A French Country Nantucket Thanksgiving

   The Festivities

One of my favorite times to be on Nantucket Island is Thanksgiving weekend. Each year we gather on island with family and friends, along with thousands of others, for an end-of-the-year celebration to include cocktail parties, dinners at the island’s beautiful restaurants, end-of-season shopping (great sales!), the Christmas Tree Festival at the Historical Society, bay scallop season, cranberry bogs in full swing, Christmas tree lighting ceremony with 18th century Christmas carolers and of course, the epic Thanksgiving Day feast with a digestion trip to the beach in between the soup course and the entrée! 

Commercial cranberry cultivation began in 1857 and is the pride of  the island. You can imagine the importance of cranberry everything! 

Our day begins with me, like you, getting up at the crack of dawn to get the turkey prepped. We follow with a small continental breakfast of coffee, juice, pumpkin muffins and cranberry orange jam while everyone is running around the house getting ready to go downtown.

The 5K Race & the Turkey Plunge

Time to go! We're off to cheer whomever is running the 5K race, followed by more cheering for whomever is plunging at the Turkey Plunge at Children's beach (coffee in hand because we’re always freezing!), followed by the search for Joe Biden who comes every year and who I've seen make the plunge, followed by returning home to host our traditional Bloody Mary party which begins around 11. Are you tired yet?

Traditional Bloody Mary & Mimosa Party

I alternate each year hosting dinner in the dining room or the kitchen. Then, the buffet of tasty hors d'oeuvres prepared the day before is set up in the other room. This may be skewers of sausage balls with cranberry orange dipping sauce, shrimp cocktail, cranberry and brie bites, a big antipasto, a cheese and fruit platter with fig jam, prosciutto wrapped cheese sticks and pumpkin walnut bread with quince jam grown on the Island…I’m really into the jams! A pretty elaborate Bloody Mary bar (a must) changes every year. This year it accompanied Penny's Pomegranate Rose' Spritzer (inspired by my idol Tieghan at Half-Baked Harvest), and orange and pomegranate mimosas. Family and friends are invited to come right over! It's a great way to include everyone in the day since our families have grown and it's hard to fit everyone for dinner! This is when I give my brother-in-law the traditional mincemeat pie l've bake for him and my husband every year now for 20 years! When the guests leave, we ready to re-set the same table for our Thanksgiving buffet!

Let’s face it, everyone wants to be in the kitchen, so why not let them be?

It’s always a fun challenge to change the tablescape each year. I begin scheming in September and waiting for that one thing to inspire my design. This year, I came upon the loveliest French Country tables linens on Instagram from Couleur Nature, designed by Parisian artist Bruno Lamy. I was attracted to the lovely navy, gold and white….Our home decor is navy & white and I thought it would be an interesting coastal take on an island Thanksgiving table. I ordered two cloths, one for the dining room and one for the kitchen. The colors of gold immediately led me to think harvest ~ wheat~ gourds. I ordered tiny clear glass vessels from Amazon and dried bunches of wheat stems from Terrain. I accented with navy and white striped linen napkins wrapped in twine, each with a wheat stem through it. I opted to use my favorite signature white ruffled dinnerware from Coton Colors. If you look closely you will see how I accented with cobalt bottles of Saratoga water, cobalt stemware and navy cocktail napkins monogrammed with “Niptucket”, the name of our home. It’s the little things that add up to the total look.

“From the Kitchen of LyonsLifestyle”

Our gift to our guests this year was a loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread wrapped in cellophane, tied with twine and topped with a custom tag that read “From the kitchen of LyonsLifestyle” (since we were in the kitchen!). Always great to have a delicious carb to eat the morning after a “cocktailing” holiday! Chinoiserie jars and lots of different color gourds were scattered around the table and on a 3-tiered stand which I topped off with a big sage green pumpkin. It was a very casual, fun look that was a bit different for me.

I wish you all love, health & happiness this holiday season.

“Don’t just do it, make it nice!”

An Asian Inspired Tablescape 30 Miles Out to Sea On Nantucket Island

AT HOME WITH RAY

Who is Ray? 

“Ray is your significant other or spouse. Ray is that pet you love like your own child. Ray is your group of girlfriends you can laugh and drink the night away with. Ray is that person, or pet, in your life that you love to spend time with.”

~Kris Roufa ~

Once you meet her, and lay eyes on her luxury home products you immediately understand the talent of the artist and graphic designer, Kris Roufa. Her passion for life of all kinds in every corner of her world shines through in her colorfully creative graphics! She is full of kindness and personality and possesses a talent that is raw, organic and refreshing! 

Inspiration for this tablescape evolved from my selection of At Home with Ray tabletop items in the most beautiful colors on the most beautiful fabrics! (I”m an ironer so this fabric was dreamy for me to work with!) The quest to highlight these COLORS instantly led me to the use of black as a neutral; a canvas on which I would paint with these brilliant neon tabletop products. Thinking a bit out of the box, I immediately thought of my huge black rolls of paper and decided YES! That would be the table cover. As my black design unfolded, it took on an immediate Asian flair. Black ceramic dinnerware with black and gold chopsticks and black stemmed glassware served as the neutral backdrop allowing the bold colors and graphics from At Home with Ray to take center stage.

Hello Lapkins! Lapkins are 25 X 25 inch napkins, large enough to cover a lap and soft enough to notice the beautiful hand of the fabric. This is such a genius idea and name, and one I wish I had thought of!  It’s my new favorite word and one I think will go viral! They are BIG, BOLD and COLORFUL with dramatic graphics …

BABE + EAT

PRETTY BIRDS

Place cards designed in colors that coordinate with the fabrics, were wittily tucked into miniature ferns at each place setting creating an organic touch.

POP A SQUAT YOU SIT HERE

Candle Runners a new and clever term at that! Yes, something to place your candles on. I used them here to receive my wine selections. They are pretty. And pretty funny!

LINEN GUM

LIGHT MY FIRE

Linen Cocktail Napkins sat perched upon each soup bowl. Python With Neon PINK Surge

My touch of Whimsy was the addition of gold and black paper lanterns and a hot pink paper umbrella to coordinate with my At Home with Ray colors and to forward my Asian theme. Though, I will say this whole table is about WHIMSY!

The Menu, a pescatarian dream! My Asian-inspired tablescape, 30 miles out to sea on Nantucket Island where the fish comes straight off the boat, created the perfect light & fresh culinary and visual pairing ! 

• Thai Chili Shrimp  (Easy to assemble and beautiful food styling opportunity!)

• Cold Thai Cucumber Avocado Soup with Cucumber

• Platters of Assorted Sushi  (Bar Yoshi on Old South Wharf)

• Wines from Gooseneck Vineyards (My new summer pick!)

RESOURCES

Table rentals by: theeventrentalco.com

Photography by: briansagerphotography.com

Stoneware Dishes: Stone Lain Coupe Stoneware

Chopsticks: Hiware reusable fiberglass

Flatware: Jankng

~ Thank you for joining RAY & me on this beautiful, creative and fun journey! ~

A Bridal Garden Party

Nantucket Island

Summer wedding soirees and garden parties are back! And it feels SO good! It’s time to return to the social beings we are and celebrate life, love, health, happiness and all things BEAUTIFUL! Today, I celebrate with a trip to our happy place, Nantucket Island, where I hosted a lovely bridal garden party at my home.

My tablescape design was inspired by the Signature White Ruffle Dinnerware Pattern

Coton Colors TM

Having lived in Tampa, FL for several years, I’ve had the joy of visiting the Coton Colors store regularly (seriously a kid in a candy shop!), designing tablescapes with several of their bold and beautiful patterns (scroll through tablescapes to feast your eyes on these). However, I always found myself drawn to this white pattern, which has long been one of my absolute favorites. The architecture of the ruffle design is the lead actor on the stage without distraction. It’s simply beautiful and beautifully simple and feels happy and festive, especially when layered! Ruffles forever!

I love this company for its practicality of dishwasher and microwave safe earthenware, its whimsical designs and vibrant use of color, and for this white, in particular, which is exquisitely eye-catching. You will stare at it for a long time. The swirled glazed colors of cream and white feel organic and create a soft and enticing canvas for stand-out food presentations.

“Light cream and white hand painted brush strokes grace the artisanal look of the Signature White color palette. The gentle curves of our signature ruffle edges bring forth a casual elegance to your dinner table.”

Coton Colors

My touch of whimsy which I always add to a tablescape for that extra little something, was use of my Balinese Festival tabletop parasols made with sustainably grown wood set on a hand-carved base. The tassels swayed with the gentle island breezes, a reminder that we were on a magical island 30 miles out to sea. Straw tabletop accents, bamboo chairs, scallop shells for the first course, starfish and tortoise shell flatware served as natural catalysts to enhance the island theme which had organically taken shape.

Florals Peonies from my garden provided the perfect shade of romantic pink as the pop color to this otherwise all neutral scape. I planned a simple single stem in a small vase, which also served as a place card holder. The springs of delicate fern stood wistfully in small etched vintage bottles of water.

