Entertaining with Tara Guerard

Many years ago, I started hearing whispers about an events planner in Charleston who was creating some very stylish affairs. Word spread like wild fire throughout the South, and Southern brides were clamoring for this planner to work her magic on their weddings. Great press and a book followed (Southern Weddings: New Looks from the Old South), and then before you knew it, the cat was out of the bag. Our Southern party planner Tara Guerard of Soiree became known across the country. And now Tara's fresh and colorful take on parties is so much in demand that she recently opened a studio in New York!

So I thought who better to ask for advice on entertaining at home than Tara. It's no coincidence that so far both people I've asked for advice hail from Charleston, a very social town. (Mitchell Crosby, if you recall, was featured in a post a few weeks ago.) What I found refreshing is that Tara is actually quite laid back about the way she entertains at her home. Of course, for someone who is in the party planning biz, having a few friends over for drinks should be easy. And with Tara's advice, it should be easy for the rest of us too.


A preprandial glass of wine

On bar carts and mixing cocktails:
"I have a bar side table...always prepared to mix a drink...even for an unannounced visitor. When we have close friends over for drinks or dinner, my husband and I always try to make their drinks, but I want them to feel comfortable enough to help themselves if that is what they prefer! For daytime events, I love having my famous Bloody Marys available. Otherwise, I stick to the basics."


Sweet Tea Vodka, perfect for a hot summer evening

On serving food with drinks:
"Because I do events for a living, I am a slacker for my personal events and usually have cheese, nuts, olives...something simple!"


Hors d'oeuvres at one of Tara's events

And some additional tips:
"Use great glassware. I prefer something a little unexpected- like chilled juice glasses for beer, stemless Riedel for wine (so that it doesn't get knocked over) or beautiful, very thin rimmed glasses for cocktails. And wonderful linen napkins are a must at my home! Dim the lights, even in the kitchen, and have upbeat, get you in the mood music! I always pick my favorites on the ipod and have them ready to go. Gypsy Kings, Cesaria, Miles Davis, and the Buena Vista Social Club are a few of my favorites.

Tara Guerard's Bloody Mary Recipe

1.5 oz. premium vodka
6 oz. tomato juice
1 tablespoon prepared Horseradish
Dash Worcestershire
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Dash Lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
Dash Celery salt
Fresh cracked black pepper - to taste
One Teaspoon fresh chopped Dill
Garnish with pickled okra and enjoy!

(Photo at top taken at Soiree's New York outpost. Drinks photos by Liz Banfield. For more information, contact Tara Guerard, 54 Chapel Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403, p- 843-577-5006, f- 843-577-0095; 37 West 20th Street, Suite 1205, New York, New York 10011, p- 646-329-6258, f- 646-329-6986; www.soireebytaraguerard.com)

I Want, I Need, I Have To Have...

Yesterday, in response to the shell post, a reader mentioned that I might like the shell sconces, above, that are available at Rose Uniacke in London. Rose Uniacke? Why had I never heard of her nor her chic shop before? Better late than never, I suppose.

And regarding those shells- the reader was right. I'd like a pair of the sconces, as well as many other items on the website.



Like these chairs. Slipper shape, green velvet, bouillon fringe. Divine!


And this 17th c. Louis XIV Ebony and Brass Inlaid Commode.


This Bagues chandelier would look perfect over my dining table.


I don't have a bar, but I'd have one built in a jiffy in order to accommodate these stools.

Oddly enough, my favorite thing on the entire site is not a chair nor a table, but rather a bespoke range hood (or should I say cooker hood).


Truly, is this not one of the best looking hoods you've seen? Even if it meant that the rest of my kitchen had to go naked, I'd buy this hood in a heart beat! (It certainly beats the 1968 GE hood that graces my kitchen right now.)

A Really Swell Bedroom

Okay, so the shell bed from earlier today went over like a lead balloon. Let's end the day with this bedroom designed by Anne Coyle. It reminds me of those fabulous rooms featured in the old House & Garden books from the 1950s and 60s- the colors, the zig zag painted floor, the decadent bed. Very glamorous!

Visit Anne's updated website for more gorgeous photos.

Rococo Revery

I love shells.... both the real thing and the motif.


This Soane shell sconce has been on my wish list for years.



I have grotto chairs on my terrace. OK, so I'm not fooling anyone into thinking we're in a Venetian grotto, but they do beat basic patio furniture.



The Reed and Barton Double Shell Server, a popular registry item amongst Southern brides, is one of my favorite serving pieces. Believe me, it can hold a lot of ham biscuits.



I've got shell porcelain...



and shell hand towels.

But what I don't have is a shell bed.


It's so big, so bawdy, and so rococo. And yet, there's something kind of fascinating about it. You don't want to keep looking at it, but you just can't help it.

