Designing an Enticing Holiday Showroom Display

For a long time, I've had a thing for the glass domes that were used in the 19th century to protect important clocks, taxidermy specimens, or religious statues. They have certain quality to them that makes whatever is inside just a little more special. I bought a series of empty ones last year and it took me a while to figure how to do something creative with them. Here's what I came up with:

Vintage jewelry displayed on stacks of old leather bound books.

Old crowns on some crusty paperbacks in an oval dome. This group joined another "Souvenirs" dome:

This display needed some holiday cheer, so I added some Christmas balls and gilt finials:

These stacked books set the stage for some tiaras:

Here's the completed holiday card shot:

Happy Holidays to all my wonderful readers, you are very much appreciated!

Preparing a Thanksgiving Table

This week, my thoughts have turned to the Thanksgiving holiday. I wanted to create a vintage, French-themed table to inspire my clients. One of my goals was to incorporate some not-so-expensive items, so that my customers don't feel like they have to spend a lot of money to have a beautiful and charming table. I began my process by creating a tablescape that was not a "set" table:

I focused it on this small still life painting which I thought represented to be largely what Thanksgiving is all about: giving thanks for the bounty of our nation and eating good food!

After adding a few more items around it, I was not pleased with the end result because the set did not really convey the message of a real Thanksgiving table. So, I started over. This time I began thinking about the elements I wanted to be sure to incorporate. I also had in mind a specific fall color scheme.

Some French vintage napkins ($25. each)

antique Villeroy & Boch majolica plates ($150. each)

Sarreguemines transferware dishes ($35. each) and set of 12 Puiforcat dessert spoons and server (set $1200.--ok, I realize that isn't cheap but they are 19th century sterling and vermeil!)

A few more details here and there and...voila! the tablescape that I sent out to all my customers:

In case you are thinking that this is not hard work, here is a picture of our photo session so you can get an idea of how detailed this whole process actually is. D. is a very talented photographer and he just launched his personal website.


A few more options for your Thanksgiving table:

Another set of napkins with red detailing--so chic!

A pair of English bone china Royal Crown Derby plates ($275. each)

And because I can't load my entire inventory onto my blog, you better just click over to the new Tabletop category page we created on our website. Happy Thanksgiving planning!

It's all in the Details

As beauty is all in the details...I thought I'd better describe my table's composition. In this close-up photo, you can see that I used several dozen bouquets of roses as well as bouquets of Provencal lavender in various sizes. As it was a table top event, I included some stacks of vintage transferware dishes made by Creil & Montereau that have a stunning lavender color. The table is a typical French cast iron garden table but then we put a wooden top on it. In the center is a cement pot in the shape of a flower with chipping paint. Old books (a staple in all my decor), and old French handwritten manuscripts cover the surface of the table. I didn't forget to include a handblown glass demijohn and a majolica cachepot as a champagne bucket. The child-size mannequin was dressed with some lavender wreaths. Oh, and I can't forget to mention my wonderful sage covered bunnies and spheres. Here is a photo from the back side of the table as it was in the center of the room. One last bit of Provence was to add a Biot jar with decoy ducks.


Let me know what you think of my new header! Please leave comments!

The Art of Table Decorating 2009

It was that time of year again for the Beaux Art Society's Annual Art of Table Decorating event at the Lowe Art Museum. Some of you may remember the table I did last year, all with French majolica. This time, I decided to go with a vintage garden look while promoting our beautiful blooms line of preserved flowers. I added a little sparkle with some theatrical tiaras and crowns, mercury hearts, and whimsy with a child size mannequin. The table was topped off with a fantastic chandelier which was unfortunately cut out of this picture. Here are a few pictures of some other tables at the event.

Karin Andersen, Tara McNamara, and myself in front of the museum at the opening cocktail party.
Want to read more about this event? Check out some other blogger coverage here and here.

L'art de la Table a Paris

Voila l'art de la table a Paris! These photos are from a buying trip to Paris during the holidays a few years ago. Notice the unique combination and mixture of different porcelain and majolica plates, silver serving pieces, crystal items, colored buttons and feathers to decorate the table, and don't miss the spectacular La Duree colored macarons tree. (It's not La Duree, but you can get some delicious macarons from Paulette Macarons in California starting at $18. per box.)

I purchased the sterling silver domes, they were a set of eight, and sold them to a client here in Miami who keeps them on their dining table all the time and they look stunning. I have many of the majolica asparagus plates and tureens on my website if you're interested. Anyone who mentions this blog post will receive 25% off any majolica or silver tableware for the rest of the month.

I want to have a tea party for Cecilia and her friends and decorate a table like this. Hopefully, she'll be old enough soon. She is very happy today because we confirmed with an ultrasound that baby #3 will be a little girl. Cecilia claims she already knew because "she had talked to God about it."

The Art of Table Decorating

Here are photos of the table I decorated for the Beaux Arts' Society's Annual Table Decorating Event to benefit the Lowe Art Museum.

I used all French antique majolica dishes, mostly asparagus and artichoke dishes from the end of the 19th century, handblown "fly traps" as vases for my Provencal lavender, and the "piece de resistance" a Delphin Massier jardiniere with butterflies perched on the edges.