Read Full Feature in Nesting Newbies Magazine, 2011 Issue No.5

Nesting Newbies accepts an invitation for a return engagement to Dining By Design, San Francisco! Issue No. 5 spotlights its epicurean deliciousness and showcases six delightful dining vignettes that were on display.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach…
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning, How Do I Love Thee?

A grand Victorian-love-story moment is worth the extra effort every now and then…just to keep the spirit of romance alive! Create your own enchanting evening with a tablescape similar to the one Lea McIntosh fashioned using resources from the wedding industry. “It’s great to tap into wedding sources for other special events like Valentine’s Day or an anniversary,” says Lea.

“Order flowers from your favorite floral designer, rent beautiful linens, and use your mother’s fine china…or you can rent that too!” Back in her event design days, Lea pulled together pieces her clients had from their families, antiques or vintage items, and mixed them with interesting linens, china, stemware, silverware, flowers, candles and accessories to come up with a beautiful tableau.

Linens: Wildflower Linen

For extraordinary linens, McIntosh adores Wildflower Linen. “They have some of the most exquisite selections when it comes to color selections, interesting textures and those that are ultra-luxurious.” Anything I can dream up, I can usually find a great solution at Wildflower.”

Flowers: Bloomster’s

For flowers, McIntosh uses several sources but no one is more inventive than Bloomster’s. “I like flexible arrangements that can be used in multiple ways. I asked for a wreath of flowers so the ‘lovers’ could gaze into each others eyes.” : )

Table Accessories: Beau-coup
Diamond Shaped Crystal Paperweights
Silver Plated Diamond Shaped Tea Light Holders

“I adore Beau-coup, a fabulous on-line boutique where I always find the unexpected. They have wonderful favors and unique gifts. I have used many things from them and especially like their diamond tea lights and paperweights. They add a touch of sparkle to the table.”

So the table is set and the candles are lit…what are you going to serve? Well, if you really want the cuisine to be as five-star-stunning as your tabletop, Lea recommends…

Le Cordon Bleu at Home

“This is a really good book for classic, formal French dinner recipes.”

Read Full Feature by Bridget Biscotti Bradley in Issue No. 4.

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As summer winds down and you realize that colder days are just around the corner, it’s natural to look for every opportunity to enjoy eating al fresco. So, when Nesting Newbies asked us to create a tablescape that epitomized the style and values of our eco-friendly home store, Reclaim, I could think of no better spot than the Menlo Park, California backyard of Sheila Riley and Douglas Farel. Their garden is an organic wonderland, meticulously cared for, but with a rustic and welcoming vibe.

This incredible setting inspired our table design—a collaboration between Holly Durocher, the staff interior designer at Reclaim; J.R. Farel, an up-and-coming product designer who works at Reclaim when she’s home from college in Boston; and me. The three of us set out to create an Indian-summer, organic-garden brunch.

Photography by Natalie Wi

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In my opinion, this is one of the best stainless steel flatware sets I have ever found for everyday entertaining use. I picked up the basic 45-piece Ginko International Lafayette flatware set at Bloomingdale’s about 6 years ago. I have been using it everyday every since, and it still has its original luster…and I put my kitchen tools, including my flatware, to Xtreme use!

I love the modern hammered look! This flatware won’t get lost on the table, it feels good in the hand, and it goes with every style–traditional, modern, bistro…

One of the best things about the Ginkgo International Lafayette line is that you can keep adding to your collection. I now have a complete setting for 12, a few dozen demitasse spoons for party menus involving lots of sauces, a dozen or so butter spreader knives for cheese tasting platters, a few cocktail forks for the olive tray, and now I just placed my order for ice tea spoons and sauce ladles!

Every year, the designers continue to surprise and delight the guests with their whimsical, romantic, or over-the-top creations.  Time to share:

Bet you can guess what Tiffany & Co did their first year at Hollywood Hosts…of course, it just had to be Breakfast at Tiffany’s!  Holly Golightly awaits the arrival of Paul in a table set with Tiffany & Co china, crystal, flatware…and oh yes, that little blue box!  Most interesting to me is how the stylist used palm leaves as the floral arrangement she cut from the surrounding foliage, and really, with a Tiffany vase, who needs a fancier arrangement?

