What Makes A Table Setting?

Table settings are the most fun way to set the stage for an afternoon or evening with friends. Here are a few I've saved to share with you. Never approached too seriously - with the exception of pressed linens - basically throwing it all together! Mixing not matching and having a great time while doing it. What are the sorts of things that can inspire a table setting?

TEXTILES

SPOTS OF COLOR

 

SEASONS

SIMPLICITY OR EVEN NEW PLACEMATS

MOOD

CASUAL FLAIR

HOLIDAYS 

SUMMER FUN 

CLASSIC COZINESS

MOTIFS - PAPER SAILING CHARTS FOR LOBSTERS (portrait place-cards)

CULTURAL MIX (Swedish, Guatemalan, English, Indonesian)

& ELEGANCE

These items are part of our personal collection and only sometimes available in our shop, Billy's Bungalow. But you will find objects for the table there and even special antique plates. Please visit frequently! 

George's Odhni | Cora Ginsburg

The lessons I've learned from my godfather George continue, even two years after his death. This lovely textile of his recently sold at Cora Ginsburg—the notable New York City dealer of antique textiles + historic clothing. My godfather highly regarded the shop and [now] owner Titi Halle, lugging many pieces he collected over the years to Titi for her expert knowledge of textiles from all over the globe. This particular piece is an Odhni, a woman's veil-cloth or head covering. The intricately embroidered silk from India [Banni, Kutch region, Gujarat, circa 1900] was made perhaps, as part of a dowry. At the center of the design is a large diamond-shaped medallion of mitered stripes of branching triangles, worked in running stitch. Each corner is finished in a geometric embroidery studded with shimmering mirrors, and the entire textile is covered in minute, embroidered eyelets. The embroiderer limited the scheme to just four colors of silk thread: garnet red, dull gold, cream, and black. According to Halle, a similar example is in the Victoria & Albert Museum collection. A serious art collector, my godfather volunteered at the Metropolitan Museum in the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Library from 1992 until months before his death at age 88, in 2009. He was a life-long scholar of the arts and luckily for me... a teacher, too.

Safir Suzani Fabric

There are a few fabrics that have legs beyond the recent Suzani trend and one of them is Kathryn Ireland's Safi Suzani (shown here in Fiesta). 100% Linen. For showrooms visit Kathryn M. Ireland textiles and design.