The second annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House opened in Palm Beach this past weekend showcasing the work of 21 talented designers. Overlooking Lake Worth, the Mediterranean-style villa provided a beautiful backdrop for the designers to work their magic. The house is open until February 20th and tickets may be purchased by clicking here. See below for a tour and if you are headed south, do not miss seeing these spectacular spaces in person!
Please join Jane Schwab and me for a trunk show this Thursday, February 8th revealing the beautiful creations of Danielle Rollins benefiting the Levine Children’s Hospital. Her new capsule collection has been a labor of love for Danielle using glorious fabrics ranging from colorful Liberty of London cottons to exquisite floral warp taffetas and a collaboration with Brunschwig and Fils. Danielle has taken great lengths to make sure the impeccably tailored clothes can be worn in many ways from day to night…perfect for upcoming Spring Galas or Spring Break!
I think of Danielle as the quintessential “steel magnolia.” She has overcome much adversity by combating it with beauty through interior design, entertaining, and now through her new fashion line. I had the pleasure of interviewing Danielle several years ago and have reposted it again below. I am so proud of how far she has come making her dreams come true! Enjoy getting to know Danielle and please join us on Thursday to see the beautiful clothes in person…
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – October 25 – Cathy Austin, Danielle Rollins, Billy Ceglia, Amanda Reynal and Jenny Brown attend The San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show Opening Night Preview Gala on October 25th 2017 at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, CA (Photo – Susana Bates for Drew Altizer Photography)
There is nothing I love more than an antiques show. Gone are the days of booth after booth of brown furniture. Today’s shows provide the catalyst for vendors and designers to showcase their creative brilliance and highlight the very best they have to offer including everything one can imagine. I was delighted to attend the San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Opening Gala last week. In honor of the 50th anniversary of San Francisco’s Summer of Love, the theme was FLOWER POWER: Floral Imagery in Art, Antiques & Design. Interior designer Suzanne Tucker chaired the brilliant show and Paris fashion designer Andrew Gn joined as honorary chair for the prestigious event that benefits Enterprise for Youth, a nonprofit organization supporting underprivileged students through educational programs.
Please join me one week from today to kick off the inaugural Fall Design Week featuring Atlanta Gourmet and Gift at AmericasMart in Atlanta! I am thrilled to be moderating a panel with today’s top taste makers, designers, and stylists who will be sharing their secrets on entertaining with style.
Foodie culture and entertaining have risen to an art form. Weekend warriors are effortlessly whipping up gourmet spreads, swoon-worthy scenes and decorative tablescapes to fill our Instagram feeds. So, what’s the secret sauce? Take a cue from Bunny Williams’ playbook, who believes there’s nothing more rewarding than having friends and family gather in your home, and makes entertaining seem effortless. Top interior designers, lifestyle experts and photo stylists dish out advice you need to know to be a masterful host—from setting the right environment, designing the menu and table, and even offer styling tips to capture the moment for social media. Learn some of their favorite go-to resources and advice on everything entertaining, dining and tabletop.
Enjoy lunch and a panel discussion with New York-based interior designer Young Huh, who’s work has been featured in Vogue, Wall Street Journal, In Style and countless national interior magazines, Audrey Margarite, vice president of design and product development for Bunny Williams Home, who helps create fabrics, decorative accessories, and furniture for the company’s private and licensed collections, Annette Joseph, author of Picture Perfect Parties and entertaining expert, editor, producer, and magazine photo stylist for Architectural Digest, The Today Show, Goop and others, and designer and lifestyle expert Danielle Rollins, author of Soiree Entertaining with Style.
The inaugural Fall Design Week Featuring Atlanta Gourmet & Gift will offer hundreds of showrooms and lines, designer-focused programming, CEU courses, networking, parties and more:
3 days & 30 events…To give a sense of the incredibly content packed schedule at LCDQ’s LEGENDS event, I thought it would be fun to take you through one of the 16 hour days to see just how much creative energy you can absorb at this spectacular event. The logistics behind this event are mind boggling…not only do the organizers recruit and manage multiple speakers at various venues throughout the week, but they also throw amazing parties, each with their own distinct atmosphere. Designers are by nature a very tough crowd to impress and the LCDQ hosts never disappoint.
The La Cinega Design Quarter was founded in 2007 to promote the burgeoning antiques and design neighborhood on one of LA’s oldest thouroughfares. Since the 1950s, it has been the design destination for legends such as Billy Haines, Elsie de Wolfe, Tony Duquette, and Frances Elkins. These creative spirits seem to permeate the atmosphere…especially during LEGENDS.
Scott Meachum Wood, Me, Denise McGaha, Tami Ramsay, Will Taylor, Jennifer Mehditash
Our first official day began at the beautiful Renaissance Tile showroom for the Blogger Breakfast sponsored by Luxe Magazine. Knowing most of the crowd had very late nights, I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone bright eyed early in the morning to greet us.
With fellow ambassadors Jennifer Boles & Paloma Contreras
The first keynote speech was sponsored by Veranda at the Jonas Showroom. Entitled “Page Turners,” editor-in-chief Clinton Smith led a panel with designers turned authors and the highs of lows of publishing. Discussing the creative and business sides of publishing their monographs, they elaborated on how they translated their individual points of view onto the printed page.