“The fattest and most scrumptious of all flowers, a rare fusion of fluff and majesty, the peony is now coming into bloom.”

– Henry Mitchell, American writer

Peonies are the most romantic June flower giving off the most beautiful scent

Monogrammed napkins were tied up with faux boxwood napkin rings to mimic the moss balls in moss vases.

Monogrammed napkins bring the ultimate personalized touch to any tablescape

Simple white lapel place cards attached to the vases kept the eye on the main actors. I used a hole punch to make two holes in which I threaded a sprig of delicate fern through the card for that extra special touch.

Place cards gently escort guests to the table, eliminating any awkward moments.

Candles are my everything! I design them into almost every tablescape for both day and night. Here you see a combination of two styles, plain white and a two-toned trellis design in creme and white which I just love and was a perfect match to the dinnerware.

Candles set the tone add warmth to a tablescape

Clear Glass Wine Bucket etched with island of Nantucket meshed nicely into the neutral design, beautifully displaying an Italia Brut Rose’ one of my new pics from Goosneck Vineyards.

Gooseneck Vineyards Italian Brut Rose’

“Never Miss an Opportunity to Celebrate Everyday.”

– Laura Johnson

NOTE: To see more of the fabulous array of dishware from @cotoncolors scroll through to visit the following three tablescapes: 

• Pumpkins and Palm Trees - on Florida’s Gulf Coast

• A Nantucket Inspired Summer Tablescape - Featured in Tampa Magazine 

• A Tale of Two Knights - Birthday Party on a  Poolside Chessboard

Resources 

• Dinnerware Coton Colors

• Flatware Event Rental Co Nantucket Island

• Tables Event Rental Co Nantucket Island

• Linen Table Cloth Williams Sonoma

• Monogrammed Napkins A Cook Print

• Peony vases and place card holder Private Collection

• Balinese Festival Parasols Luna Bazaar

• Ferns Flowers on Chestnut

• Scallop Shells Event Rental Co Nantucket Island

• Starfish Private Collection

• Stemware Private Collection

• Placemats Private Collection

• Candlesticks and Candles Private Collection

• Wine Bucket Anderson’s Nantucket ~ Heritage Large Bowl

• Italian Brut Rose’ Gooseneck Vineyards

• Photography Briansagerphotography.com

A Nantucket Patriotic Soiree in Red, White & Blue

 An All-American Outdoor Cook

Let’s Kick off Summer with a celebration of  Red, White and Blue, the quintessential colors of summer perfect for any alfresco soiree or patriotic celebration! And especially perfect for an All-American Classic Outdoor Cook!

Pull from your collections and create the unexpected by using an antique quilt or a bed coverlet large enough to cover your table to the ground. Fill a chinoiserie cache pot with red and white plasticware wrapped in beautiful linen napkins, or a heaping mound of delicious potato salad! Grab all the cobalt you can find and fill your vases with flowers, and display your red and blue glassware. Cobalt is magical when the sun is shining through it! 

TIP: Collect colored glassware at end-of-the season-sales, flea markets or online flash sales! I’ve been doing this for years and have bargain glassware in almost every color!

Gather your lacquered, straw or lucite trays. They can be used to contain drinks or food, or designed for use as a bar. Trays also help to keep your buffet tidy! Use serving pieces that are different heights and shapes to add interest, making sure not to block your beautiful food display. A balance of color is the key in a tablescape. Take a step back and look at it as you go along. Don’t be afraid to move things around until your eye tells you it’s perfect! 

TIP: Plan your tablescape in advance, setting empty serving pieces in place so everything is aesthetically arranged. Cooking, designing, greeting your guests and serving all at the same time never works. Remove serving pieces and replace with Post-it notes so your design is seamless and there is no unnecessary thinking when you’re bringing food out as your guests are arriving!

Add a Pop of Color for interest. My favorite pop💥 color for red, white & blue is YELLOW !  I encourage florals and food selections to coordinate with your tablescape. It’s FUN and easy to do and makes for a cohesively designed party! Think tall sunflowers or huge bouquets of daisies mixed in with blue delphinium or hydrangea and red roses or gerbers. Your pop of yellow can be highlighted in your menu choices as well by serving corn on the cob, mac and cheese, banana peppers, cheddar cheese and of course, mustard on your hot dogs. It’s just FUN! Straw is  another version of yellow for me. It spells SUMMER and outdoor entertaining. Think straw ice buckets, napkin rings, serving trays, baskets of buns or bread….Or even baskets filled with blankets for cooler evenings.

Adorn with American flags in different sizes, larger ones for your tall floral arrangement and smaller ones on toothpicks to insert into your corn cobs and to tuck into anything else on your table (smores packets seen above). This adds a celebratory feel to your red, white & blue tablescape for Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. And if you have flower boxes, tuck small flags into them, too! It welcomes your guests and starts the celebration at the front door!

Add a Touch of Whimsy and let’s get toasted with individual smores packets! This is always a big hit, especially since it’s smores season. The packets are tidy and personal and ready to go. Make a smores sandwich with a square of Hershey’s chocolate or Reese’s peanut butter cup and two large marshallows in between two squares of graham crackers. Insert into 4 X 6 clear bags and tie up with a string or ribbon. Adorn with a tiny flag and display on your buffet. Serve with long sticks set in a vase so guests can roast their marshmallows at their leisure. I use Smorstix which are disposable and biodegradable. 

TIP: This is a no-muss, no fuss way to “get toasted”. It also makes your guests feel comfortable and welcomed, and the fills the children with excitement!

Another Touch……Get whimsical with FUN bags like the red and white striped paper bags you see here and fill with popcorn! You can serve with hot butter in a warmer burner set on your table!

Another Touch……Drape your surroundings, trees or privet hedge with festive garland in red, white and blue. Have your family monogram made in wood and paint it red! These affordable items are easily found online in many sizes and colors to choose from. They add an instant festive feel to your scene or vignette.  And you can reuse them for every holiday year after year!

A Perfect All-American Menu

Keep your menu simple and classic. It’s what most guests look forward to and expect. After all, how many times a year do we get to have a delicious hot dog smothered in everything followed by smores and watermelon? 

• Hot Dogs on Split Buttered and Lightly Grilled Buns with lots of topping choices (Jalopeno, chopped red onion, shredded cheddar, banana peppers, chopped well-done bacon, mustard, sweet relish and sauerkraut)

• Hamburgers & Cheeseburgers on soft buns (lettuce, heirloom tomato, ketchup, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, mayo, sliced onion, sweet pickles, candied bacon strips)

• Corn-on-the-Cob (classic with butter and salt)

• Popcorn Bags

• Classic Potato Salad 

• Minted Watermelon

• Smores Packets (big hit!)

• A Very Berry Angel Food Cake (Recipe under Food & Cocktails)

My Signature Libations

• Chilled Gooseneck Vineyards Wines ~ Grenache Rose’, Chardonnay and Brut Rose’

• Cisco Brewery Beer, Nantucket

• Sparkling Waters

Resources

Table theeventrentalco.com

Photography Briansagerphotography.com

Flowers Flowers on Chestnut, Nantucket

Wines Gooseneckvineyards.com

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NOTE: Excited to present #1 in our Summer Sundays series, a collaboration of the following New England brands:

Part of the Summer Sundays series, a collaboration of the following New England brands:

• Boston Belle

• Gooseneck Vineyards

• Lilibridge

• LyonsLifestyle

• Piping Prints

• RGV Styled

• Solomitas

• You, Me & the Sea, Sea Glass Jewelry & Oyster Shells

An Equestrian Themed Cocktail Party

How-to set up a Beautiful Bar on Your Coffee Table

When I’m not out-to sea on Nantucket, I’m at home in Fairfield County, otherwise known as CT horse country, a place where many beautiful equestrian estates with horse-filled barns sit perched on acres of rolling green grass surrounded by gleaming, white split rail fences, many with actual formal riding rings!

It’s not unusual for me to be driving down the road along side horseback riders trotting on a beautiful day.

Horseback riding was very much a part of our lives when our children were young. The Fairfield County Hunt Club, a stunningly beautiful club, set the scene for long lazy summer days of horse trailers rolling in from barns up and down the east coast getting ready for the shows. The scene was and remains exquisite; acres of sprawling polo fields, barns filled with the most beautiful horses that look as though they are staged for a Ralph Lauren photoshoot and the excitement of vibrant Sunday afternoon polo matches. It’s a wonderful time and place to sit with a chilled cocktail in hand and enjoy the beauty of these stunning riders atop these magical beings.

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“Barns filled with the most beautiful horses that look as though they are staged for a Ralph Lauren photo shoot”

Speaking of cocktails & horses, we kicked off the start of horse racing season with a small Kentucky Derby cocktail party! So nice to finally have guests over! I kept it intimate and light, serving a classic cheese board with a selection of cheeses to include the traditional Pimento cheese recipe by the Church Hill Downs Executive Chef, and a choice of two cocktails. For my barscape, I chose the stunning black barware from Cambridge’s curated MODERN COLLECTION, “representing high style by its very definition”…and that it certainly did!

