Bunny Williams: On Garden Style

The garden section of my library is woefully slim, which is likely due to the fact that I'm not a gardener, nor do I consider myself much of a gardening enthusiast. I come by this lack of fervor honestly. First, neither of my parents are into gardening. Our house always had lovely landscaping, but a professional was brought in to handle it. And second, I'm a city girl through and through, with most of my adulthood having been spent in residential buildings, where gardening means planting a few pots for the balcony.

That being said, I do admire beautiful gardens and landscapes. It would be strange if I didn't considering that gardens and interiors have much in common. I also admire beautiful gardening books, although they have to be particularly inspiring and dreamy for me to want to add them to my library. I found such a book in the newly revised edition of Bunny Williams On Garden Style, which was first published in 1998.

In the book's introduction, Williams says that she was inspired to write On Garden Style because many gardening books dealt more with horticulture and "few communicated the importance of a garden's whole design."  This is one of the reasons why I so enjoyed this book.  Had the book been bogged down with horticultural minutiae, it would have sent me packing.  Instead, it taught me much about considering a garden's overall structure as well as achieving the desired mood, or personality, of a garden.  Williams makes a point of treating gardens as outdoor rooms, and it's that comparison which particularly resonated with me.  I now realize that well-conceived gardens are about so much more than the flowers and plants that grow in them.

Speaking of well-conceived gardens, there are plenty to gaze at in this book.  Featured gardens include those of Williams, Piet Oudolf, Oscar de la Renta, and Jack Lenor Larsen, to name but a few.  Also, there is much visual diversity in the photos, for they're not all depictions of flowers or plants.  There are paths, fences, espaliered trees, hedges, and more, which means that all of us- even those, like me, who are gardening clueless- can find something to appreciate.  By the way, all of the photos in this revised edition are new, so if you own the original edition of this book, you'll have plenty of new material to savor.  And savor is likely what you'll do with those photos.

If you're a hardcore gardener, then I believe you will learn as much from this book as I, the novice, did.  But as informative as this book is, it also has that quality which I mentioned earlier: dreamy.  When read before bedtime, On Garden Style will lull you into a verdant dream world.


*I recently learned that Bunny Williams and John Rosselli's beloved garden store, Treillage, will close at the end of June.  The last event that will be hosted there will be a book signing event for On Garden Style on April 14.  A sale will begin the next day, April 15.   

A "Rite of Spring" Table

My friend Jonathan Preece's creativity never ceases to amaze me. A very talented designer on staff at Bunny Williams, Jonathan is known for creating the most amazing and theatrical tablescapes. I think that what fascinates me most about Jonathan's handiwork is that it's not just about striking colors, pretty linen, and fetching china. There is always an underlying theme that inspires the various elements of the table decor. And believe me, the theme is always well researched. When Jonathan tells me about his various inspirations, I usually have to visit Wikipedia to figure out what he is talking about.

A few years ago, Jonathan was responsible for decorating the Passover table for clients of Bunny Williams. The apartment was in the throes of demolition, undergoing a major transformation that was recently unveiled on the cover and in the pages of the February/March issue of Elle Decor. As Jonathan assisted Williams on this project, it was only natural that for the clients' Passover celebration, he would be responsible for creating some semblance of order and beauty in the midst of construction chaos. I'm sure that creating an elegant table in a demolition zone was a challenge, but I would say that Jonathan pulled it off with aplomb.

For this particular table, Jonathan combined traditional Passover symbolism with references to Spring, ones that were specifically inspired by the ballet "The Rite of Spring" (Le sacre du printemps). With music composed by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Nijinsky, the piece is one of the most iconic (and when it debuted in 1913, one of the most controversial) ballets of the 20th century. Jonathan's ode to Spring included many natural materials like moss, daffodils, bell flowers, lilies, succulents, and seasonal fruits.




Several long tables were placed end to end to accommodate around 40 guests. The table was set with plain bone china with gilded detail and pale green water and wine glasses. The ivory linen napkins were folded in what Jonathan calls the "traditional Bunny Williams Style." Covering the table was a wide striped linen fabric in shades of hot pink, orange, brown, and celadon. Jonathan also chose to use acrylic amber colored ballroom chairs so that when the sun set, the light would shine through them.