Clinton Smith, Markham Roberts, Winddor Smith, Brian McCarthy
Next keynote, “Not Your Mother’s Traditional sponsored by Traditional Home at George Smith. Senior Design and Lifestyle Editor Jenny Bradley discussed the new meaning of “traditional” with entertaining panelists Elizabeth Dinkel, Madeline Stewart and Thomas Callaway.
The Elle Decor Power Lunch at the stunning Compas Showroom is always one of the most elegant events. The courtyard setting beautifully adorned with abundant flowers is breathtaking every year.
Robert Rufino, Michael Boodroo and Guest
Catherine Connelly, Celerie Kemble, Roxanne Hanna, Joe Lucas and Rebecca Dane
The Egg and Dart Showroom hosted “Branding Beyond the Candle” with interior and product designer Christopher Kennedy, photographer turned fashion designer Jonathan Skow (aka Mr. Turk) and moderated by the delightful Kelly Lee of Kelly Golightly. They shared their secrets of building a brand that appeals to a broad audience while staying true to their creative visions.
Matching ensembles with Mr. Turk
Complete with live mermen, the Tufenkian windows were some of the most visited during LCDQ. They hosted “Makers as Muse” moderated by Pamela Jaccarino, Editor in Chief of Luxe Magazine. She lead a conversation with Molly Luetkemeyer, Joe Lucas and Betsy Burnham on the artisans and craftsmen that serve and inspire them and what fuels them to keep their designs fresh and forward thinking.
The final keynote of the day “The Art of Upcycling” was held at the gorgeous Woven Accents showroom. Led by Domaine’s creative director Mat Sanders, actress and Honest Company founder Jessica Alba, Ginna Christensen of Woven Accents, Chairish.com’s Anna Brockaway discussed innovations in green living and the perks of up-cycling in interior design today.
Next up the parties! House Beautiful and the Stark family hosted a cocktail party welcoming Sophie Donelson, the new Editor in Chief in the stunning stark showroom. The gorgeous rugs provided a beautiful backdrop for another insanely attractive crowd!
Lovely Sophie Donelson taking center stage
Sophie Donelson with Nate Berkus
With Tony Buccola, Holly Phillips and Shaun Smith
The Sherle Wagner showroom hosted the Tributes party complete with live jazz, crafted cocktails and hilarious scenarios for photo ops with their products.
Victoira Larson, Amy Meier, Tami Ramsay and Patrick Dragonette
Danielle Rollins and Bill Ingram
Kerry Joyce, Michael Boodroo and Chuck Comeau hosted the official LEGENDS After Party at the exquisite Therian showroom. Knowing that the crowd had experienced and overload of visual stimulation during the day, they made sure to come up with some imaginative and exciting entertainment to capture everyone’s attention.
Fire eating performers…
Dueling musicians perched above the crowd….
And the grand finale…Cirque du Soleil inspired performance artists to cap off an epic day.
And was just the first day! Be sure to check back to read about the final day of LCDQ which was equally as inspiring and entertaining. For more of my design musings, be sure to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for reading and please come back again!
Photography by JL Photography unless otherwise noted.
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Table Setting by Set, Sip, Serve |
There is nothing better than reconnecting with old friends and picking up right where you left off. Thirty years ago (yikes…am I really that old?), I met the delightful Benton Jordan at summer camp. Benton always made everyone feel a little less homesick with her graciousness and hospitality. It is absolutely no surprise that she has channeled this charm into a fabulous new entertaining resource called Set, Sip Serve.
Set Sip Serve is a“go-to” at home entertaining site that showcases home entertainers, chefs,
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Table setting by Sip, Set, Serve |
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Annie Belanger Wehrle and Benton Jordan Weinstock |
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Table setting by Sugar Paper |
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Table setting by Danielle Rollins |
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Danielle Rollins |
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Danielle Rollins |
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Table Setting by Ruthie Sommers |
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Ruthie Sommers |
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. -Melanie Beady
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Better Homes and Gardens |
I confess that I am not a very good cook, but I am incredibly grateful that I have a husband who is a wonderful cook and many dear friends that keep me very well fed! Despite my terrible culinary skills, I absolutely ADORE setting a beautiful table and arranging flowers for any occasion. Fortunately for me, I can let others do the cooking and I can have fun creating the table. Whenever I need inspiration, I always turn to Eddie Ross, Danielle Rollins, Tory Burch, Carolyn Roehm, Frances Schultz, and Jamie Meares. Their use of color, scale, texture, pattern, and found objects incorporated into the settings are clever, artistic, and unexpected. These designers, tastemakers and creative minds always delight and surprise me with their table settings.
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Eddie Ross for Lonny |
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Danielle Rollins Photo by Sara Hanna |
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Danielle Rollins Photo by Sara Hanna |
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Tory Burch |
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Carolyn Roehm |
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Carolyn Roehm |
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Carolyn Roehm |
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Frances Schultz |
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Frances Schultz |
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Brilliant watercolor invitation by Frances Schultz |
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Jamie Meares-Furbish Studio |
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Jamie Meares-Furbish Studio |
Below are a few more shots to inspire you as you are adding the last minute touches to your Thanksgiviing table.
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Traditional Home |
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Southern Accents |
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Martha Stewart |
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Better Homes and Gardens |
For more Thanksgiving ideas including recipes, favors and decor, please see my Thanksgiving Pinterest board by clicking below.
HAVE A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!