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Menu (Recipes & Resources below)

Goat Cheese Brie (for non-dairy option)

Pimento Cheese (traditional) on Cucumber Rounds

Delice de Bourgogne French Cheese

“Race for the Roses” Mule

“I’ll Take Manhattan” Martini

A barscape on a coffee table

I often speak of using different surfaces and places to set up a bar or to design a beautiful tablescape. For this day, my priority was to keep it within reach of the TV! I set up a barscape on my 42 inch square two-tiered glass coffee table which sits in the center of the room surrounded by comfortable seating.

And now for design inspiration…

My inspiration for design was gleaned from the the brilliant, cheerful colors of the Jockey Silks! My idea was to juxtapose bright colors against black barware. I began with my centerpiece, a gorgeous jockey and horse sculpture I found at Lattice House in Southport, CT. I bought a bouquet of tiny red roses, cut them to the bud and wired them together with floral wire. To that I added a piece of trailing silk ivy and VOILA! It certainly set the stage for brilliance.  

To add a touch of elegance and quiet to the glass top, I used my beautiful, fabulously over-sized, linen napkins (lapkins!) from At Home with Ray and placed them on a diagonal. The bold black and white with neon accents was just the right touch. I also used their cocktail napkins in black and white trimmed with a hot pink neon trailing surge!  Achieving different heights was my next priority. I placed my French patisserie on the table which gave me two tiers of height, along with two different cake stands.

I was very excited to have the opportunity to use the stylish and innovative barware and drinkware items from Cambridge I selected items seen here from their curated MODERN collection. I love the clean, fresh “modern” lines, black colour and the unique combination of style and function. The insulated ice bucket blew me away! I filled it with ice topped with their perfectly frozen small ice cubes made with their 15 cube black ice mold, an hour before guests arrived. Three hours later the cubes were still frozen. Talk about insulation! And the best part was no condensation on the table! The hammered black nickel shaker was filled with a partially mixed cocktail ready for guests. At the end of the cocktail party the shaker was still ice cold! A Mule mug is a very comfortable way to serve a chilled cocktail and perhaps my favorite to hold. It just feels good. Our guests were !wowed! by the color of these hammered mugs. The black nickel is unusual and really stands out on a barscape. They are so eye-catching I set them on the tall crystal cake stand to really showcase them as the highlight of my barscape. I styled my new black wood paddle cheese board  with a Monstera leaf on which I placed the cheese selection along with the sleek black metal loop handle cheese set. 

NOTE: Black really highlights the food!

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Resources

Cambridge Modern Collection
3 Piece Black Metal Loop Handle Cheese Set
Wood Paddle Board with Black Finish
2 Pack of 15 Cube Black Ice Mold with Lid
4 Pack Hammered Black Niclel Mule Mug
3 qt Back Insulated Ice Bucket 
20 oz Black Nickel Insulated Shaker

At Home with Ray
Linen Lapkins 25X25 “Pretty Birds”
Linen Cocktail Napkins
Food and Cocktail Tags (Place cards)

Lattice House, Southport, CT
Jockey on Horse Sculpture

Ballard Design
Patisserie Stand

Hermes
Blanket

Woodford Reserve
Bourbon

Parker and Company, Southport, CT
Chairs

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Menu & Recipes

“Race for the Roses” Mule (Serves 1)

• 1/2 -1 Whole Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice (depending on your taste)

•  2 Ounces of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon

•  3 Ounces Fever-Tree Ginger Beer (or fill to the brim)

•  Sprig of Rosemary for garnish

•  Lime Slice

1. Combine Bourbon, Lime juice and Ginget Beer in Martini Shaker

2. Stir

3. Pour over Ice-Filled Mule

4. Garnish with Sprig of Rosemary or Mint and Lime Wedge

And for the less faint of heart…..

“I’ll Take Manhattan” Martini (Stirred not shaken) (Serves 1)

• 2 Ounces of Woodford Reserve 

• 3/4 Ounces of Sweet Vermouth

• 3 Dashes of Bitters

• 3 Ice Cubes

1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker and stir gently

2. Strain into Martini glass

3. Garnish with a Lemon Twist

Whole Foods

• Goat Cheese Brie (non-dairy option)

• Delice de Bourgogne French Cheese

• Sliced Cucumbers

• Pimento Cheese on Sliced Cucumbers

• Note: Pimento Cheese is a traditional Derby serving. 

I used the recipe from Churchill Downs Executive Chef David Danielson! I mean…who else would have a more tasty dish? I served this on cucmber rounds and garnished each with a pimento. The colors were beautiful and the taste, delicious!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise

• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tsp Apple cider vinegar

• 1 ½ tsp dried mustard

• 1 ½ tsp favorite hot sauce

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

• 2 tbsp finely diced onion

• 12 oz jar of diced pimiento

• 16 oz shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese

• Pimento for Garnish (my addition)

Preparation

In a medium mixing bowl stir together first 8 ingredients until smooth. Fold in pimientos and cheddar cheese. Cover and chill 6 to 10 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, and stir before serving.

A Chic Mother's Day Soiree

A Whimsical Tablescape Design using Elegant Caspari Papier

Let’s roll out the red-carpet this summer for freedom. After a year of being confined to our homes due to the Covid pandemic, it’s time to unmask, get outdoors, breathe in the fresh air and satisfy our longing to be with friends and family. Celebrate by inviting friends over, giving lots of hugs and getting back to entertaining! This season, I’m saluting people everywhere with a touch of whimsy, using fabulous paper goods and acrylic products from the famed Caspari. Take a step back and take a break. Caspari can help you to entertain with the ease you so deserve and elegance you are so used to!

“Live in the Sunshine, Swim in the Sea, Drink in the Wild Air”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Caspari Collection

Caspari has been successfully creating these elegant products for 70 years, reproducing works of art and textile designs (the famed Schumacher Zebra which I adore), as well as works from famous artists and museums.

My vision is to inspire people of all ages to create an affordable, high style, chic tablescape using PAPER. Caspari products provide the ease and convenience of disposable, lightweight paper products brilliantly and classically designed without sacrificing the elegant look of expensive dinnerware or china.

This is tablescaping for all ages made easy! 

I selected the beautiful “Hydrangeas and Porcelain” design in exquisite shades of lavenders, purples, blues and greens. I was inspired by the blue porcelain paired with hydrangea which I knew would work well with my blue and white porcelain collection and love of lavender.

I created a table design for six and filled it with florals and greenery. I chose a chinoiserie urn and filled it with a big fluffy Boston fern as the centerpiece for the drama I love when guests arrive. Guests love to be wowed upon arrival! I then created moss handbags and vases filled with brilliantly colored petunias in shades of lavender and gently tucked in the gift of a monogrammed linen napkin for each guest to take home. Before guests are seated the large porcelain urn is removed leaving a sea of lavender flowers floating in beautiful shades of moss green. As guests arrive, perfectly coordinated die-cut placecards welcome them to their seats.

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The fun part is the mix and matching! 

I paired the “Hydrangeas and Porcelain” napkins with the blue and white “Fretwork” print for added interest and whimsy and wrapped it with a bright acrylic napkin ring in “Emerald”.  I used their beautiful reusable lizard felt-backed placemats, along with their very sturdy and reusable acrylic goblets. For flatware, I selected their “Bamboo Handle” design which is lovely on the blue placemat. And of course, since I always use candles in the day as well as the night, I adorned my table with 4 tapers in gorgeous Parisian Blue.

You can go on for hours perusing their website and falling down the rabbit hole called CASPARI! 

Resources…. if you’d like to replicate

• Primrose Die-Cut Place Cards

• Straight Taper 12 Inch Candles in Parisian Blue

• Lizard Felt-Backed Placemats in Light Blue

• Bamboo Handle 5-Piece Stainless Steel Flatware in White

• Acrylic Napkin Rings in Emerald

• Acrylic 8.5 oz Wine Goblet in Crystal Clear

• Hydrangeas and Porcelain Paper Plates and Napkins

• Petunias in Lavender Colonial Gardens, Fairfield, CT

• Moss Handbags and Urns Colonial Gardens, Fairfield, CT

• Blue Porcelains (Personal Collection)

• Monogrammed Napkins A Cook Print Norwalk, CT

• Faux Boxwood Balls Millie Rae’s Westport, CT

A Springtime Tablescape and Dinner

Springtime is a time of rebirth, growth, renewal, another beautiful turn around the sun and a look forward to long, lazy days at the beach, gentle breezes and cold refreshing drinks…

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, Let’s Party!”
~Robin Williams~

I’m always excited about the change of seasons in New England as everything is new and different; climate, clothing, food choices and the best… alfresco dining.  Now that almost everyone we know is vaccinated, I jumped at the idea of a spring dinner party.  I decided on a simple buffet so guests could mull around with cocktails and have plenty of time to socialize after the long-awaited release from the isolated existence we have all lived through during the Pandemic…

Begin with a Theme

Spring Green would be the theme for my tablescape since everything is green in spring!  Green has long been my favorite color and of course, the LyonsLifestyle signature color. It’s the color I’ve chosen through the yearsl for several sets of china, crystal and table linens. My first thought was to create a celebration using beautiful spring vegetables as the table decor. I wanted it to be light, bright and airy, yet whimsical. 