Our very own Lea McIntosh created this Pride and Prejudice table…a perfect scene so Mr. Darcy can finally propose to Lizzie. The table glitters with diamond shaped napkin rings, tea lights, and silk pillows offered by Beau-coup Wedding Favors. The champagne flows! She collaborated with Bloomster’s for the perfect white flower arrangement and Wildflower Linen provided the tablecloth – a gorgeous piece in sumptuous layers that resemble the English skirts from the early 1800’s.

A close-up look at the flowers!  Notice in the previous photo that it starts with a wreath at the base, then Lea added the silver trumpet vase and Bloomster’s filled it with the same luscious roses, peonies, pepper berries, and lilies.  Then Lea added the white manzanita branch with dangling crystals for over-the-top drama and sparkle.  What’s so clever is that you can get two distinct looks from one arrangement…go for the drama for an evening affaire and then remove the trumpet vase and you have a beautiful wreath of flowers for a morning brunch.  Just add a candle in the centerpiece…done!

Another view!

Susan Davis set a charming tea party for Anastasia, the daughter of the last Tsar of Russia. The Faberge egg china is a memento of happier days in Russia. She found the Russian samovar on Ebay.

The stylists at Neiman Marcus Stanford envisioned a cool, classic table set poolside for Grace Kelly to host a between-scenes luncheon on the set of High Society. The table setting of choice is Haviland “Serengeti” china in gold and aqua tones.

It’s a beautiful night in Paris and romance is in the air. Fred and Audrey meet at a charming bistro with friends for dinner but Ooh la la! They only have eyes for each other. Designer Victoria Thorne created a chic tableau using vintage tableware, fresh flowers by Nicole Hitchcock of Blooms, a bottle of Cuvee Dom Perignon 1995, a Restoration Hardware wine bucket, and custom linens created from vintage French fabric.

This year, the event was held in January so the event moved from the outdoor garden court at the Stanford Park Hotel to the indoor ballroom at Kimpton’s Cypress Hotel.

Kathy Goodman of Well Rehearsed presented Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  The centerpiece is a chocolate fountain and the room smelled scrumdiddlyumptious! This could make a fun spring or Easter setting…just change the signage!

Aren’t the edible oompa loompas by Studio Cake adorable? Studio Cake is the winner of the Food Network Challenge for Simpson Cakes.

Kathy thought of every detail.  She worked with Beau-Coup Favors to create Wonka Bars, and she handed them out throughout the eventing.  Five had golden tickets inside and the winners took home a basket of goodies!  Very clever.

The design team at Brick Monkey selected Slumdog Millionaire, not for its rags to riches story, nor its energetic Bollywood music–but because they fell in love with the colors and textures of India.

Magenta.  Citron.  Chartreuse.  Brown.  They used these colors to create a high-style look mixing luxurious, opulent fabrics, papers and objects with more rustic, simple metals and pottery.  Jai Ho!

I couldn’t end this post without sharing Lady & the Tramp from year one…Tramp found a home that night!  At Hollywood Hosts, everyone has a Bella Notte…

Read Full Feature in Nesting Newbies Magazine, Winter ’10

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“Most families have some old china, flatware, or linens lying forgotten in a dusty cabinet,” says interior designer Jennifer Rowland Clapp. “A lone teapot from grandma? Perhaps a mishmash of tarnished, silver-plated serving pieces? A rogue set of teacups emblazoned with roses? It doesn’t matter if they’re valuable or pure kitsch—unearth them and be merry! If you pair your vintage pieces with modern pieces, you’ll have a setting that conveys your sense of personal history.”

Photography By: Natali Wi

Read Full Feature in Nesting Newbies Magazine, Fall ’09 >>

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“Design shouldn’t be taken so seriously,” says Kirsten McKay, “and it doesn’t have to be expensive, either.” Kirsten co-owns Brick Monkey, a home interiors store she and her two partners opened under these guiding principles. We challenged her to set a harvest table that wasn’t just another cliché—something fresh, affordable and easy to interpret. Eager and excited, she delivered above and beyond our expectations—a flexible fall table that will carry through the Christmas holidays with only a few sparkly changes.

David Braddy and Jodi Murphy set a modern Mediterranean table anyone can recreate using an affordable mix of ceramic plates and beachy pieces from Bloomingdale’s Stanford. Start with a shimmery blue table runner layered with white placemats that look like the bubbling foam of a breaking wave. Choose plates with interesting textures or designs in bright sunny colors – here David and Jodi used a citrus orange plate as a charger with a deeper orange napkin folded in thirds. It’s draped casually off the charger and table’s edge. Add a square blue striped plate topped with a crisp white salad plate featuring a bold starfish graphic. A collection of glassware adds interest and small rectangular dishes allow the salt to seem like a fine sandy beach.

