Setting the Stage for Glorious Dining

A sunny corner of the de la Renta dining room.
A cache of vintage '80's and '90's House & Garden magazines provided the inspiration for todays post. The stockpile was recently uncovered in our storage area and a review of begone eras has made me long for their return toute de suite! I was amazed when looking at these rooms and the collections many of the owners displayed. The attention to detail and sensitivity in these rooms is really incredible when compared to what passes for stunning design today. An endless array of white rooms with bare windows, a few pieces of rather uncomfortable looking furniture combine to create a look that is more interstate motel than multi million dollar estate. 
If what I just described is your thing than I am not sure you will find much interest in this post. However, if a few people still enjoy comfortable well appointed rooms with style and personality than todays post should come as a welcome respite in a cookie cutter world. 

Opulent pattern and colors for the eye to feast on looking into the dining room. 
The master of haute style Oscar de la Renta was featured in his Connecticut home in the July 1986 issue. The style icon was at home with miles of chintz on the walls and furniture, tables loaded with photographs in silver frames and books. The dining room was no less beautifully thought out as you can see from the above image. The walls were masterfully faux painted by Patrick Boivin with inspiration from the Pavlovsk Palace near Leningrad according to the article written by Carolyn Sollis.
A very American dining porch by Sister Parish in Saratoga NY.
This room is part of a farm house that Sister Parish did upstate in Saratoga, as seen in the July 1991 issue, horse racing capitol of the Northeast. The home was one of many that the owner had, according to the article she almost forgot she owned it. The easy country style dining porch has much charm (a word not often used today) and a collection of antique Majolica decorating the side board and on the table. The arrangement of multi colored zinnias in the Majolica pitcher on the table is a country classic. A rather grand faux painted horse statue stands next to the table recalling the local attraction and the purpose of the farm.
A soft ivory dining room in the Southampton house of Mark and Duane Hampton.
Mark Hampton is an American classic and so is his dining room in the Hamptons. The room has faux painted trompe l'oeil moldings and deep ivory walls according to the Feburary 1988 issue. The table is set with antique blue glass pieces from the collection that his wife Duane collected and masses of garden roses bank the sideboard. The place settings are not particularly fancy but have pitch perfect weekend style down to the slightly crumpled napkins.
A Valentino original on the Island of Capri.
Decorated with airy frescos, the dining room in Italian couturier Valentino's Capri get away is haute style as seen in the June 1991 issue. The table is set with D. Porthault linens, a collection of Neapolitan porcelain and a summer classic red geraniums. Style and ease the ideal summer combination.
A cheerful breakfast table in the Porthault country house near Paris.
Since 1925 the famous French textile family has kept a house outside Paris as a weekend place the May 1991 issue stated. The sideboard laden with an arrangement of flowers stands by the inviting breakfast table set with Porthault lines and china. The day would be off to the right start at this pretty and simple table. It also stated that many of their customers come in twice a year to buy their linens and stay at the Ritz or the Plaza Athenee. I wonder how customers still fly to Paris twice a year to buy their linens?
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A Fine Setting


The window display of Michael Devine dinnerware at William & Wayne.
"I'd love to put one of your favorite new collections in my Lexington Avenue window," read the message I received from William Meyer. Meyer is partner with Wayne Adler who together created New York's great independent home store William - Wayne & Co. The collections he was referring to were my hand painted Limoges pieces that are created from my fabric designs by Marie Daage in Paris. So off Thomas and I went to our first meeting and less than a month later I am thrilled to report the window is installed on Lexington Avenue as promised.
There is never a shortage of blue and white in the shop.
What makes the store so wonderful is that its variety is more like a curiosity shop than a home goods store. The chock a block space is filled with every item that one could need to finish a decorating project or pick up a last minute hostess gift. Meyer believes, "I want to have something across the board for everyone. Even if it is a five dollar gift. I want to be able to give the customer something that is beautifully wrapped and ready to go."