Add Whimsey! I wanted the table to look and feel like a walk through the garden, using hyacinth, tulips, hydrangea, pussywillow, carnations and lillies. !VOILA!, A Springtime Tablescape and Dinner was born with vegetables taking the lead on tablescape design by standing at attention like little soldiers. 

Coordinate the colors in your tablescape with your menu selections. You will see on my blog on Food & Cocktails (Part 2) how I brought in more greens with my menu! 

Spring Has Sprung And So Have We!

A Celebration of Spring Green

(Enjoy this video and music on my YouTube Channel!) 

The table linens are a key component of a beautifully composed table. It creates the feeling. However, it can be a challenge to find the exact cloth in your exact size to complement your exact tablescape vision.  Consider making your own tablecloths or having them made.  I often glean inspiration from fashion. For this table, my inspiration was a beautiful spring cocktail dress in a floral print on a white background from one of my favorite fashion designers, Oscar del la Renta.  I wanted a bright springy feel to the table which was easily achieved through this beautiful crisp, white polished cotton with florals in pastels and bold fuchsia. I scoured the basement of my favorite fabric store and came upon the perfect bolt of fabric. Within 3 days, they whipped me up a 120 inch round. I just love it. I can’t wait to use it again in a completely different way.

Tablecloth
Waverly Print
Leonard’s Upolstery, Norwalk, CT

Monogrammed Napkins
Trellis Napkins  Williams Sonoma
Buffalo Check Napkins  Williams Sonoma
Monograms  A COOK PRINT, Norwalk, CT

Brussel Sprout Topiaries 
7 Pounds of Brussel sprouts.
2 Styrofoam cones 14 inches
Toothpicks
Slice the hard stalk down a bit to make toothpick insertion easier
Insert toothpick into sprout then insert into styrofoam. 
Begin at the top with smaller sprouts graduating to larger ones at the base.
I put one large one at the top of each cone.

(They last 2-3 days)

Asparagus Trees
Cut to desired height
Rubber band and stand in water for a day or two
Then wrap in twine and remove rubber band

I just love the way these look on a table, I carried the asparagus theme through in my pasta entree 

(They last one day)

Mr. Punctilious Placecards
A logical brainstorm idea by Mr. P and his wife!  Placecards come with all kinds of fun designs. When everyone is seated, you see only the white backs of each card.  They created mini works of art, to show in reverse!  So, when your guests are seated and you look around the table, you see tiny pieces of artwork at each placesetting!  And they will print the cards with the names of your guests for no extra charge. Genius. 

 “Topiary” Table Accents for flatware placement  
It’s all in the details, right? It’s what I call “making the ordinary extraordinary”!  The beatiful cards with a topiary design can be used as placecards (which I will do in the future) or as decor for your table as a flatware rest, which I’ve done here.  They come in a set of 12.

Terrain  Westport, CT
Desinged by Hester & Cook Table Accents 

Martini Glass Decor
Ivy Roping by the package Factory Direct (Online)
Silk Leaves  by David Tutera

China
Bernardaud  “Cafe Paris” (Private Collection)
Chargers Christofle NYC  (Private Collection)

Martini Glasses
Pier 1 Imports! (Private Collection)

Flowers
Compo Farms Westport, CT

Candles
If you’re looking for beautiful colored candles, which I love, then look no further…Caspari it is!

Visit Menu Recipes under Food &Cocktails! (and on Part 2 of my YouTube Channel!)

Signature Cocktail
Raspberry martini

Soup
Sugar Pea Soup with Creme Fraiche’

Salad
Spinach Salad with Bacon and Blueberries & Strawberries

Entrees
Stuffed Cornish Game Hens
Spicy Sausage and Green Olive Pesto Pasta with Asparagus

Dessert
Lemon Coconut Cake
Fresh Fruit 

Thanks for Joining Me on this Springtime Journey! 

Watch the full video for this tablescape here.

A Romantic Un Diner Pour Deux

“There is nothing more romantic than the celebration of love; the sound of two hearts beating as one”

~Penny ~   

Life this year is different, and perhaps forever changed. The historic pandemic we are living in has made us vulnerable in a way we have never felt before. It has taught us genuine fear, a helpless loss of control, the desperation to protect our loves ones, the raw experience of isolation, yet, the hysterical desire to remain isolated and to fear each other with suspicion. This is our new reality…We’ve turned to our homes, our place of comfort and shelter, a place we can control, a place to protect us, a place where we can make our own rules, a place to be free from these new threats from the outside world. We’ve learned to slow down, to read, to talk with each other, to cook more, to bake bread and to break bread, to be kinder and more gentle to each other, to treasure and celebrate love…..especially on this day, Saint Valentine’s Day…I  hope you will enjoy and glean some ideas from this Versailles-inspired tablescape I’ve designed. My hope is that you borrow elements to use for lots of different special occasions in your future; baby showers, bridal showers, bridal luncheons or weddings. The possibilities are endless…and you are amazing!

We lit a fire, cooked a beautiful dinner, listened to our favourite French music and talked. It was the best. As table design is what I love doing, I planned ahead, ordering what I envisioned for this special night, and waited for the deliveries. It had to be quiet, romantic and celebratory. We’ve been at home so much this past year, it had to be special. As I was adding and subtracting, which is how my creations evolve, my husband was on a ladder photographing the process (gotta love a supportive husband!). If you look closely you will see how some things are different in different pics. Evening came, we dressed up and made it a real celebration, always “making the ordinary extraordinary”….

My theme was romance. We had recently binge-watched the Netflix series Versailles, which played a big part in driving my subliminal inspiration and desire for sparkle, crystal, chandeliers, candlelight, doves, a roaring fire, tiny boxwoods reminiscent of the gardens of Versailles, and a small fireside feast.

I Love to move tables around in my house. If you’ve read my blogs or heard me speak, you know I’m a fan of moving tables into different rooms. And so it began…I moved our 36 inch leather-topped drum table from the foyer into the living room right in front of the fireplace.

Decorating the mantle is a year-round activity for me. It’s fun and adds that little something extra. Live greenery in the winter can be challenging, so I keep a supply of faux products. I suggest this for baby showers, bridal showers or wedding day banisters!

Crystal, crystal, crystal There is nothing more lovely, or romantic than sipping champagne from a beautiful cut crystal stemmed flute. I used our Saint Louis wine and champagne classes and placed votive candles around them to enhance sparkle and reflection. I also used some of exotica pieces from our Lalique collection, because after all….

Doves represent love & peace in Greek Mythology, heralding back to the mythological goddess of love Aphrodite and her Roman counterpart, Venus. When our daughter was married on a ranch in Ojai, CA there was a cage with two doves cooing at the entrance to the wedding garden. It was ✨magical✨. There are many beautiful things in life we draw inspiration from . Remember them and treasure them!

The boxwoods atop the place settings symbolized the famed gardens of Versailles. There is most always a boxwood to be found on my tablescapes and in my home!

Resources

China: Limoge “Ceralene” Private collection

Crystal Stemware: Saint Louis “Tommy” Private Collection

Lalique: Private Collection

Faux Doves: FDC factory direct craft

Garland: Oriental Trading Company

Faux Boxwoods: Millie Rae’s Westport, CT

Champagne: Moet & Chandon Rose’ Imperial

Featured In Tampa Magazine: A Nantucket-Inspired Summer Tablescape

Penny Lyons is here to tell you that entertaining does not have to be hard. Lyons — founder of the website Lyonslifestyle — and her husband, Jim, have been throwing parties and events of all sizes and stripes for nearly four decades, styling florals, menus and tablescapes, plus designing and preparing her own food and cocktails. Lyons says her goal is to bring back elegant at-home entertaining by proving it can be simple (you don’t have to do everything yourself!) and inexpensive (she’s a big proponent of mixing high-end and low-end pieces). The key? “Making the ordinary extraordinary,” she says. She created this Nantucket-inspired elegantly casual lobster dinner beside the pool at ICON Harbour Island exclusively to inspire TAMPA Magazine readers. Here are her top tips for pulling off your own get-together.

Begin with an inspiration
“My inspiration for a poolside lobster dinner was my love for al fresco dining while taking advantage of Tampa living, combined with my favorite summer meal — baked stuffed lobsters, a recipe handed down from my mother-in-law,” Lyons says. She adds that guests love sitting at a beautifully and thoughtfully appointed table. “It says, ‘I’m happy you’re here and I’ve gone the extra mile to make you feel special.’”