Have fun with a centerpiece filling a white container with orange, white and bluish flowers mixed with fresh lemons and seashells. Let the shells spill out casually across the entire table as though they’ve been washed ashore. Add lots of beach glass and votives for just the right amount of sparkle.

Don’t be afraid to make a statement. Feel free to mix and match china, pull in pieces of nature and tie everything together by choosing a consistent color scheme. In this seaside tablescape, blue and white are the base colors with a splash of orange for vibrancy. It’s fresh…fantastic…and one that will totally WOW your guests!

Resources:
David Braddy
Vine-agra, Inc – Custom Florals
www.vine-agra.com

Jodi Murphy
Gentry Magazine
www.gentrymagazine.com

Bloomingdale’s Stanford
1 Stanford Shopping Center
Palo Alto, CA 94304

You’ll find these in Tabletop:
Block Starfish Dessert Plates – $11.50 ea.
Bloomingdale’s Orange Plates – $15 ea.
Bloomingdale’s Blue Striped Plates – $12 ea.
Bloomingdale’s Fish Tumblers – $13.99 ea.
Speckled Goblet – $8 ea.
Martini Glass – $9.99 ea.
White Placemats – $8.50 ea.
Fontessa Mini White Trays (for salt) – $3.75 ea.
Cambridge Stainless – Service for Eight – $150
Napkins: Cost Plus (No longer available)
Shells: Cost Plus
Beach Glass: Target
Votives: IKEA

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Setting a Romantic Table for Two. In the classic “Lady and the Tramp” cartoon, Tramp treats Lady to a romantic spaghetti and meatball dinner while the Italian chefs sing:

“Oh this is the night, it’s a beautiful night
And we call it bella notte
Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte.
Side by side with your loved one,
You’ll find enchantment here.
The night will weave its magic spell,
When the one you love is near!
Oh this is the night, and the heavens are right!
On this lovely bella notte!”

This is the inspiration for the tablescape in Episode #1 of Nesting Newbies.  Pick an evening to surprise your partner with a chic Italian bistro setting for serving your Nesting Newbies’ Italian Sausage Ragu.

David Braddy and Jodi Murphy created a romantic table for two using affordable tableware from Bloomingdale’s Stanford.   It’s a modern interpretation of classic bistro style using bold geometric patterns grounded by black dinner plates and popped with rich amber stemware and deep coral red bowls.  The flatware has a hammered edge that’s interesting and edgy.

David Braddy weaves curly willow for a romantic arch over the table.

There is no need to spend a lot of money for a centerpiece as a graphic can of organic tomatoes can serve as the basis for your spaghetti sauce and a saucy vase. Cut and clip blooms from the garden or pick up a bouquet while you are at the grocery store. Add a dose of Vine-agra, an eco-friendly floral stimulator to keep your arrangement fresh for days.

Tableware from Bloomingdale's Stanford is mixed with every day items for a chic and easy tabletop.

Dine alfresco or create the feeling of a starry night inside to up the romance factor. Use two urns or pots as a sturdy base.  Intertwine curly willow branches until you have an arch – it’s really quite easy and they hold together without any wire.  Hang a lantern so that it is suspended over the table.  Pull in some knick knacks from around the house to complete the scene. By doing something special and unexpected the night will weave its magical spell.  Enchant the one you love at your very own Bella Notte Bistro.

An alfresco experience whether indoors or out.

Resources:
David Braddy
Vine-agra, Inc – Custom Florals

Jodi Murphy
Gentry Magazine

Bloomingdale’s Stanford
1 Stanford Shopping Center
Palo Alto, CA 94304

You’ll find these in Tabletop:
Joseph Abboud Amber Martini Glasses, $10 ea.
Joseph Abboud Rust Bowls, $10 ea.
BIA Fiji Black Dinner Plates, $15 ea.
Cambridge “Reese Mirror” Flatware, $150 service for 4

Napkins: Dwell from Target (No longer available)

Coral Napkin Holders: Williams Sonoma Home (No longer available)

Lantern: Pottery Barn

Photos By Allure West Studios