A best seller. Pig doorstops. 
It's a formula that was clearly working the afternoon I was there working on the window. A steady stream of well heeled customers, many who were greeted like old friends seemed to file through the door and just as often left with a find in a bag on their arm.

Small tables, lamps, brackets, pillows and accessories compete for attention in this corner.
The store started in 1989 downtown in a former antique shop. Meyer is a natural for retail since he grew up in his family's retail business. He also was lucky enough to have parents who took him to auctions as a kid where he developed his eye for design. His passion for tabletop started at home as well, "I always loved to set the dining table as a child," he explained. Today its the corner stone of the business.
The new cereal bowl collection (bottom right) vies for attention in the window. 
My collection fits right in with the assortment of tabletop that the store stocks. I am delighted that they are the first to carry the wonderful new cereal bowls that I added to the collection. They are available in all the current colors and patterns and like the rest of the collection are made to order. William - Wayne & Co. is open from 10:30 to 6:30 Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday. 846 Lexington Avenue between 64th & 65th Streets.

The completed window.




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Lunch with the Inimitable Marian McEvoy

Springtime arrangements of found greens mixed with
roses flanked the place settings.
On the banks of the Hudson River there is an enchanting house that is home to one of the design worlds greatest legends, Marian McEvoy. The formidable McEvoy, was a fashion editor at WWD and W in Paris at Fairchild Publications before becoming editor in chief of Elle Decor in the ’90’s. She left Elle Decor and took the helm of House Beautiful magazine in 2000. Today the former editor in chief and noted style maven has long since traded the editor's hat for a garden hat and embraced country life with her typical zeal. Her legendary style is well documented as is her passion for sea shells, pine cones, glue guns (she wrote a craft book about them) and she is also an accomplished and gracious hostess. 
I have always been fascinated by her quick wit and brilliant conversation. I first met Marian when I was an editor at HFN magazine while she was at House Beautiful. It was during her tenure at House Beautiful that she launched my line of hand printed fabrics by being the first to publish it. I am delighted that over a delicious roast chicken lunch she cooked herself at her magical house, Marian shared her insights into stylish entertaining.  


The one and only Marian McEvoy.
What is your entertaining philosophy?
I really don’t do much fancy cooking she explained. Simpler fare is the way to go. Our lunch was roast chicken, potatoes and  brussel sprouts for a main course followed by an arugula salad and cheese with a simple dessert of pineapple with local organic cardamon ice cream followed by coffee. When I was a fashion editor living in Paris I would go to Italy and have these big dinners with the Missonis and Gianfranco Ferre. "They would always serve pineapple as dessert. It helps break down the fat,” she said.   
She always sets the table the night before and turns the glasses upside down, it's one less thing to think about the day of the dinner. She also is adamant that there is never any type of packaging on the table, use bowls for condiments. 

The dining room overlooking the Hudson. She frequently changes
the wall panel colors. It is easy and she can do it herself.
What influences your menu choices when you entertain?
“I cook alone,” she said matter of factly. You need to make the dishes that you can do well. Marian recommends making everything before the guests arrive and keep the meal warm on platters and in bowls so there is no fuss when you serve. I will spend a lot of time making soup and I love chili. I put out about ten condiments for guests to choose from-they love it. You get to see adults behave like children!
“Don’t be afraid to serve meatloaf to a fancy crowd! Guests love it and it can be made in advance,” she said with the assurance of someone in the know. I sometimes make a simple Apple Brown Betty for dessert - just butter, lots of apples and walnuts, never cinnamon. Cinnamon definitely is not on Marian’s favorite spice list, “Cinnamon is overrated," she said with disdain, "people use it where it doesn’t belong.” 
A basket of Easter eggs, some of which were made by the
hostess in a simple silver basket.
Who or what has most inspired your entertaining style?
It was her mother’s sense of drama that played an important role is shaping her entertaining style. “One Easter she had a trough of baby chicks down the center of the table,” she recalled. There was a real sense of occasion for every meal in the McEvoy house. Her life in Paris was a critical influence. Everything was beautiful and studied. Plates weren’t loaded down with huge portions. She clearly prefers sit down meals. 
“Never buffet!!!” she exclaimed as if it were a fate worse than death. “I don’t want a plate on my knees.”
Additional seating with colorful chair pads line the wall of the dining room.
Has anyone been a strong influence in teaching you the l'art de recevoir? 
“There were so many moments in Paris that influenced my style. My friends Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge did everything impeccably, down to the last detail. Even a glass of champagne was perfection. I had many aha moments with them,” she explained with a vague note of wistfulness in her voice. Asked about the couple’s collection of houses she especially loved the Moroccan house.
“White walls and chintz, very daring at the time.” she proclaimed referring to her friend Yves Saint Laurent's house.