Create a cohesive color scheme for your whole party
The Connecticut native says she’s passionate about blue and white, an eternally popular color scheme that’s found in pieces to fit any budget. Everything in her setup fits the theme, from the stemware to the wine labels to her own Lily Pulitzer dress. Lyons found her place settings and the garden stools atop the cocktail bar at Coton Colors, one of her favorite Tampa boutiques. “The plates are bold in color and design and are perfect for poolside dining,” she adds. “I also love to mix and match patterns and styles and sizes. There are no rules in entertaining.”

Select a “pop” color
“A pop of color is always a welcomed idea, and a blue and white color scheme provides just the right canvas,” Lyons says. For this dinner party, she chose yellow as her “pop,” inspired by the lemon served alongside the lobsters and found in the center-piece, the lemon four-layer cake, the Mexican sweet corn, lemonade with blueberries, melted butter and more.

Add a touch of whimsy
Lyons says this is one of her secret weapons. For this table she chose starfish, which she tied with raffia to the colander found at each place setting. She also added tin pail ice buckets and a Simon Pierce glass star from her private collection. “These touches of whimsy often serve to spark immediate convivial conversation when guests are seated,” Lyons adds.

Penny and Jim Lyons

Read the article in TAMPA MAGAZINE >

View the Recipe on LyonsLifestyle >

Tablescaping with a Collection of Lalique

Candlelight provides a dramatically different feel and tone

Guests delight in being invited to a beautiful, well-thought-out dining experience complete with personal touches. I always begin my tablescapes by “gathering my nuts”, an expression I use throughout my website. One way to create a meaningful tablescape is to make use of your collections. It gets them off the shelves where they just passively sit and onto your table where they actively become a personal design element.

Lions

Nymphs

Our favorite is our Lalique collection which is near and dear to my husband ‘s heart, as every piece was a gift from his nursing staff or patients over the years. The delicate nature and reflective properties of these pieces just add a gust of sparkle among a sea of votives candles.

I love a large, high centerpiece that adds drama to a table design. However, the reality is that it doesn’t work when guests are seated as it becomes awkward and next to impossible to converse with guests across the table. No problem! You can easily accomplish the goals of dramatic impact and comfortable engagement by having smaller arrangements scattered around the base of the large centerpiece ready and waiting to take center stage! When guests are seated the large centerpiece is removed and guests are greeted by the sweet smaller ones, with no need to move anything! Here I used my favorite pewter L’Hotel DuMont Paris 1893 trophy urn and filled it with a fern for a punch of greenery to a neutral tablescape. I filled several of our Lalique vases with flowers, varying the style of sweet bouquets ready to take over center stage at showtime! Can you find them?

You can see the two-tiered cake stand (one of my favorites!) on the table which I am showing as another option for a centerpiece change out. Its see-through crystal and glass and shorter height also works. You can use it as a single or double stand on which to perch a smaller bouquet at the top as seen here, or fill it with sweets (a tease for your guests about what’s to come) and set it off to the side as another décor element. By the way, perched in a sea of beautiful Saint Louis crystal stemware, china and Lalique, these two separate cake stands hold their own in beauty and amazing reflective quality throwing bubbles all over the ceiling and the walls when illuminated by candles and lighting. They were each $11.99 from my favorite place for good finds, Home Goods!  The joy of designing is endless… the possibilities are infinite.

I enhanced the crystal theme with three of my favorite treasures, a crystal heart, a crystal clam shell with pearl and a sparkling piece of quartz given to me by very special people in my life. They always become a conversation piece sparking conversation about the people who gifted them to me.

The wine selection is an opportunity to add a design element to your table. I love to coordinate a bottle of wine on the table with a label that works into my design or color scheme. We can easily do that today with the thousands of artistically designed labels available. For this tablescape I chose a bottle of Sterling Pinot Grigio with a beautiful sterling colored label which looks beautiful in the sterling colored ice bucket!  

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Resources:

Silver Chargers: William Sonoma

Crystal Stemware: Saint Louis “Tommy”

Monogrammed napkins: Shopsaddle stitch

Lailique: Private collection

Pewter Trophy Urn: Home Goods

Table linen: India Amory

Crystal Heart: Private collection

Crystal clamshell and pearl: Private collection

Wine: Sterling

A Tale of Two Knights

A Black & White Party on a Chess Board

A LIFE-SIZE CHESS BOARD is the perfect spot for a birthday party for eight, isn’t it?! Fun comes in many colors, forms and out-of-the-box ideas, but the most fun can be had in scouting a super-cool location! I love a moveable feast or a dinner table set in an unlikely location. So, when I discovered this outdoor spot, I fell in love with the idea of a whimsical birthday party in black & white, on this stunning, European designed, black & white poolside chess board to celebrate the birthday of a fellow blogger. It felt FUN and HAPPY and spoke to the joie de vivre we all aspire to… a cheerful, happy and carefree approach to our life and to our blogging! It became the inspiration for my design and took center stage on which magic happened…

“Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The game is played by millions of people worldwide. Chess is believed to have originated in India sometime before the 7th century”. - Wikipedia

I placed two tables for four side-by-side to symbolize and to mirror the dueling “two-player strategy”. The selection of tableware was key to keeping my theme on point. I turned to none other than my Tampa go-to, Coton Colors™ for their fabulous selection of outdoor melamine. I was so excited to discover their “Brushed Dot” pattern which was made to order for my black and white whimsical design.

The motto for Coton Colors™ is Happy Everything! ™, No surprise there! If you haven’t looked at their website or visited their stores, run…!

I often speak of coordinating the colors of wine bottle labels into my color schemes, which is easy to do since there are thousands to choose from. For this soiree, I selected these gorgeous aquamarine bottles of Gemma di Luna Moscato and Pinot Grigio to pull in the rich aquamarine color reflected in the pool. There is a hologram touch to the label which shone brilliantly (and whimsically!) in the Florida sunshine! Ribbons were tied to the champagne flutes for that extra added touch. It says you’ve gone the extra mile….

In my quest to keep the theme whimsical, I ushered in a black knight and a white knight for the table centerpieces and adorned them with birthday gifts… So much fun! The finishing touch was the black and white polka dot wrapping paper I used for the packages which I tied in multi-colored ribbons in creative, playful pattern tying (glue gun is my best friend!).

“Dining with friends & family should be about happiness, fun and sea of laughter”- Penny

And last, but not least, for a little personal touch, I tucked my photo gift card into a package, also black & white, and !VOILA!, magic was made.

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Resources:

Location: Harbour Island,Tampa

Plates: Coton Colors™

Wrapping & ribbon: Michaels  

Champagne flutes: Pier 1 (Private Collection 8 years ago!)

Moscato & Piot Grigio: Gemma di Luna

Photo gift card: Vistaprint

Pumpkins and Palm Trees on Florida's Gulf Coast

“Never Miss an Opportunity to Celebrate Everyday” 

- Laura Johnson

Yes, Floridians do celebrate autumn with gusto!

A true New Englander at heart, I did not expect the post-Labor Day flip of the switch to happen down here on the Gulf Coast. Floridians most definitely embrace the seasonal changes, just as we do up north, and with an ebullient welcome, I might add, including shedding their white clothing! While the temps outside continue to be in the 80s, it’s back-to-school, business as usual, with the sounds of school buses rolling out early and children’s laughter bellowing through neighborhoods. Outdoor cafes are bustling and booming as restaurants throw open their glass walls and dining outside is welcomed once again after a long and seethingly hot & humid summer in air-conditioning. Chefs around the city pay homage to a new season with autumnal offerings of duck and butternut squash. Stores are full of flowers and décor in rust, yellow, aubergine and orange. But the biggest nod to autumn is the shorter and shorter days, beckoning residents to bid adieu to summer. And last, but certainly not least, Starbucks switches to its Pumpkin Spice Latte. I feel right at home!

My tablescape goal was to blend an autumnal design and a tropical feel by setting an alfresco spread  poolside under an arbor of palm trees. The evenings are so lovely and the Tampa Bay breezes coming off the Gulf at night are exquisite.

I turned to one of my favorite Tampa boutiques, Coton Colors™, otherwise known as the Happy Everything™

Coton Colors™

Laura Johnson, Founding Artist and CEO, began creating these works of art in her garage 20 years ago! Today, there are three stores, mostly run by family, and thousands of products, with 329 new products just this year!

I chose the chargers for their epic size and impact and the salad plates from the NEW “Spot On” collection. I mean, everyone knows I’m obsessed with green, so you can imagine how my heart stood still when I laid my eyes on this emerald, ruffled-rimmed edge collection. I knew it was going to jump off the shelves and right onto my Lyonslifestyle pages!

