed for a Guest Bath ..... again to coordinate with an existing wallpaper.

A theme that is requested more than any other (except solid paint with trim) is a two color stripe. The beige one was metallic gold trim and the blue stripe had a taupe trim. Nearly every one we have made was one color plus white with a coordinating trim, but it doesn't have to be. Choose two colors and a third trim color.....the world is your oyster. 

Here is a paint and découpage combination sporting a Beatrix Potter theme. This set is great for a baby girl, but there are other characters more appropriate for baby boy.

The six designs above were all hand-painted and custom-designed for our clients. Some wanted us to pick an element of design from their wallpaper or fabric or bedding. Others just wanted a unique design to fit their room.

This Redouté rose was découpaged onto a candy-pink-stripe painted tissue cube. The client picked the color and we found the perfect rose. What a job cutting all those stems and buds !!

If you are a plain Jane or Jack, which most of us are, we can paint a simple one-color stripe or solid wastebasket and tissue box for you.

So don't forget, if you are in need of a wonderful wastepaper basket and tissue box and none of the simply great ones we have in stock will not work for you, we can help you design your own.

XOXOXO
LETA 

Please call Betty at the Boutique for prices 561.655.7367