On the lower level of the house a river facing room with a stone fireplace is a winter retreat.
Marian's Tips:
Home grown flowers last longer than store bought ones. There are some beautiful weeds, don't be afraid to use them in arrangements. The dining table is sacred. Make an effort to dress and wear shoes at the table. 
Being the crafter that Marian is, her dedicated craft room reflects her assured style and passion for nature. 

Do you have a favorite china or tabletop item that you collect?
She explained she has thirteen sets of dinnerware. Everything from simple to over the top: Charles Mason, lots of Frenchie Limoges, German sets, some Gumps, and blue and white Spode.
“I like to dress the table for the season, so I use different sets at different times of the year. In winter it’s Spode India Tree and lighter colors for summer,” she said. 

Coffee is served on a tray with typical attention to detail. 

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How My Garden Grows


The garden in mid summer.
Often after a presentation or in a conversation about my garden I have noticed several recurring questions that people have. Last week, I spoke to a crowd of two hundred plus ladies of the Johns Island Garden Club and Johns Island Garden Group in the Floridian paradise known as Johns Island. During the question and answer period the same questions came up again and I decided to do a blogpost addressing them for others who might be interested. Most of the answers are in my book about the garden, An Invitation to the Garden but one or two may not be directly answered there. 
In no order, here are the answers to the questions of how do I....?

A late summer morning in the garden.
How did I design the garden? 
Truth be told I have always loved gardening since childhood.
When it came to designing my Kinderhook, NY garden, I was deeply inspired by one of the wonderful garden books by Louisa Jones. Her book the Kitchen Gardens of France is chock a block with great photographs and information on creating the perfect potager. It is the foundation book of my extensive garden book library. A must have. 

Willow panel clad raised beds. 
Where did you get the willow panels to cover beds?
They came from a company called Master Garden Products. They have an amazing assortment of different types of beautiful fencing. We also bought the rolled heather fencing that covers the Bagatelle roof from there. The customer service is good, but the website is really challenging to use today as it was when I first used it ten years ago.
One other note about the beds. I recommend using an organic dark stain to paint the cedar beds first before applying the panels so the natural doesn't shadow through.

An assortment of my favorite watering cans. They are filled with water after each
use so the water is ambient temperature when I use it.
What fertilizer do you use?
It's the same every year. I use organic Algoflash. 
It does wonders for the roses and they have different formulas for different types plants. 

The delicious Madame Caroline de Testout basking in the morning sun. She is supported
by the grapevine that runs up the side of the Bagatelle. 

Where do I buy my rose bushes?
I have tried several different companies that specialize in heirloom roses over the seasons. I keep coming back to Antique Rose Emporium in Texas. They have a great selection of hard to find antique roses and they just work in my garden.

Raspberries ripening in the summer.
Where do I buy my raspberry plants?
I planted everbearing Heritage plants along one side of the fence in the garden. They are fantastic and produce abundantly twice a season. I have had great luck with buying them from Indiana Berry. I also planted a few Anne variety yellow raspberries. They were a big surprise, in the next garden I will plant many more of those. They are sweeter and definitely more delicate than a red raspberry. 