This is a bed with a history. (Not that kind of history.) The sculptor Bernini and Italian furniture maker Schor made a similar bed in 1661 for Princess Maria Mancini. It was from that bed that the Princess' first born son was presented to the Italian public. And So To Bed, the British bed maker, created this version seen here based on an antique engraving of the bed.

In what other bed could you serve yourself up on the half shell?

Mrs. Delany and Her Circle

I was excited to learn that the Yale Center for British Art will be exhibiting the work of Mrs. Delany in a show titled Mrs. Delany and Her Circle. Some of you might remember my posts on Mrs. Delany, one of 18th c. England's most noted paper mosaic artists. The show, co-organized with the Sir John Soane's Museum, will feature many of her paper cutouts as well as what is described as a court dress embroidered with naturalistic flowers. The show runs from September 24, 2009 through January 3, 2010.

While you're there, you might also want to see Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill. The exhibit made its debut at the V&A a while back. Alas, I never made it to the V&A to see it, so now is my opportunity.

To read more on Strawberry Hill (a home that Carolina Irving cites as inspiration), there is a great book that came out a year or so ago-Strawberry Hill: Horace Walpole's Gothic Castle by Anna Chalcraft. Yale University will be releasing a book on the Delany exhibit in December titled Mrs. Delany and Her Circle .

Tulu Textiles

Thanks to the recent House Beautiful article on the Miles Redd project (July '09), I learned about a new fabric line, Tulu Textiles. Based in Istanbul, Tulu was founded by American ex-pat Elizabeth Hewitt and includes hand-printed fabrics, bedding, pillows, and other decorative items. What I like about the line is that it has that Ottoman look to it, but the fabrics and pieces aren't so heavily exotic that they wouldn't work well with more traditional, or contemporary, fabrics. That's one complaint that I oftentimes have with some exotic fabrics- you use a lot in a room and you look like you're trying too hard to channel Talitha Getty, or you incorporate one and it sticks out like a sore thumb. Tulu's don't feel like that at all to me.

Tulu's website will be updated within the next month, but do try to visit their site in the meantime to see additional photos of their line. For information on how to order, email Tulu at info@tulutextiles.com


"Madame Farfalla" fabric- I am so taken with this print. Gorgeous!


"Kezban" print


"Clara" print


"Yejiju"- love the colors.


"Mejiju"


Pillows using "Mejiju", "Clara", and "Yejiju"


Bedding by Tulu

Image at top: From left to right, fabrics include Pink Gigi, Tashkent, Kezban, Madame Farfalla, and Cream Bathing Beauty.

Michael Taylor's Softer Side

If you were faced with decorating a Victorian townhouse, what you do? Back in 1973, Michael Taylor decorated the San Francisco living room of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Clark, and the result was a room that Mark Hampton once deemed "the prettiest Victorian room ever seen." Victorian is definitely not my look, but if all Victorian looked like this, I might become a convert. It's also interesting to see Taylor's version of Victorian, especially in light of his later, California cool look.


The living room is a sea of pinks and greens in both pale and bright shades. Inspired by 18th c. Chinese wallpaper, Taylor commissioned a muralist, Garth Benton, to hand-paint wallpaper with leafy trees and birds in flight. The green moire sofa supposedly once belonged to Greta Garbo. I like the shape and tufting of the sofa, although I could do without the white bouillon fringe. The chair to the right of the skirted table was slipcovered in a cabbage rose chintz. And note too the straw rug, which prevents the room from skewing too sweet.



On one side of the living room was a bay window. Two blackamoor jardinières stood guard over the bay, while a pale yellow silk sofa was placed within the niche. The tassels on the front of the sofa were an interesting touch, although I believe that I've seen a Syrie Maugham sofa that featured similar tassels. Speaking of which, the Syrie Maugham armchairs here were upholstered in dark brown cotton velvet.

I guess the moral of the story is that not all Victorian is doom and gloom.

(All images and Hampton quote from Michael Taylor: Interior Design by Stephen Salny)

My Dream Terrace

A while back I posted an image of a Manhattan rooftop garden that I found so captivating (that image is featured above). Included in a chapter in Tiffany Table Settings, the terrace seems so evocative of chic 1960s New York- at least it does to me. Well, the terrace that I fancy has turned up again, this time in America's Small Houses: The Personal Homes of Designers and Collectors (1964), and I've learned that said terrace belonged to antiquarian Churchill J. Brazelton.

The first thing that caught my eye was the charming wrought iron furniture and those classical statues and busts that stood guard over the garden. But I think my favorite part of the garden is the small pavilion with a small, marble topped table and striped curtains. If only my balcony were large enough for this!


Brazelton's terrace by day, minus the beautiful Tiffany accoutrements. I wish someone still made that iron swan cocktail table.


A white marble Venus de Medici statue held court within a brick fountain. The trellis provided privacy for the garden.