Emerald conjures up feelings of nature and calm as it’s the color our outdoor world is abundantly filled with. It’s peaceful and replenishing. It’s rich, bold and beautiful like an emerald ring. It nurtures us…

Next up, the autumnal twist would be none other than the orange pumpkin! I mean… really, what else could be more perfect? Orange and emerald! I incorporated everything I owned that is orange, including a lacquered tray to house the gourds, pumpkins and potted herbs. My dot on the “I” though was a pair of orange porcelain lamps, a Christmas gift from husband years ago. I added robust sized (adds to the scale and drama) natural color straw shades to coordinate with the outside Spanish architecture.

I love lamps on a table! All tables! Especially the symmetry of two, and the cozy, romantic evening lighting it provides at sundown. Bring your lamps outside!

 I often look to organic décor for my tables, using fruits, vegetables, potted plants or herbs. An array of orange and green peppers and avocados made their scattered way along the table and added to the color scheme along with my favorite emerald water goblets.

The presents scattered around the table are for the guests and we so know where those beautiful little orange boxes are from!

!Voila!  

It was Happy Everything™ and completely “Spot On”!

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Resources:

Chargers and Salad plates: Coton Colors

Green water goblets: Private Collection

Lacquered Tray: Dovecote Westport, CT

Orange lamps: Dovecote Westport, CT

Straw lampshades: Pottery Barn

Produce: Fresh Market

Hermes boxes: Private Collection

A Casual yet Chic Dinner on the Coffee Table

My design inspiration for this “chic” dinner on the coffee table came from a coffee table book! I loved the cover shot of Carolyne Roehm’s newest book, Design & Style, A Constant Thread, a recent birthday gift. I was struck by the exquisite raspberry/cranberry color, which works so beautifully in the fall, and immediately thought to incorporate shades of it into my tablescape. I can’t wait to tell you why……

In 1986, I was already a fan of Carolyne Roehm’s. I saw a photo of her NYC living room that sent me over the edge! We had just renovated a French Country home from top to bottom and had secured the services of a wonderful interior designer, James Christopher. I handed him the photo of Carolyne’s living room and asked if he could duplicate her luscious sofas and club chairs. He did. Right down to the braided trim, over-sized tassels and ornate frog appliqués. They were gorgeous. And I was a very happy girl! This year, 32 years later, I had the opportunity to share this story with Carolyne and we both had a chuckle.

I’ve always been a fan of dining in different places in our homes. I’ve moved a table for 4 into the living room for a fireside dinner in front of the fireplace, a dinner for 8 into the sun-room on warm night with the windows thrown open to hear the crickets and water fountain. I’ve had a large dinner party spread out on three patios around our house and then rotate guests before dessert! Today, we often plop our dinner onto cool grey lacquered trays from West Elm and happily dine on the sofa in our den. I also like to have dinner on our over-sized coffee table in our living room. It changes things up, especially for friends who are frequent visitors. 

Instead of cocktails in the living room pre-dinner, why not have cocktails around the center island in your kitchen, dinner in the living room and then retire to the dining room for a romantic dessert by candlelight? Whatever you do and wherever you do it, people are just happy to be in your home!

The raspberry/cranberry color inspired me to select these exquisite damask napkins. From there I chose to use our everyday Pacifica dishware in grey to coordinate.  Silver was the natural progression for my next element, so out came our silver barware with grey monogrammed cocktail napkins, keeping it handsomely chic. 

An inexpensively effective centerpiece is easy to create. I began with a large silver tray with wooden handles on which I piled miniature white pumpkins ($1.99 from the supermarket), branches of faux heather (Michael’s craft store $4.99/stem), and a real pumpkin I painted in a similar raspberry/cranberry tone (very hard to match!). One thing that’s easy to do with the thousands of wine labels available is to coordinate the label with your design. My family loves Josh Cabernet, so I incorporated a bottle into the centerpiece. Think outside of the box. And the best part is… it lasted for weeks

~ Keeping it Casually Chic ~

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Resources

Dishware: “Pacifica” Williams Sonoma 

Placemats: Williams Sonoma

Napkins: Williams Sonoma

Napkin Rings: Private Collection

Glasses: “Glen Plaid” Ralph Lauren Crystal

Pumpkins: Publix Market

Faux heather: Michael’s

A Blue & White Nantucket Summer

A Coastal Home lends itself with ease to decorating in nautical blue & white especially in a kitchen and family room flooded with sunshine!  

Blue & white decor carried outside to our garden furniture.

The décor of every room in our Nantucket home shares some version of this color scheme to provide a cohesive and restful palette for island living.  It’s a cool combo for summering on the island, and a neutral palette that beautifully receives changes of accent colors throughout the year; my favorite are autumnal corals and oranges at Thanksgiving and bright yellow at Daffodil time in spring.

Blue & white porcelain and cobalt extends to the family room.

Creativity begins with inspiration

My inspiration for this tablescape came from a Facebook friend whom I do not know personally.  She sent me these beautiful porcelain globes accompanied by a lovely note and a print of Nantucket. It was one of the kindest gestures I’ve ever experienced. She taught me the importance of paying-it-forward, which I have done many times since.

Step out of your life for a few minutes each day and be gentle to the world around you…

As I began to “gather my nuts”, I knew these precious globes would take center stage. I placed them in the center of each bowl. To keep them from rolling around, I hot glued (my favorite tool!) hydrangea leaves to the bottom.  When guests and family members were seated, they were easily removed as a single unit.

My personal treasure and inspiration for this tablescape.

For this summer’s no-muss, no-fuss family vacation, I decided to freshen things up with the use of a tablecloth to add a huge punch of fun to the epicenter of the house, the kitchen.

I usually use placemats for the ease of upkeep for everyday use.  But, I’ve gotten into using tablecloths recently, a FUN divergence.  And boy, does it change the scape of not only the table, but the whole room.  I love it!  I left most everything else white to keep the eye restful, except for the addition of new accent pillows for the five Family Room club chairs.  Best deal on the planet! These 100% cotton (look like velvet) Pottery Barn pillows were delivered in a week to the front door. They arrived with an exquisite quality custom monogram, A C K, in bright white, the aeronautical symbol for the Nantucket airport! The deep rich color of navy astounded me. The pillows were $39 each with a 20% discount code and an additional $8 for each monogram. They were far more than I had anticipated and looked a lot more expensive than they were. And did I say they are washable? Love a summer deal!

Swapping pillows from room-to-room is allowed!

The table was designed for a light summer make-ahead dinner served after a long day at the beach.  I love straw anything; chairs, ice bucket, casserole dishes, placemats and every other thing you can see here, including the family room coffee table which you can see below.

Straw accessories spell warm weather and carefree living, and are a fun change from the winter when everything turns to more formal silver.

The casserole dishes go from oven or refrigerator to table, and look great against the blue & white. The straw ice bucket has been a keeper for years. We use it for chilled wine or Prosecco, or simply for ice.  And last, but not least, my favorite purchase of all, the beautiful blue & white porcelain wine stopper from The Nantucket Hospital Thrift Shop I found for $5!  There are always birds, boxwoods or pineapples somewhere in my tablescape designs.  I used small boxwoods which I placed in blue & white porcelain containers I found years ago at Whole Foods. They were planted with Paper Whites at holiday time. I scooped them up knowing I would have them forever.

And of course, cobalt…

What’s a blue & white tablescape without something cobalt?  I love it for its richness of color and the magical way it receives sunshine. If you look closely, you will see that I alternated stemware styles to jazz it up a bit, and used my high vases in both the kitchen and family room to draw the eye from one end to the other.

Voila!

A treasured gift from a friend, a serving piece I use for crushed red pepper or grated cheese and Pottery Barn pillows custom monogrammed.

Best summer find! Blue & white porcelain wine stopper from Nantucket Cottage Hospital Thrift Shop, $5

#BlueandWhiteForever

Meet Charlotte my Havanese

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Resources:

Tablecloth: India Amory

Casserole dishes: William Sonoma

Ice Bucket: From collection

Chairs: Overstock

Table: Yew wood antique from Woodbury, CT

Pillows: Pottery Barn

Wine stopper: Nantucket Cottage Hospital Thrift Shop

Family Room coffee table: Marine Home Center

ConsoleTable: Jonathan Adler

Mirror: 28 Centre Pointe

Blue & White porcelains: Private Collection

Cobalt: William Sonoma

Dishes: Crate and Barrel

Napkins: William Sonoma

Porcelain napkin rings:  A gift from my children

A Classic Easter Brunch

This Easter we celebrated the holiday at our Florida apartment with a classic brunch for six empty-nesters! My inspiration for my table design was the painting that hangs above our dining room table which celebrates strong pops of pinks and greens. I purposefully selected a neutral palette for this apartment and painted the walls in the rich Restoration Hardware taupes and greys (I literally hunted down the exact custom Sherwin Williams paint formulas from the manager of our Restoration Hardware!) These tones provide a perfect cool respite from the hot sun, while serving as a perfectly neutral canvas for the pops of bright colors I love to add and for the artwork I love to change out!

