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.

A Springtime Fête

As noted in yesterday's post, Halston's home begged for a slick and spartan style of entertaining. Acid greens or hot pinks would have looked ridiculous in his contemporary townhouse, and ornate china on that lucite table would have absolutely been out of place. But if you're hosting a dinner in the Southern outdoors, color and layered accessories are apropos. After all, your table should reflect the party's setting.

Over the weekend, I found the May/June 2009 issue of Southern Accents, and there was a great article about a Charlotte dinner party hosted by Erin Vorhoff and John Bossard. I sat up and took notice for two reasons. First, John has got to be one of the most fun and exuberant people around. Every time I see him at an event, I know that I'm going to have a good time. The other reason this article intrigued me were the colorful table settings.

John is a die hard maximalist, while Erin's taste is "eclectic with clean lines." But somehow, these two different aesthetics seemed to have mixed beautifully at this party. Erin and John first settled on a color theme for the party: royal blue and apple green, an appropriate choice as the dinner took place outside of Erin's cottage. Tables were covered in lime green skirts and topped with a suzani print of greens and blues. In the center of the tables were tall blue and white ceramic vases filled with bright green Bells of Ireland. I need to remember to use a tall vase like this because while I do love this flower, its height can make it tricky to arrange. Pretty cream and gold Wedgwood china placed on gold chargers added a note of elegance to the tables as did the silver flatware. And finally, hanging over each table were Moroccan paper lanterns.

The Springtime menu, prepared by Charlotte caterer Porcupine Provisions, consisted of split pea soup, pan-seared salmon, and strawberry trifle, while the house cocktail that evening was a Lemon Drop. All in all, it sounds like a delightful and delicious evening. Just something to think about when you take the party outdoors. That is, after the pollen subsides. Otherwise, you'll just have to incorporate yellow into your color scheme.



Hostess Erin Vorhoff applies the finishing touch.



A detail of the table setting.



I'm not sure which I like more: the well appointed table...or host John Bossard's pants.


All images from Southern Accents, May/June 2009, Brie Williams photographer.

At Home with Halston

When planning this week's posts, I realized that most of them have to do with parties or tablesettings. I can't figure out if I'm itching to go to a party or to host one. I'm hoping it's the former because God knows I don't have the time over the next few weeks to play hostess. Anyway, today's post is about entertaining chez Halston.

The October 1977 House Beautiful article from which these photos were scanned focused on the interiors of Halston's Paul Rudolph designed townhouse, one of the only townhouses built in Manhattan since World War II. (This article was written in 1977, so perhaps others have been built since then.) The interiors were awash in white and gray, a color that Halston felt looked good on everybody. In the spacious living room, furniture was upholstered in a knit flannel that the designer also used in his clothing collection. The floors were covered in a gray velvet carpet that Halston had designed for Karastan, one that resembled Halston's beloved Ultrasuede. The designer preferred a spartan way of living (that is, in his decorating), so he avoided copious amounts of accessories and artwork. Only a few choice pieces were hung here and there. The walled garden off of the living room, planted with bamboo, was backed in mirror in order to reflect light into the home. Now that's chic.

But what really caught my eye was the dining table set for a dinner party. The lucite block table was also a Rudolph design. It almost looks like a slab of ice. Because Halston felt that "candlelight coming up from below is the most flattering light", Elsa Peretti designed votives were scattered across the tabletop. Now you know that I adore Peretti's designs, especially her creations from this era, but I'll be honest- those votives look very similar to the cheapo versions that I bought at Pier 1. Not that that's a bad thing. The flatware and crystal were from Tiffany.

What's interesting is that Halston said that he never set the table as it was photographed here. Instead, he used the table as a bar or a buffet. He felt that people preferred to be close to the floor, so guests tended to dine at the marble-topped cocktail table, on hassocks on the floor, or on the stairs. And in terms of the menu, Halston believed that people ate lighter in the evenings, meaning no elaborate courses were served. Dinners often began with crudites followed by entrees of blanquette de veau, salmon, or baked potato with caviar. It was simple but delicious fare.

No mention was made in the article of whether Sister Sledge's "He's the Greatest Dancer" played at Halston's get-togethers.













All images from House Beautiful, October 1977.

Katie Ridder Collection Wallpaper

When Katie Ridder debuted her textile and wallpaper collection a while back, it generated a lot of interest in the blogosphere. No surprise, really, as the charming prints were a breath of fresh air. Didn't we swoon over Attendants with its turbaned men? Well, Katie is back with a new wallpaper collection that is just noteworthy as the last one.

There are a few favorite prints that have been rendered in new colorways, like Attendants which now comes in a metallic background. That's it at top. I bet those men didn't know that they would someday be placed in such a glamorous setting.