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Dinner for Two with Stacey Bewkes

A table set in the library makes an ideal setting for dinner for two. 
Classic good taste comes naturally to style blogger Stacey Bewkes. Not only does Stacey write one of the most important style blogs Quintessence her "At Home" video series, that she produces with author Susanna Sulk, has developed a cult like following since its inception. Stacey's self assured sense of style has been the foundation of her blog and her success. Her insightful posts are like mini-courses in the decorative arts and gracious living. Stacey is a natural hostess whose simplest get together is an event to remember. Her tips are the tried and true sort that come from experience. This dinner for two is a perfect example of her effortless style. 
Tastemaker Stacey Bewkes
Tell me about the occasion and meal you made.
Now that most of my kids are away at school or on their own, my husband and I often find ourselves dining alone. It gets tiresome always eating at the kitchen table so it’s fun to mix it up. For this dinner à deux, we are having dinner in a little library nook that is off the living room. It’s conveniently close to the kitchen, yet feels intimate and special and has lovely ambient lighting from the bookcase sconces above. While most of the time I try to cook healthfully, my husband adores sauces and this veal dish with white wine, cream, onions and mushrooms is one of his favorites. I follow it with an easy green salad dressed with our family garlic, olive oil and lemon dressing and since we’ve already blown our diets, a sinful dessert. My husband makes the best hot fudge sauce and I enlisted his help for this course. Served over good vanilla ice cream, it’s a great dessert that everyone loves. You can serve it on its own or accompany it with berries, a delicious cookie or as I am this evening over a slightly undercooked brownie.

Tip
If I’m entertaining more than 6 people, I like meals that can primarily be finished ahead of time, like a stew in the winter or a big room-temperature dish in the warmer months - think poached salmon or a big pasta or rice salad. Of course grilling in the summer takes the edge off both the heat in the kitchen and clean up.

A mix of patterns and textures make an interesting table.
Tip
It’s good to have a large arsenal of cloth napkins, at least some of which can be thrown in the washer. Especially during times like the holidays when there is lots of back to back entertaining, there isn’t always time to get them cleaned or ironed in between. Also, even for day to day dining, a fun patterned napkin enlivens a basic dinner table.
Simple Calandiva plants in brass containers make a charming and easy alternative to
flower arrangements for this dinner for two.

What influences your menu choices and do you have a signature dish?
My menu is determined primarily by the time of year and number of people. Obviously the season dictates what’s fresh at the market and as we segue from winter to spring, I’m looking to serve something lighter. If it’s up to about 6 people, I will often cook individual portions of something like fish fillets or lamb chops. For more guests than that I like to cook something in bulk. My signature dishes for fall through early spring are stews like coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon or for those who remember, the ever-popular Silver Palate chicken marbella that can be made a day ahead and only improve overnight. 

Stacey's must have and can't live without mandoline.
Tip
One of my entertaining must-haves is a plastic mandoline. While I love my Cuisinart, I don’t always feel like dragging it out for small jobs. This fantastic German one takes up very little room in the pantry, has adjustable blades for different tasks and completely comes apart to easily throw in the dishwasher.

Who or what has most inspired your entertaining style?
It of course all started with my mother. She was incredibly stylish and artistic and I always loved helping her get ready to entertain. Whether deciding on outfits, organizing the rolling bar cart, or setting the table, she inspired my love for all things creative and fashionable. And while she had many talents, cooking was not one of them. My father was actually a fantastic baker but I think my interest in food and entertaining came originally from reading magazines my mother subscribed to like House & Garden. I can’t ever remember not being interested in how people entertained, what they served and how they set the table. I have been collecting books on cooking and entertaining for years from the classics like Julia Child (see below) to Roger Vergé and the fascinating Monet’s Table and for decades ogled over the entertaining worlds of people like Yves Saint-Laurent, Pauline de Rothschild and Alberto Pinto whose style extended so chicly to the table. And while I don’t ever entertain so extravagantly, it’s great to glean inspiration from the masters - there’s always something to take away.