I began with one of my favorite table linens, a brown and white ikat print and added crisp white napkins monogrammed in ivory and grey. Spring to me is about straw table accoutrements. And I do love the layered look of placemats on a table linen. The green chargers added a beautiful burst of green (my favorite) and complemented the lettuce ware serving pieces I’ve been collecting over the years. A very springtime feel!

As I frequently mention, I love a dramatic centerpiece for impact when guests arrive. For Easter I began with the quintessential spring time branch, the Pussy willow. (Doesn’t the site of Pussy willows after a long winter make you want to take a deep breath in, knowing that warmer temps and longer days of spring and summer are around the corner?) To that I added gorgeous pink lilies, some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and lots of varying green leafy stems. Around the base of my centerpiece I placed several small vases of pink tulips (amazingly almost in the exact shade of pink) that would take over as the centerpiece with a comfortable height for easier conversation when the taller piece is removed. A seamless transition. And then you can have your beautiful large floral grace another spot in your home!

Classic (do-ahead) Easter Brunch Menu:

Mimosas (fresh squeezed orange juice & champagne)

Mini-Bloody Mary shots with shrimp and green olive skewers

Lobster deviled eggs (great for do-ahead, especially when entertaining in smaller quarters)

Smoked salmon platter (my fav!) with chopped egg, capers, sliced tomatoes, chopped red onion and herbed cream cheese (do-ahead)

Basket of freshly baked bagels

Zucchini bread with black raspberry jam (do-ahead)

Mini-chocolate croissants

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Resources

Table linen: India Amory @Indiaamory

Monogrammed Napkins: Saddle Stitches @shopsaddlestitches

Chargers: Christofle @christofle

Flowers: Fresh Market

Lettuce ware: Home Goods, flea markets and antique shop

A Nantucket Holiday Soiree in a 1750’s Nantucket Whaling Captain’s home

~Nantucket Island~
Photography by Brian Sager

Christmas on the magical Island of Nantucket often feels like a page out of a Norman Rockwell book coming to life. When invited by Nantucket Magazine to style the dining room for their winter issue feature, “Festive Fashion", I was thrilled, albeit a bit concerned, about how I would pull it together in such a short period of time. I was in the Pacific Northwest in Vancouver, British Columbia about to make the journey to our tiny island in the Atlantic sea; a trip that is always "iffy" at best, given wind and sea conditions.  But then again, that is the allure, isn’t it?  I arrived on Nantucket full of energy and excitement at the thought of working in this iconic historic home with the amazing crew from N Magazine, in my favorite place in the world.

“There was something poetic about journeying from sea to sea.”

Built in 1750, this classic brick Colonial originally belonged to the whaling Captain Silas Jonas. I stared for a long while at its rooms, its gorgeous stair banister and its original wide plank pine floors, trying to imagine all that had taken place within these walls almost 300 years ago. I looked to its history for design inspiration and began by researching the history of hospitality during the whaling era. There it was….pineapples!  Sea Captains arriving home on island after years out to sea, would bring pineapples back and proudly display them both inside and outside of their homes to symbolize their return.  

“Pineapples have since become the symbol of hospitality and welcome around the globe.” 

Pineapples are always somewhere in my kitchen, so I set out to purchase a few of them figuring I would plant them here and there… Much to my surprise, I found amazing baby pineapples instead, which I decided to use at each of the 8 place settings.  What better way to pay homage to history than by setting a meaningful tablescape? The island shopkeepers, always so willing to let me borrow their beautiful goods for photo shoots, were more than generous.  My tablescape began with two rectangular mirrors set down the middle of the table to reflect the chandelier and table glitter.  I went with a simple white plate on a matte silver charger, clear crystal stemware and white flatware from 28 Centre Pointe, and holiday decorations from my home. Since there are always birds and boxwoods in my tablescapes, I used them here to add a touch of whimsy to offset the serious tenor of the home and the dining room. I used gold stars on the chandelier and on the table. The boxwoods were adorned with bells and silver circus glitter twists. The three-tiered  dessert stand displayed favors of individually wrapped boxes of chocolates to be given post dinner to each of the 8 guests. After everyone was seated, the pineapples were taken away and replaced with the brilliant color of a splendid butternut squash soup which really livened up the table!  It said, "Bon Appétit! And a very happy holiday to you and yours!"

“I always like to add a touch of whimsy to my tablescapes. After all, dining with friends and family should be about fun, happiness and a sea full of laughter!”

Special thank you to 28 Centre Pointe on Nantucket 

A Yellow Daffodil Tablescape

Vietri *Artel * Bodrum * Sabre

I’ve stared into the window of the Lion’s Paw on the island of Nantucket for 28 years feasting my eyes on their beautiful home décor wares. So it was incredibly poignant for me to have the privilege and pleasure of designing their table for their spring opening with the finest from Italy, Paris and the Czech Republic.

My first priority was to display the exquisite merchandise in a way that would make the store and table proud. There were so many options to work with!  I was like a kid in a candy store whose belly was never, ever going to be full! The beautiful 144 inch pine table which seated 12, served as the perfect backdrop to receive the 2017 Pantone colors of yellow and green, shouting out that spring had arrived!  The theme was an elegant dinner for ten to celebrate the opening of the island and of course, the daffodils. I began with a stunning ivory colored 100%  linen tablecloth from Bodrum as the canvas on which to begin my tablescape. I used two 120 inch overlapping. Their napkin and napkin ring selection was enormous!  I brought in a green linen hemstitched napkin with a green ring and placed them on a diagonal.

I always begin by "gathering my nuts" when designing...

Handcrafted in Tuscany, these incredibly designed dishes from their Lastra collection were inspired by the wooden slab used to create the outer mold in cheese making.  There were many pieces in this collection to choose from and I used most of them in alternating place settings to merchandise the options. I also prefer a less “matchy” and more eclectic use of dishes in a table design.

The Sabre flatware from Paris gave depth and livened up the table!

  The taupe color was exquisite and rich and served as the perfect counterpoint to the neutral palette.

The luxury bohemian crystal glassware from Artel, rounded out the foundation of my tablescape. 

 This crystal glassware , handcrafted by artisans in the Czech Republic, would stand out to those who passed by, adding just the right touch of whimsy with patterns of stars and sea life.

                   The Vietri dishes were undeniably my first choice.

The base products were selected.  Now on to the design!  I needed height, so I added my own ivory colored urns and filled them with combination of faux and real daffodils, greenery and tulips.

I broke up the long ivory look with four of my faux grass placemats on which I placed four of the ten dinner plates.  Since I am a huge fan of greenery, I decided to perch the soup bowls in little nests of faux greenery in the middle of each dinner plate.  From there I added my collection of 32 year-old “bunny” soup tureens for color and another touch of whimsy.  I filled in the length of the table with moss-covered containers holding moss spheres.  For added interest, I planted tiny 3inch clay pots with mini-daffodils and tiny chalkboard name holders at each place setting to be given out as favors after the dinner. I love the idea of cellophane bags on hand to put them in a guests leave.  It’s always nice to welcome and then to bid adieu with a small token of some kind.  

Resources:

• Stoneware: Vietri

• Flatware: Sabre

• Crystal: Artel

• Linens: Bodrum

• Urns: Private collection

• Clay pots: Michael’s

• Faux grass placemats: Flowers on Chestnut

• Faux greenery:  Michael’s

• Moss covered containers: Michael’s

• Moss spheres: Michael’s

• Bunny tureens: Private collection

A Glittery Nantucket Christmas Stroll

~Nantucket Island~

The Nantucket Christmas Stroll began in 1973, as a brilliant idea, to keep islanders from leaving the island to do their Christmas shopping.

Main Street

In 1973, there were fewer than 6,000 full-time residents. Today, the island is home to an estimated 23,000 full-time residents.

Over the past 43 years (26 of which we have attended!), “Stroll” has grown from a tiny three-hour event with holiday delectables and libations, to the Internationally renowned event it is today, drawing thousands from around the world. Sponsored by the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce, this magical weekend is three days long with “strollers” pouring off boats and planes from far and near, dressed in some pretty funny red and green get-ups, which may or may not include old raccoon fur coats and crazy hats, ready for amazing shopping, fabulous food, awesome raw bars, good friends, martinis “shaken not stirred”, and some pretty fine wine!

We have been Stroll patrons since 1990, but I have to say, this year, was the most amazing of all the years! The fabulously chic inns, the gorgeous restaurant additions, the incredible Nantucket Culinary Center and the tremendous increase in year round locals, has contributed greatly to this spectacular happening, which has become an International allure, for sure.

The town is dressed up in all of its holiday finery resembling a time in history akin to a Norman Rockwell (esque) village. Christmas trees line both sides of the entire Main Street lit up with dazzling colored lights, carolers roam in traditional 18th century costumes, Santa arrives by boat, the stores are all open, the sales are incredible, the restaurants buzz with reservation overflows, necessitating outdoor tents with heaters, and the before and after parties take over the island, which glitters like a jewel in the winter sea.