At the center of the table was a large painted driftwood plinth on which Jonathan placed a large date palm, one whose base was covered in chicken wire and sheets of Bull Moss. Jonathan repeated the use of white painted driftwood along the length of the table and incorporated different mosses, spring grasses, flowers, and fruit into the wood. The result, as Jonathan noted, was an above-ground surreal root system. A French Deco 1940's Aubusson rug with stylized pagodas and borders (part of Bunny Williams' extensive antique textile collection) was hung as a backdrop behind the table. This allowed a prep area to be hidden from guests.




Holding court at either end of the table were blanc-de-chine camels whose backs provided just the place for hammered copper bowls of Daffodils. The other copper bowls on the table held pyramids of clementines and lemons as did mercury glass compotes.



Nestled at the feet of the camels were pots of variegated foliage, spring grasses, and chartreuse potato vines.




White lacquered screens were employed throughout the space to partially obscure the guts of the construction as well as to help bounce light around the space. At each side of the room stood tall French metal garden plinths with craquelure celadon temple jars from Treillage Ltd.





In lieu of place cards, Jonathan chose silvered metal birds, fruits, and Mudras Hands which held each guest's name constructed of wire. The scrolls you see on each plate are vellum prints of engraved illustrations taken from an antique illustrated Haggadah, the book that sets of the order of the Passover Seder. The book is traditionally read throughout the evening's celebration. Each scroll was fastened with laser cut seals.



One of the Passover symbols that Jonathan incorporated into the "Rite of Spring" table was the plagues of locusts and frogs. Here, a locust (not a real one) is perched atop a clementine, while white painted frogs also make appearances on the table. Although not associated with Passover, white painted toy turtles and hummingbirds helped to celebrate the arrival of Spring.



In order to soften the space, the floors were covered first in plywood and then in seagrass. Colorful Moroccan rugs, borrowed from Bunny Williams, were placed over the seagrass.



Clusters and bunches of spray roses, Bell Lilies, and Hypernicum as well as birds nests made of moss feathers rounded out the Spring look. Within the mercury votives, electric candles gave off a realistic glow.


All images courtesy of Jonathan Preece, Elizabeth Swartz photographer.

Bunny Williams and BeeLine Home

Everybody has been buzzing about Bunny Williams' new furniture collection, BeeLine Home. (And apologies for the bad pun!) I recently had the opportunity to meet with Bunny and her staff and see the line in person, and I promise you this is a fabulous collection!

First, the whole line has that Bunny Williams' flair. Each piece that I saw- whether it was a mirror, a table, a lamp- looked like a "found" object. The collection was inspired by both pieces in Bunny's own collection and objects that Bunny had been searching for. And one of Bunny's objectives was to provide a mix of modern and traditional pieces. After all, that's the way we live, and I think that's what makes Bunny's interiors so rich, so inviting, and so now (and yet so timeless too)!

The other thing that I shouldn't neglect to mention is the gorgeous finishes of the furniture. One of the reasons that I'm hesitant to buy new pieces is the lack of quality finishes- they either look cheap or too new. And that's definitely not the case with BeeLine Home. There were a few tables that I really thought were antiques...until Bunny pointed out that they were part of her new collection. I was pleasantly surprised.

The collection won't be available for sale until late March. But there's good news for all of you who are not in the trade. The line will be available to everyone at retail shops around the country, including Mrs. Howard, Hollyhock, Mecox, and others. Visit the website to see the entire collection and the retail locations. And if you can, try to see BeeLine Home in person. I really think you'll love it as much as I do.

Oh- and before I forget. These are limited edition pieces, meaning get them while you can. It also means we get to look forward to fresh, new additions in the future!


Hand carved wooden Garden Panel with gesso finish, reminiscent of a 1930s plaster panel.


Shadowbox Mirror, inspired by a mirror in Bunny's Connecticut home, has a mid-20th century feel to it.


This Nailhead Sofa is absolutely gorgeous in person. The combination of the nailhead trim, the curvy apron, and that rich olive cotton velvet is perfection! (The sofa is available in taupe and moss linen twill as well, or can be upholstered in the customer's own material.)


I think this Hourglass Table might be one of my favorite items in the entire collection. It's so glamorous.


This Chicken Feather Lamp is charming in person. And, the price is nice too- $500.


And as we all love Sister Parish (who was Bunny's former employer), I thought you'd like to see the Parish Cachepot, based on a pair of that were once owned by the late decorator. Now where else would you find something as charming as this?