A Beauty of a Table

So what's today's "I want it. I need it. I have to have it."? Why, that would be a William Kent style table. A stretch, I know. I think that my desire for pleated lamp shades will be fulfilled long before that of a William Kent table. Still, one has to have those aspirational pieces on her wish list. After all, you gotta have something to work for.

So, who was William Kent and what did he have to do with tables? In a backward history lesson kind of way, that will be the focus of tomorrow's post. But in this post, I'll show a few examples of how these beauties are being used today.

See that photo at top? That's a William Kent table in the home of Oscar and Annette de la Renta. An elegant table for an elegant couple.



In the manner of William Kent, this eagle based console resides in the London home of Sue Stafford, former marketing director for David Hicks.



Alexa Hampton has this William Kent style table in her office.



I wonder if Alexa's table is the same one that her father, Mark Hampton, used at the Kips Bay Showhouse in 1997. Looks like it.



Mark Hampton also used a William Kent table in his Manhattan dining room.



Who could forget that Miles Redd used his William Kent style table to serve drinks?



A William Kent style table appears in another Redd project.



I'm not so sure about the red plush finish to this William Kent style console and mirror that was recently auctioned off at Christie's. That said, the carved eagle base is rather nice.

(Image #1: Vogue, 12/08, François Halard; #2 from House & Garden, October 2010, Sarah Hogan photographer; #3 from New York Social Diary, Jeff Hirsch photographer; #4 and #5 from Mark Hampton: An American Decorator by Duane Hampton; #6 from House & Garden, Paul Costello photographer; #6 from Elle Decor, Simon Upton photographer.)