This year, we had a dinner party on Thursday evening, as a kick-off to the weekend for arriving guests. As darkness fell, friends and family members settled in to get ready for the ultimate winter island extravaganza! 

And of course “glitter” was the theme!

A glittery pine forest set the tone for a Christmas romance

A darkness fell, everyone settled in from their travels.

Our collection 19 years of silver bells gifted to us by dear friends, Lalique cherubs, a crystal Nantucket oyster  revealing the fruits of the sea, and my favorite crystal heart, a gift from another dear friend, frequently seen on my tablescapes.

Ralph Lauren “King Charles Paisley” with William Sonoma linens and silk 3” tartan ribbons.

A love "glittery" love affair

A night to remember…

After the parties were over...

A Woodland-Themed Thanksgiving

~Nantucket Island~

TELL A STORY with your tablescape!  It’s creative and fun, and will be an instant conversation piece with your guests! Once you have a theme, the excitement and layering begins!  Give yourself enough time to design it.  Rushing and time restraints promote stress and zap your creative juices. This tablescape took me three hours (with plenty of time to spare!) of adding, deleting and then finally...swooning.  I never think, "oh, I've got to SET the table".  I always think, "Oh, I've got to DESIGN my table".  It's so much more fun.

THE COLOR SCHEME this year was decidedly going to take on a more neutral approach, a deviation from my bold orange design of last year. I waited for the inspiration to come to me. Sure enough, it hit me at the Rooms with a View Decorator Show House in Southport, CT.  My design began with the purchase of two gorgeous ferns in beautiful, natural rolled, birch bark containers, and two large moss balls, I hand-carried on the boat to Nantucket! I supplemented with matching birch bark candle pillars holding tea lights, I found at Flowers on Chestnut, on island. This year, unlike last year, my table linens, in simple ivory, would serve only as a backdrop, not making any statement at all. The same would be true of the china I used, which was my ivory, gold-banded LENOX, from our wedding in 1979, which I love and covet with all my heart! I used tiny kraft name tags at each place setting in small round vases I’ve had for years that house both the flowers/greens and the name tag. I love the natural feel, the color and look of anything kraft.  

These feathered placemats sent me over the edge!

Did you know that until 1918 there had been no American made china in the White House? This upset President Woodrow Wilson, who finally commissioned Lenox to create the first US made china. 

A New York City newspaper reported,“The proud day has arrived when the White House dining service [was] designed by an American artist, made at an American pottery… and decorated by American workmen.”

Since that time, six presidents have commissioned Lenox for their own signature china. 

THE GRAPES in the centerpiece contributed majorly to my design, which was clearly taking an organic turn! To incorporate natural colors, I thought fruits! Yes! Different colors of grapes! I loved the idea of them cascading down a 3-tiered cake stand, but wondered how I would keep them perfectly in place (crashing down on the votives would not be good). I got out my favorite tool of all time, a glue gun, and anchored the heavy part of the stems to the cake stand tiers. I bought a couple of bags of loose moss, which I used to gently nudge (wedge) the grapes to remain where I wanted them! And then, of course added my birds!

Grapes, as a the centerpiece

BIRDS OF A FEATHER  are always part of my holiday designs in some way shape or form. So out came my collection of birds! And then, speaking of feathers, why not use fabulous feather placemats?!  Lion's Paw of Nantucket, I love you!  While we're at it,  let’s add feathers elsewhere, too…. I used 3 inch burlap ribbon for the napkins and inserted an 18 inch single feather into each one. I used the other feathers in a grouping near the moss balls on my sideboard. This really got me excited! This was when I added the gold deer antlers in the fern plants to pick up the trim of the china.  Burlap, fruit, moss, pinecones, ferns, deer antlers, birch bark, birds and feathers!  I think I’m getting somewhere with this, and I think it's a woodland theme!

PUMPKINS always add a lovely autumnal look and feel to Thanksgiving, especially since they are used so much in cooking and baking during the season! I was happy to find little white ones on island, keeping everything in neutral tones. And so it began…. Our Thanksgiving tablescape was on its way to paying homage to the forest and the fruits of the land! Your story becomes pivotal in the design, the colors you choose, and the style you see evolving. Have fun with it! Be whimsical and creative. It sets the tone for FUN before the FUN even begins!

Our Culinary Excursion!
Our Thanksgiving morning was a bit more relaxed this year, as there was no zooming out the door for the 8am 5K race, since our daughter had just run the New York City Marathon! But we were up bright and early and had a nice cozy, breakfast before the traditional ice cold Turkey Plunge!

Breakfast
Corn and Cranberry Pancakes (compliments of my husband, Jim, the pancake genie!)
• Fresh fruit of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries
• Orange Juice
• Mimosas

Traditional Post-Plunge Bloody Mary Party
(my Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law’s home)
• Classic Bloody Marys
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Cheese Platters

Thanksgiving Dinner
• Corn Chowder with Squash & Bacon served in “squash bowls” (pictured)
• Turkey
• Gravy (The gravy fairy visited me this year with a perfectly smooth and tasty gravy!)
• Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes with marshmallows (the kids are never giving this up!)
• Brussel Sprouts with bacon and maple syrup
• Oyster Cornbread Stuffing with mushrooms
• Mixed Fruit Stuffing with grapes (of course!), apples and pears
• Carrot Pudding
• Cranberry Citrus Mold (A great presentation)
• Penny's Cranberry Sauce (See recipe on Cranberry Blog in Food & Cocktails)

Corn Chowder with Squash & Bacon served in “squash bowls”

Place card holder and floral vase all in one! 

My favorite of all the birds in my collection

Wait...I'm having a Cinderella deja vu...with this bird and moss green velvet ribbon...

RESOURCES

• China: Lenox

• Crystal: Saint Louis “Tommy”

• Placemats: The Lion’s Paw Nantucket

• Burlap Ribbon: Michael’s

• Feathers: Private Collection

• Napkin Feathers: Michael’s

• Bags of Moss: Michael’s

• Cake Stand: Private collection

• Birds: Private Collection

• Green Ribbon: M&J Trimmings, NYC

• Linens: Williams Sonoma

• Ferns, Bark vessels, Moss Balls: Rooms with a View, Southport

• Green Candles: Fresh Market

• Votives: Private Collection

• Bark Pillars for tea lights: Flowers on Chestnut, Nantucket

• White Pumpkins: Bartlett’s Farm

• Place Card holder: Private Collection

• Kraft Place Cards: The Lion’s Paw, Nantucket

• Gold Antlers: Michael’s

Orange & Silver is the New Thanksgiving

~Nantucket Island~

Thanksgiving 2015 brought a much larger crowd to our island home! We arrived on the island to celebrate Thanksgiving with our daughter’s in-law family from Cincinnati, who had never been to Nantucket! Our journey began with a tailgate for thirty at the Yale Harvard game in Connecticut, and continued on up to Massachusetts and out to sea, in all of its fall regalia! The more the merrier for me!

My table this year was a bit more formal than usual. My design and color scheme was based on the gorgeous charcoal, silver and orange Jacquard linens I found at Williams Sonoma in Winter Park, Florida. I just drooled over them.

Antique silver bun warmer. Saint Louis crystal. Ralph Lauren china

Pillared candles perched on walnuts.

Our day begins with a 5k race road race, followed by the Turkey Plunge and followed by the annual "Bloody Mary" party at my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's home. Then we have our soup and once again, meet up for a walk on the beach with the other Lyons family.  So, our dinner is always in the early evening,  a candlelight Thanksgiving dinner after dark, with the fireplaces roaring and lots of wine.

Time to pour the wine...and get this party started!

NOTE TO SELF: RELY ON YOUR INSTINCTS! Try to fall in love with your design way in advance! I found these linens two weeks before the holiday. I was jittery about relying upon on-time, on-island delivery. So I hunted down every store I could physically go to, and was successful in finding what I needed. It was too late to cancel the order… which arrived four days after the holiday! INSTINCTS! Rely on them!  

The first order of events was to put a rush online order in for monogram cocktail napkins!  They are inexpensive and make a big statement. Having fun with the color scheme, I ordered silver raised damask paper napkins with our monogram in burnt orange foil, from my “go-to”, The Stationery Studio. Shop online at www.thestationerystudio.com.

Silver damask cocktail napkins with burnt orange foil monogram.

I decided to get out all of the Christmas silver and get polishing! It was bold, elegant and formal! Different from my usual Thanksgiving themes… My candle design this year, using the same candle holders I used last year, included bright orange pillar candles perched atop large walnuts and placed them between scattered ORANGE PUMPKINS. I brought out silver ice buckets, and vintage silver pieces that included our antique bun warmer, and placed everything around the table as I would a collection. And, of course, I used our autumnal Ralph Lauren china and our Saint Louis “Tommy” patterned crystal.

The colors of the food from our feast, popped with this palette.  Here is my Butternut Squash Soup with apples and bacon.

                                                                                       I loved it! It was a wonderful Thanksgiving!