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!

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.

Ever since we got to ride around our neighborhood in the Vespas that Cottage Living rented for our photo shoot and our trip to Italy last May we have been joking about buying a real Vespa. When we downsized to one family vehicle D. was really getting the itch to reclaim his freedom once in a while. So Voila! We broke down last weekend and bought a Vespa LX 150 from none other than singer-songwriter Gavin deGraw, who apparently bought it for recreational use at his vacation home in Hollywood and then changed his mind. It had 85 miles on it! Doesn't D. look so European with his Adidas and sunglasses? Alas, when you can't go to Italy, bring Italy to you! Have a great weekend!

Pouring through magazines lately, I've come across some fantastic fashion spreads with antiques incorporated into the sets. What I find interesting is that it's happened simultaneously and the magazines are not parent-owned, which leads me to a large leap of logic - have we turned the corner on modern minimalism? Are antiques, like a gold brick, back in vogue? Are we an asset again and not a commodity? Perhaps too early to tell. Though in this recession, it is nice to own things you can enjoy everyday. Beauty can enrich and improve your atmosphere.
I'm not insisting on certain products or tastes in certain products. There is a space and motivation for a broad diversity of products. But, I am a little biased. I went to an event recently at a large, beautiful home and the designers had filled the house with cheap-looking reproductions that looked, well, cheap. It's one thing if your designing on a dime. But when you build a multimillion dollar home and fill it with poor quality reproductions, it cheapens the beauty of the space. And I think that's just a shame. And worse, the reproductions are almost as expensive, if not more so, than the real thing. So why go there? If you want to go with contemporary furniture then choose new, innovative designs by artists that make a new statement. If you want traditional, get the real thing or as close to it as you can afford. In my opinion it is all about authenticity. If something is "pretending" to be something it isn't, then it isn't right. But alas, there can always be exceptions, all rules can be broken!

The previous images are from the Neiman Marcus ad campaign in Vogue. The few images below are from a recent "Bal Harbour Magazine," a local publication distributed in South Florida.