Palm Beach Style – Want to See Gorgeous Tablescapes?
By Jill Brooke
Palm Beach style means lots of entertaining and creating tablescapes.
Several entertaining trends emerged at Holiday House’s fundraiser “Taking it to the Table” in Palm Beach.
I was tasked with judging this incredible array of flower designs for the event which raises funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Founder Iris Dankner is a breast cancer survivor of 28 years who is no wilting flower. Through her leadership and dynamic charm, she annually creates events in NYC, the Hamptons and Florida.
This year, co-chairs Jayne Chase, CEO of Perfectly Palm Beach candles and a Quest magazine design editor along with architect and designer Campion Platt, Jean Shafiroff and Andrea Stark devised a flower theme and invited me to be the judge and speaker. TV personality Jane Hanson was a presenter and designers included Alexandra Naranjo, Allison Eden, Sean Rush, Betsy Wentz, Dar Chauve, and Kimberly Pucci.
It was very hard to choose.
The Best in Show went to two participants.
1) Timeless Oak Designs: Veaunita Stechschulte and Isabel Stechschulte hired Beldens florist owner Armine Mnatsakanian to create a dreamy tablescape that felt you were in a timeless meadow.
“My vision for this display was a whimsical, fairy-tale layering hellebores, white spirea spray, white Japanese clematis and Japanese allium snake balls to bring it to life,” said Mnatsakanian. “The soft and organic movement of the florals, paired with lush moss made it feel like a dreamy, overgrown garden straight out of a fairy tale.” (As my beloved flower lovers know, I always put flowers on green moss).
Other flowers used included white hyper delphinium, scabiosa French Vanilla Blush, jasmine, green hanging amaranthus, purple lisianthus, white quince branches and white lilac and French purple parrot tulips.
The added layers of course contributed to the cohesive effect of the dream like experience.
The team used Arhaus Furniture, Madeline Panel mirrors hand painted in Vietnam, Danae stone marble table, Rhodin dining chairs, Aquazurra plates, charming antique egg holder by Mappin & Web, soup tureens by Limoges, glasses by Vietri, flatware by Ricci Argentieri and place card holders by Ecruis.
Antique silver candlesticks and salt and pepper shakers were also added for this delightful ecosystem that just invited anyone to sit, relax and enjoy life and beauty. Filling the egg holders with moss and a delicate flower was also both unique and evocative of a fairytale. It is always the little details that collectively work together to create a symphony of joy.
2) Andrea Stark’s table was an ode to “Flower Power” modernism with big bold flower prints on the tablecloth, canopy and chairs. Florist Tom Mathieu expertly used clusters of anemones to accent the fun happy decor. It was a perfect example of how using one type of flower can produce such magnificent outcomes. Stark placed photos of her dream guests from the 1960s including Brigitte Bardot, Twiggy, Jane Birkin, and Mary Quant at her red, white, and black poppy bedecked table. Furthermore, it was on trend with hanging overhead flowers in an interesting arrangement. Anemones in little bud vases tied by twine from the canopy was clever and whimsical. The table just oozed happy and fun which is how we want to feel when entertaining friends and family.
TRENDS
1)Napkins Under Plates
2) Interesting Backdrops
Betsy Wentz is known for mixing unexpected colorful patterns that produce both interesting and innovative design. “I wanted this table to reflect the whimsy and colorful layers of playful patterns that inspire my interiors,” she said. “A collection of exquisite mini bouquets of colorful modern looking flowers complemented the tablescape.” The table and chairs were Brown Jordan and all fabrics including the custom linens and upholstery are from Kristy Stafford. “Marquis designs made all of our custom linens and folding screen,” she added. The florist was the legendary Renny and Reed who have been in Palm Beach creating florals for decades.
Alexandra Naranjo used this fab open fenced backdrop and filled it with pots of flowers and then added hydrangeas on the floor in painted wooden boxes to match the decor. Just felt so much like a garden and such a great idea. Fabrics were also so happy. Why not bring this idea indoors? Or outdoors.
2) OVERHEAD FLOWERS
Tom Mathieu took wire and wrapped bud vases with anemones to fly happily in the air. It created a beautiful effect that reminded me of a “sub rosa” feel. After all, the tradition of associating flowers – in particular roses though here they are anemones – dates back to ancient Greece. Banquet rooms were decorated with rose carvings and live flowers as a reminder that discussions in the rooms should be kept in confidence as in “sub rosa.” Under the roses meant that conversations should be secret and this tradition was continued in Christian symbolism where roses were carved on confessionals. It entered our English vocabulary as early as 1654. Maybe this is why I am so enjoying this trend of overhead flowers I’m seeing in shows around the country.
Kurt Edward De La Torre Kintz, Owner and Lead Designer of Palm Beach Blooms, used oasis foam, chicken wire, biodegradable wreath bases, zip ties and a decorative gold chain for hanging this overhead floral arrangement. What a great idea to suspend from any ceiling. The flowers he used were cut Phalaenopsis, pure white hydrangea, lime green hydrangea, Playa Blanca white roses, white majolika spray roses, hellebore, bleached amaranthus, burgundy anthurium stems and an anthurium leaf. The overhead flowers are also a nice way to showcase floristry without obstructing the view of dinner guests.
“Initially the thought came to me when (0wner) Kate Homes provided a rendering of the table and I couldn’t help thinking “if only we could use the canopy as the canvas for my installation” to which they agreed,” he said. “I wanted to do a modern take on a floral chandelier that was both visually striking AND functional. Understanding your floral options is also very important because it dictates your mechanics and the amount of time they will need to stay vibrant and fresh. A little bit of faith and some zip-ties, paired with creative passion made this idea come to life.”
As someone whose husband collects monkey objects, I was immediately drawn to this design. Here they used a monkey sculpture that was so playful and decorated it with red and pink roses. Embellishment in the best of ways. Also shows you don’t need a lot of flowers to create impact. A sculpture or painting can do the trick.
3) Magnificent Flowers
Lewis Miller created yet another showstopper for Lugano. Notice how Miller used tall vases along with shorter ones so you could have a dramatic impact without guests not being able to see each other. Among the flowers he used was a new Juliet spray rose from David Austin. The rose company spent $3 million to develop this classic rose which continues to be immensely popular across the globe. Miller also included new varieties of hellebore with dramatic plump interiors in shades of burgundy that matched the ultra suede mauve tablecloths. The pink glasses and candlesticks were pitch perfect as were using colorful candles to complement the lovely array of flowers. Using Bernardaud plates, he also tucked napkins under the dinnerware. Plus Lugano, a big sponsor of the Holiday House event, added little gift boxes. As Eddie Murphy once wisely said, “Everyone loves opening up presents.” And of course, since it is his signature flower, anemones were also plentiful.
Photo Credits: Eric Striffler Photography and Flower Power Daily
Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. A floral historian, she is an author and the editorial director of FPD and a contributor to Florists Review magazine. She also won the 2023 AIFD (American Institute of Floral Designers.) Merit Award for showing how flowers impact history, news and culture