Beetlecat now sets sail against a Stone colored sea, one with a few teal waves.




Crane is a new addition to the collection. The regal looking bird is perched on a branch while keeping watch over a basket. Could it be filled with eggs? The print- which is really so beautiful- comes in Sky (soft, smoky blues) and my favorite, Birch.





Life at sea- or rather, in the sea- is captured in Crab. The crustacean and coral print comes in Coral and Fog.




And I've saved my very favorite to last. Is Wave in the Cinnabar colorway not absolutely stunning? I am dying to use this somewhere. Boy, is it good looking.




If you prefer green, Wave also comes in Moss.

Katie's website will be updated soon with these new prints which will also be available in fabrics too. And there are other colorways that are not seen here. The Katie Ridder Collection is available through Holland and Sherry showrooms as well as Harbinger in Los Angeles. I urge you to check out the papers in person; my photos don't do them justice!

The Fabric of My Life

I spent the other evening going through drawers of fabric samples. Now, don't you feel sorry for me that I wasn't whooping it up out on the town. I actually enjoy looking through memo samples, so it's a nice way for me to spend an evening. A sickness, I'm sure.



It was funny to see some of the samples that I had picked up over the years. Why did I select Scalamandre's Calabassas County? Actually, it's a great print, but I can't figure out where I thought I would use it. Frogs don't really work in my home.




I know that this is going to come as a big shock to you- I have a lot of Chinoiserie fabric samples. That Summer Hill Shangrila-Chinois Lacquer above? It kills me with its 1920s feel. Hmmm, it just might work in my dining room...




...Then again, Old World Weavers Pecheur Chinois is awfully tempting as well especially in that teal colorway. Decisions, decisions.




And stars, one of my favorite motifs? I have some of those as well. That's everybody's favorite Trixie by Albert Hadley for Hinson on the left, and Bassett Mc Nab's Rittenhouse (in glazed cotton, no less) on the right.




I'm thinking that in a previous life, I either hunted big game... Tashkent Tiger, Blues on White, by Hinson.




...or upland bird. Who knew that I had a thing for the sporting life? Sologne by Pierre Frey.




And speaking of big game, I have lots and lots of animal prints in my drawers. I've winnowed it down to a few for the photo. Grey Watkins' Trident Stripe in the background, and Rose Cumming's Tanzania and Sabu in the foreground.




Floral prints make an appearance in the sample drawers which is interesting because I don't use them often, if at all. But, give me this Jim Thompson Night Jasmine linen, and I will absolutely reconsider.



And finally, do you think that I like blue? Out of all of the colors in my fabric drawers, blue wins hands down. I wonder what that says about me? Wait, don't answer that.


I believe that most of the prints featured here are still available, although a few could be discontinued. Almost all of these fabrics came from the following showrooms: Ainsworth-Noah, Travis & Company, Jerry Pair, Grizzel and Mann, Scalamandre, Schumacher, and Ernest Gaspard.

LIVE@GiltHome Thursday at Noon

Join me tomorrow (Thursday) at noon on Facebook as I host a Live Q&A with Gilt Home. The topic will be "Spring Entertaining- Tips and Essentials". Log on to Facebook and visit Gilt Home's page starting at 12pm tomorrow to join in on the discussion about entertaining, parties, food, drink, and more. Who knows? We might all end up becoming hostesses with the mostess.

House of Malbranche

I tend to avoid making design declarations, but I do think that no linen closet is complete without some type of embroidered linen. It doesn't have to be anything fancy nor complicated. It could be a pair of linen hand towels with an embroidered monogram, either your own or, if antique, someone else's. Or, perhaps cocktail linens with an embroidered motif. But to have, say, custom embroidered table linen that was designed to complement your formal china, well, that is truly a luxury.

Fortunately in this country, we have Léron, a New York based linen shop that was founded in 1910. Still owned by the same family (the Forsters), Léron sells the most marvelous embroidered linen. I could go on and on because I do adore their linen, but seeing that I've written a lengthy post about them in the past, I'll encourage you to click here to revisit Léron.

Now, in Paris, Malbranche at 17 rue Drouot is where I would go for custom embroidered linen. In business since 1860, the company not only designs and embroiders table and bed linen, but they also teach the art of embroidery to students. In fact, one of my Paris readers has studied at Malbranche for seven years. Can you imagine being able to study embroidery? I'm going to add that to the list of things I want to do "someday". But in the meantime, I think that for me, purchasing embroidered linen is the way to go.

Finding photos of Malbranche's work is a little difficult, so I had to pull images from all over the web. (You'll have to forgive the poor quality of most of the photos.) I do know, though, that the "W" pillows above- as seen in the Walter Lees bedroom at Givenchy's Clos Fiorentina- were embroidered by Malbranche. It makes me wonder if Lees' napkins with Les Invalides embroidered on them might have been by Malbranche. Anyway, I think that after you see the embroidery below, you too might be planning your next journey to Paris with a little side trip to Malbranche.