I wish that I knew what color the striped curtains were; "America's Small Houses" did mention that the outdoor furniture cushions were all in "gay colors".

While I was preparing this post, I came across this image below of an outdoor tent- so chic- on Virgil McDowell's website. Those crenellated edges of the tent top...perfection!



(Image #1- Tiffany Table Settings; #2-4 from America's Small Houses - The Personal Homes of Designers and Collectors; image #5 courtesy of Virgil McDowell)

Entertaining Tips from Janet Simon

New Jersey designer Janet Simon knows a lot about entertaining and sets a table with perfect aplomb. Since yesterday's post was about Wedgwood, I thought it appropriate to ask Janet for some tips on entertaining. She kindly shared with me photos of a garden luncheon that she hosted for four of her closest friends in the garden at her home, Hidden Pond Farm.

Janet said "In early June the parterre garden at Hidden Pond Farm is an outdoor room of boxwood hedges and topiary iceberg roses. The brick and slate roofed garden house is covered with climbing iceberg roses and sloping brick walls while surrounding the remainder of the garden is in full bloom with white flowering clematis vines. Four brick columns with limestone capitals support the wooden pergola. This space is the inspiration for my classical themed luncheon."


For the beautifully appointed table, Janet used a round table covered in a heavy linen summer leaf green cloth with white linen monogrammed napkins (HPF for Hidden Pond Farm). In the center of the table was a French wooden lattice white washed urn, and an 1830 English creamware compote was filled with white garden roses and dark green hydrangea leaves. Italian pottery buffet plates and hand blown goblets rounded out the look. Janet added green chintz pillows to the wrought iron chairs.


The menu included a platter of prosciutto, mozzarella, and tomato with bunches of fresh basil and light oil vinaigrette. The lattice creamware bowl was filled with raspberries and fresh mint while whipped cream with lemon zest accompanied the berries. Janet also served handmade painted sugar cookies of white roses and trellis boxes monogrammed with HPF. Talk about attention to detail! The signature drink was iced tea with orange juice garnished with mint and orange slices.


When asked for a few tips on entertaining, Janet gave me the following:

1) Keep it simple. You want the luncheon to be relaxing so you can enjoy your guests' company and have a nice time.

2) Start with a natural theme. Don't over think it. The best way is to select a theme that works with your space. Choose elements about your garden or outdoor space that can be incorporated into the luncheon.

3) Repeat an element. Find an element that you can use to bring it all together. Maybe it's an architectural aspect of the garden, maybe it's the flowers. Whatever you decide, repeat that element in creative ways.

4) Don't get caught up with over-complicating the food. The food you serve should be an opportunity to have fun and should be easy to prepare. Try serving food that everyone enjoys but have fresh ingredients in abundance. If you don't have your own garden, visit your local farmers market and select items that are in season. The freshness, and the fragrance, of the local food and herbs will add character to your luncheon.

5) Have a signature drink. Maybe it's champagne; maybe it's pink lemonade; whatever your drink is, show it and serve it with pride. A cold, refreshing drink is the best way to complement the environment.


Visit Janet's website for more photos of her parties at Hidden Pond Farm.

At Home with Wedgwood

Recently, I was thinking about my favorite Tiffany & Co. tablesetting books from the 1980s and 90s (The New Tiffany Table Settings, Tiffany Taste, and The Tiffany Gourmet Cookbook) and lamenting the fact that there haven't been many books of late that have captivated me like the Tiffany books. On a lark, I ordered At Home with Wedgwood: The Art of the Table by Tricia Foley and frankly wasn't sure what to expect. I just received it yesterday, and guess what? No more lamentation- this book looks fantastic.

The book discusses the illustrious history of Wedgwood china and includes chapters on prominent Wedgwood collectors, including Suzanne Rheinstein, Charlotte Moss, Stephen Drucker, and Michael Smith. To be honest, I didn't have a chance to read the text last night. But if the photos are any indication, the text should be quite interesting too.


Designer Diane Martinson created a Neoclassical look for her home; the table is set with Wedgwood candlesticks in the Edme pattern.


Charlotte Moss set a table for a post ballet supper using Wedgwood black basalt and creamware- all set on a pink tablecloth. Gorgeous.


Stephen Drucker is an avid collector of black basalt portrait busts. In this photo taken in his apartment, a basalt wine ewer and a collection of over 500(!) reproduction plaster casts provide a graphic display. Now I'm inspired to start collecting plaster casts.


Lord Wedgwood's home outside of Philadelphia. (I thought for sure it was in England.) The green Chinese Tigers teacups are a c. 1984 Wedgwood pattern.


Author Tricia Foley's Upper East Side apartment where drinks are set on a table with black basalt ware and silver punch bowls used as coolers.


(All images from At Home with Wedgwood: The Art of the Table)