Recently in “Tabletop”

My favorite thing on this visit was this divinely designed dinnerware by French product designer Jean Marc Gady. Attaching a series of different size white porcelain plates creates a wonderful venue for a meal of "small plates" or tapas, a trend that is very au courant and exactly how I love to eat!!!! 

Opened in 2000 by Swiss art collector Maja Hoffmann and her husband Stanley Buchthal, La Chassagnette is a stunning combination of natural charm and contemporary design. Inspired by the marriage of fresh farm-products, organic agriculture, and gastronomy ....... chef Armand Arnal creates a memorable dinning experience. He uses fresh from the earth, eco-produce from gardener Catherine Louis's organic garden, which surrounds the restaurant. Changing the menu daily, each of the 4 courses was spectacular ..... but for me the ultimate decadence was a basket of chocolate-chip cookies that came with my coffee post-dessert. I love a good cookie and these were the best I have ever, ever eaten ....... that alone is a the best reason for me to go back to Provence!!!!!!! 

The day was divine and we had lunch on the terrace. We followed our meal with a walk through the lush, colorful, and aromatic garden ..... a totally sensual experience. In addition to outdoor dinning, the indoor restaurant, a converted sheepfold, is equally divine. I was particularly enthralled by a mural running along one wall ...... and realized it had been done by New York based artist's Astro Vivid Focus, whose style is not exactly traditional to Provence!!! There is a recently opened charming shop that sells an assortment of unusual items, and of course, I managed to buy a dozen wonderful red handmade ceramic cups ........ I can find great "accessorations" anywhere!!!

and a unique place to shop!!!!! 

One of the fantastic things about getting stuck in Milan, while the Icelandic volcano spewed ash, was getting to visit two of the four Milanese House Museums, homes with a unique combination of period architecture and antiques, with the addition of contemporary design ...... old and new working in tandem, showing how contemporary furniture and objects belong everywhere!!!!

I was particularly taken with the Villa Necchi Campiglio, a residence built in the 1930's, designed by architect Piero Portaluppi. The interiors were created by a collection of important Italian designers and decorators of the period, including Albini-Palanti, Buzzi, Marelli, and Ulrich. After the war, an extensive collection of antique furniture was added. 

Had dinner last night with the E-I-C, at our favorite haunt The Silver Star  (not terribly chic, but great hamburgers!) ....... we go there to "muse & amuse," chatter about the "accessories & accessorations" of our lives ........ we talk about everything!!! 

We were discussing our upcoming trips to Europe and I was telling him about the fabulous "jelly serving spoons" I had found at a design/hardware store in Paris. I mentioned that I was going to stop in Paris to pick up a bunch more and did he want one or two!!! I realized how silly this sounded.... going to Paris for $8.00 spoons .... why not just make a quick stop at Gracious Home??? But, of course, there are no jelly spoons at Gracious Home or anywhere else.... this sublime spoon has disappeared, if it ever existed!!!!! 

I'm hoping that by putting the spoon's picture into the world, possibly some "tabletop guru" will see it, realize just how fabulous it is and make a new "jelly spoon," that will be available closer to home!!!!  It really is an amazing "accessoration"!!!!

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Danish brand Stelton, British fashion designer Paul Smith was given the task of reworking danish designer Arne Jacobsen's iconic Cylinda Collection. Smith has selected a range of 12 colors, from bright to pastel, to color the handles of the stainless steel coffee pots. In addition, he has created a collection, called Dot, of stainless steel bowls with 54 different colored inside surfaces and lids.

"I was very flattered when asked to work on this project, but equally nervous as I have such respect for this iconic collection by Arne Jacobsen.  To tell the truth I was unsure whether I should take the task of reworking such a beautiful, timeless set of designs. However, once I realized that I would just give a new lease of life through color, I felt more comfortable." Paul Smith

For me this is a match made in heaven .......I adore Arne Jacobsen's "Danish Modern" style .... I live with "The Egg", a chair to die for!!!  And, Paul Smith is the ultimate "Color King" ...... his iconic stripe pattern is this "accessorstors" dream ....... shopping bag, wallet, briefcase, and especially the trim around the seams of the most fabulous black leather gloves you have ever seen ..... which I own!!!!! So, I think that the only decision I will have to make in April, when this collection arrives in the stores is ....... which color handle do I want, because....... it is way tooooo piggy to get all 12!!!!!