The Kennedy Seal of Approval

By the time this blog post is published, "The Kennedys" will have debuted on Reelz channel. Based on what I've read, the miniseries isn't entirely accurate, but I admit that if I had Reelz, I would probably watch it. I think that more than anything, I'm curious how Katie Holmes portrays Jackie Kennedy.

And speaking of Jackie Kennedy, I found these two photos of her New York apartment c. 1971 when she was Mrs. Onassis. In a way, her home is what I would have expected. There are rows and rows of books and lovely antiques and bibelots. But what I might like best about these photos is the contemporary fabric used on both the sofa and the dining table. Now that is not what I expected. The fabric was designed by Design Works, a textile firm located in Bedford Stuyvesant that trained people in the craft of textile design and production. The company, created by an agency that was founded by Senator Robert Kennedy, was championed by Onassis who, in fact, recruited D.D. and Leslie Tillett to teach and mentor the Design Works employees.

The two fabrics shown here were part of a collection that Design Works created for Connaissance Fabrics. The sofa featured "Large Feather", a print evocative of African textiles that was printed on cotton duck. The colorway was black and "hot rust". The dining table was covered in "Fish Head Plaid", an exuberant geometric print of brown, white, and coral. Yes, the colors are evocative of the early 1970s, but regardless, the prints added some zing to the rooms' more traditional furnishings. As the House Beautiful article stated, they gave "an additional dimension" to the antiques and objects.

And look closely at the shot of the library. On the sofa's side table is a Coke bottle encrusted in cement and shells. It was made by John Kennedy, Jr. for his mother. A poignant piece that makes me kind of sad.





All images from House Beautiful, November 1971.

A Numbers Game

On the day that Elizabeth Taylor died, I tweeted that the actress was never more beautiful than in Butterfield 8. I stand by that statement, but I would like to add that she was also stunning in Ash Wednesday. I will never understand why that movie was so roundly panned. Here's the deal: the film is set in Cortina, Italy; Taylor drives a gorgeous Mercedes, as I recall; the producer was Dominick Dunne; and most importantly, her clothing was by Valentino. Oh, and she wears a bejeweled turban in the movie. Seriously, what more do people want? Talk about a heavy dose of glamour!

But this post isn't really about Taylor. I've just taken us down a very circuitous path to a discussion of telephone numbers, or more accurately, telephone exchanges. Butterfield 8, in case you're not aware, was the exchange that Taylor dialed to find out who her appointments were for the evening. Because as you know, Taylor played Gloria Wandrous, a call girl. A quite beautiful call girl, but a call girl nonetheless. Decades ago, telephone numbers were a little different than they are today. They were composed of seven numbers, but the first two numbers were designated by letters. So, Butterfield 8 was BU8 plus four additional numbers. You dialed the letters using the corresponding numbers on the dial. I may not be making myself clear, so you can click here to learn more about it.

So why am I writing about this? Because, don't you think that these exchanges had a lot of pizazz compared to the boring old numbers we have today? I'm sure that a lot of you remember when phone numbers were designated this way. If you watch an old movie set in London, you might hear characters referring to a phone number as WHItehall XXXX. That was a well-known exchange. If you lived in New York, your exchange might have been PLaza or GRamercy. Had I lived in my current Atlanta home back in the 1950s or 60s, my exchange might have been CHerokee.

I know this might seem like such a random post, but seriously, wouldn't you rather have calling cards printed up with KLondike, MUrray Hill, or HEmlock rather than all of the rigmarole we have to use today? I know that I would.


Parish Hadley's telephone number, as seen here in a detail of a rendering for Sister Parish's calling card, was RHinelander 45380.




One of the lady decorators, Elsie Sloan Farley set up shop on Park Avenue. Her number was PLaza 3-3516.




If you needed to reserve a room at The Carlyle back in 1936, you would have rung RHinelander 4-1600. You would still dial the same number today: 744-1600.




Syrie Maugham's London exchange was a posh sounding Mayfair. Her Chicago shop? That exchange was SUperior. That one sounds nice too.




W.E. Browne was an old decorating firm in Atlanta. This invoice, issued to my mother for the purchase of an antique cabinet, shows the firm's TRinity exchange. What's funny is that this invoice was dated 1990; I suppose they never saw any need to print new letterhead. I also admit that I like the use of "Decorators and Furnishers". It seems refreshing in a day and age where those terms are considered to be passé.


Image of Syrie Maugham stationery from Syrie Maugham by Pauline Metcalf.