Single experience or aha moment?
I’m not sure there was a single aha moment that set my entertaining style but for food I would say watching and reading Julia Child, Jacques Pepin and Madeleine Kamman and every week looking forward to Craig Claiborne’s NY Times column 60 Minute Gourmet. I’ll also never forget the first time I ate at Lutèce in that fabulous trellised room. The combination of André Soltner’s Alsatian inspired food with the charming decor was an eye opener.
Dessert Brownie hot fudge sundae served on blue and white La Tuile a Loup plates.
Favorite china or tabletop item.
I don’t have a single favorite item I collect only because there are so many different styles I love. In terms of place settings, I have everything from gold rimmed Limoges to church fair transferware and Chinese export finds to more artisanal pottery, like from my new favorite, La Tuile à Loup in Paris, where I wanted everything. I have a long list of “would love to have” that maybe I’ll gradually chip away at. Since I have four children, hopefully everything will eventually find another home. I like having a nice selection of service plates and chargers because just like a successful room, I think a table is more interesting layered. I do tend to collect quite a few smaller bowls and containers which are so versatile for everything from condiments and cornichons to nuts, olives, confections and after dinner treats. I have quite a few platters in a wide variety of sizes and shapes that can do duty for everything from a cheese course to a caprese salad to a leg of lamb. The biggest issue is always storage! 
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A Garden of Roses


Clockwise: Pierre de Ronsard, Baronne Prevost, Riene de la Violettes and Cardinal de Richelieu.
Its hard for me to imagine a garden without roses, although I understand some do exist. My small garden is home to many varieties of this fabled flower. The fragrance and range of colors is far beyond whatever one could find in a store or from a florist. I am particularly fond of heirloom roses which I find to be hardy in my garden and have provided an abundance of blooms for endless arrangements through the season. 

There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.     -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Along the fence a row of Pierre de Ronsard roses lines one side of the garden.
My passion for this flower developed when I was growing up and would help my grandmother with her roses. There was something very special about the first rose of the summer. I decided that when I had my own garden I would grow as many roses as I could. And I did, about twenty seven different roses vied for space in the little garden and it was magical. 
Climber Zephirine Drouhin is ideal for a northern exposure.
I have discovered there is a rose for every need in the garden. From covering walls to filling in a space there is a rose made for every situation, each available in a rainbow of colors. I opted for a palette of pinks into dark purples which I happen to love and blends well with the color palette of the cutting flowers I grow like cosmos and bachelors buttons. 
All roses look good together and they always look good with blue and white. 
One thing I do to make sure that the roses look their best is fertilize them with Epsom salts. 
The bushes respond well and the roses are luscious for the effort. About 1/2 cup sprinkled around each rose bush in the spring does the trick for the season.

A centerpiece made from three stacked compotes and a melange of roses from the Rose Breakfast chapter in
An Invitation to the Garden.