Continuing my quest for "yummy accessories," I found these divine cake stands in Seattle from local design duo, Jamie Iacoli & Brian McAllister. These delightful stands are created from hand selected vintage brass candlestick holders ..... that are then powder coated into any of the yummie colors above ..... and then the designers adhere a hand finished white corian top!!! Sizes for the tops vary from 4" to 13" and the heights are left to the candlesticks!!! 

I absolutely adore these stands ...... and I love lots of desserts on the table ...... So, how many should I carry back to NYC for Thanksgiving dinner???????

I am so lucky to have so many interesting and innovative friends!!! One of my most interesting BFF's is an amazing cook...YUM!!! In addition, she is a passionate collector of "everything" and has collected cookbooks for decades!!! She has created incredible dinners with the help of all the great chefs from Julie Childs to Ina Garten!! Of course,, I adore everything she makes.....but, I really covet her enormous collection of dishware!!!!  There is dinnerware galore..... and every holiday has its own set of plates!!! She has a variety of sets of fine china, as well as the most divine sets of hand thrown dishes.  What really fascinates me, is that she has figured out how to put these passions together in her recently re-done kitchen.......and has created a totally new piece of furntiture....... a unique "book/dish case"!!!!!

My very tasteful and chic Grandmother, Nana Lu, always started the day with a bed tray.....  a white linen doily, scalloped in pink, lined the top..... with a glass of fresh orange juice, a silver carafe of coffee, a cup & saucer, a plate with toast and butter, a pot of jam, a white linen napkin, and a silver bud vase with one red rose.....always at 9AM!!!!!!! But, as we know those days are long gone!!!!! I hate not being pampered, missing the niceties of life, and am thrilled to find Peter White who has designed Le Petit Dej, for his company ByWhite Design, for similar reasons!!!

This divine acrylic tray is 14.5 x 21.5 x 4 inches in size, is available in white, yellow and red, and is even made in the USA!!! It is a fabulous design and most important there is never soggy toast!!! And reminds me of my Nana!!!

Combining my African addiction, mixing my love of batik patterns &  hot colors, with my plastic passion.......this table setting screams summer 2009 at my housel!!! The plastic plates, from innovative French giftware company, Sentou are very well priced and of course, durable! The dinnerware is mixed with placemats, napkins, and napkin rings from Dransfield & Ross. In addition, the glasses are vintage, the silverware is from French Bull, and the pitcher is from Amen Wardy Aspen. So, if I invite you to dinner this summer......be prepared to sit down to this table!!!

Sentou website,  Dransfield & Ross website,  French Bull website,  Amen Wardy website,  

As a "table top queen," this accessorator has a major storage problem!!! Napkin rings are often times left homeless. They either end up in plastic zip lock bags or in old gift boxes, squinshed into corners of the dish closet. Some are never found again, and others are unused because I can't remember where they live!! When I visited my friends Amen & Bob's fantastic new house last month, I saw the most incredible storage chest and a unique idea....a fabulous antique Chinese cabinet had become home to all of the napkin rings!!  I had seen a number of these chest, which I think were used by Chinese doctors for herbs & potions, over the years and always wondered what to do with the small draws....this was a genius idea!!! Imagine a separate place for each style and then hanging a sample on the outside of the drawer....these guys are major "accessorator's"!!!

Then Amen gave me the best idea......knowing that everyone didn't have an antique chest in their basement....he said a similar "new" chest was in the Crate & Barrel catalogue and suggested it would do the job just as well!!!!  Amazing idea, don't you think!!!!

I've never met a dish i didn't fall in love with!!!!