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A Tribute to Reagan Style

Nancy Reagan with guests Diana Vreeland and Price Charles and Betsy Bloomingdale in the background. 
As a teen in the heady Reagan era I remember reading about Mrs. Reagan's style and elegance which seemed to always be in the headlines. Things have changed drastically from what now seems like a lifetime ago, but that is a topic for another post. Today I want to highlight one of the most stylish first ladies of the twentieth century with a glimpse of this Queens, New York native indomitable classic style. 
The Reagan red dinnerware plate made by Lenox China.
Mrs. Reagan made a splash arriving at the White House in 1981. She discovered that the china collection was in a woeful state and needed replenishment. Voila, the first major scandal of her era. The service she choose caused an outrage in the press. It was made by Lenox China in Trenton, NJ. She ordered 220 place settings at a cost of $210,399.00 which at the time was a lot of money for china, since the country was in deep recession. 
The State Dining Room.
The State Dining Room was the setting for fifty five State Dinners during Reagan's 8 years in the White House and they always made the news. One of the most notable dinners was for the Prince and Princess of Wales which included that dance with Princess Diana and John Travolta that was headline news the next day. The Reagan's also unofficially marked the end of the cold war with a state dinner for Mikhail Gorbachev. Mrs. Reagan clearly enjoyed being the country's leading hostess and took the role seriously.
A center piece of Lilies for the Gorbachev Dinner.
Mrs. Reagan on entertaining.
We knew that for many of our guests, that night would be one of the most memorable in their lives. We wanted to get it right every time. 
Cherry blossoms for the state dinner for the Prime Minister of Canada.
Getting it right every time I believe is the goal of everyone who hosts one to a hundred and is often easier said than done. Taking the extra effort can often make a evening magical and memorable whether its a family picnic or a formal business dinner. It always boils down to the details. Mrs. Reagan got it right every time with great elan.
R.I.P. Mrs. Reagan

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Master Class: Plaza Flowers

A bounty of beauty greets customers in Plaza Flowers New York City Shop.
There are times when you only have to look at something and it is immediately clear it's a masterpiece. So it was when I was shooting the charming Kate Rheinstein Brodsky's stunning flowers for her entertaining story a few weeks ago. The combination of flowers and colors in the arrangements was clearly the work of a master artist. I had to know more. I asked Kate if she had done the flowers herself and she made it clear that they were the work of Connie Plaissay of New York's esteemed Plaza Flowers.  

Garden of Eden on the upper Eastside. 
 Plaza Flowers is a third generation family business that started at the 63rd Street trolley station in 1924. Today is has become the go to florist for New Yorkers in the know. The artist responsible for this success is the founders grandson, Connie. While he worked in the shop as a kid, the allure of cars was more appealing as he grew up. He became a mechanic in his teens and early twenties and then a race car driver.
Not the clearest path to success in the flower business. It was in his late twenties that the driver took the wheel of the family business and retooled the esthetic from very traditional florist arrangements (babies breath and roses genre) to living works of art. I recently had the privilege of spending some time while he made an arrangement and gleaning some of his tips for beautiful flowers.
Connie Plaissay
Naturally Plaissay has strong views on everything about flowers.
The first thing he clarified is that sharp contrast of colors that don't belong together, like red and white for Christmas will never come out of his shop. 
Rather, like a painter he chooses harmonies of color, the arrangement he made to illustrate his ideas was a beautiful combination of light and dark hues of purples.

Prepping Lilacs. Cut off the leaf joints, shave off the bark of the stem and split the stem in a cross
before putting the flower in water. 
When pressed about what makes his flowers so stunning his response was pretty straight forward, "You have to love what you do. You can tell the difference." 
Start placing flowers around the rim of the container.

Start with the rim when arranging flowers, its the foundation. After that his works get filled in from outside in. This time mauve roses were the second to go in the vase, followed by ravishing deep aubergine Ranunculus which seemed to establish the range of color.

Its all in the layering of flowers from outside in.  
When prepping the roses the first thing he did was to remove the outer leaves and then trim the stem at a 45 degree angle. The cut was the same for all the flowers.

Last one in. Tulips were the final flower added.
Tulips are one of the few flowers that keep growing after they have been cut and placed in water.
To prevent them from popping up in the arrangement place a small slit under the flower with the point of a knife.
Connie Plaissay admiring his masterpiece. 
I have always been curious to know if those little packets of floral preservatives were worth anything. According to Plaissy, they are good for keeping the water bacteria free. To keep arrangements looking their best for the longest time possible he recommends flushing the water every couple of days.
The finished symphony of color and beauty.
Watching Plaissay in action and the arrangement come to life, I really felt like I had watched something magical happen. After this experience I have rethought my entire concept of flowers and even what I am planning on planting in my garden this summer.


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