48 minute read
What’s Coming Up
from Nov/Dec 2020
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA Gloria Vanderbilt: An Artful Life (in person) Huntsville Museum of Art Huntsville Museum of Art October 30–January 24 hsvmuseum.org
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE Delaware Antiques Show (virtual) November 7–14 winterthur.org
OMAHA, NEBRASKA Holiday Poinsettia Show (in person) Lauritzen Gardens November 21–January 3 lauritzengardens.org
DALLAS, TEXAS A Writer’s Garden Literary Symposium (virtual) Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden November 17 womenscouncildallasarboretum.org
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Wolfson Children’s Hospital
Art & Antiques Show (virtual) December 4–6 womensboardwolfsonchildrenshospital.com
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA Holiday Flower Show (in person) Como Park Zoo & Conservatory December 5–January 3 comozooconservatory.org
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA Independent Presbyterian Church Holiday House Tour (virtual) December 11–13 ipc-usa.org
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
The Cathedral Antiques Show (virtual or live TBD) January 20–24
cathedralantiques.org
Indicates Flower is sponsoring the event. For more events, visit fl owermag.com.
in Bloom
The designer in front of a charming vignette with some of her favorite silver and Christmas decorations
DECORATE: FLOWERS
Kakhi Huffaker Wake eld of K Wake eld Designs
THE CHATTANOOGA-BASED FLORAL TALENT CREATES ARRANGEMENTS WITH FAMILIAR CHRISTMAS FLOWERS AND ABUNDANT GREENERY, ALONG WITH A HOST OF SUPPORTING PLAYERS THAT SET THE STAGE FOR HOLIDAY CHEER FROM THE ENTRY HALL TO THE DINING ROOM
Produced by Alice Welsh Doyle • Photography by David Hillegas
“I was inspired by Herend’s Chinese Bouquet china pattern that my grandmother, mother, sister, and I use year-round, but its green- and-white palette makes it a natural choice for Christmastime.” –KAKHI WAKEFIELD
MATERIALS LIST
Gilded antlers ‘Green Trick’ dianthus Amaryllis Mix of greenery (curly pine, cypress, gold tipped cedar, magnolia, aucuba, galax leaves) Poinsettia Ornamental kale Spray roses ‘Green Lemonade’ roses Parrot tulips Bells of Ireland Snapdragons Veronica Viburnum Lisianthus Double ranunculus Queen Anne’s lace
Turn the page for step-by- step instructions to make this arrangement >
STEP BY STEP
STEP 1
In a large antique brass or similar container, weave chicken wire in three layers into the opening. Take the dianthus and break it up to look like moss. Tape the antlers to wire metal skewers to secure them. Attach dianthus to the antler base using floral putty or glue dots to hide the tape. Add water to the container.
STEP 2
Trim the amaryllis stems, and make sure to put them directly into two layers of the chicken wire, as their stems are so thick they need the support and to go in before the other flowers. Place them at varying heights in the arrangement—some low and some floating above to create an inverted triangle.
STEP 3
Time to green up the arrangement! Use items from the yard, plant nursery, and seasonal Christmas greenery—magnolia, cypress, aucuba, curly pine, cedar, and galax leaves. Mix the colors and textures throughout the design.
STEP 4
Make it a white Christmas by adding cut poinsettias. You can treat them just like any other material you would use— we are just used to thinking of them in pots. Tuck a few in various places in the design.
“I grew up watching both my grandmothers and mother arranging flowers and enjoying the garden. I think working with flowers comes naturally to me. And after I did a workshop with Laura Dowling at FlowerSchool New York, I was bitten by the floral bug and never looked back!” –KAKHI WAKEFIELD
STEP 5
For an unexpected surprise and more texture, use ornamental kale, trimming and pulling back the leaves some to give them a more open look. You only need a couple here and there.
STEP 6
Now for the line flowers. Use bells of Ireland, which impart a more vibrant shade of green, and snapdragons in a crisp white to help unite the palette. For a line lower in the arrangement, place textural veronica at an angle sloping downward.
STEP 7
Viburnum adds another lively dimension with its lacy texture and pretty green color. Trim and place throughout the design. Make sure some pieces sit higher in the arrangement.
STEP 8
Roses are always a good idea! Use spray roses in little bunches and green roses. To open the green roses up to look more like garden roses, twirl the stem, blow into the center, and gently flex the petals outward.
STEP 9
The texture of parrot tulips is so magical. Group them together in threes, and place them toward the bottom of the arrangement, so they hang over the edge of the container.
STEP 10
For the finishing touches, include flowers that are lighter and will dance in the arrangement. Trim and place double ranunculus, which have a wonderful ruffled quality; Queen Anne’s lace for an airy texture; and some green lisianthus. Trim and place at angles throughout the design.
HOLIDAY CHEER!
Chateau d’Yquem is the perfect accompaniment for foie gras, and any ole foie gras will do— terrine, pâte, whole, sautéed, or cold—dealer’s choice. —Alex Hitz
JEAN LIU I love gifting an antique or vintage piece of silver. Replacements, Ltd., is my go-to mecca of all these vintage fi nds!
ALEXA HAMPTON My father’s watercolors were always so magical to me because I received personal ones for every important holiday and birthday. It came so e ortlessly to him, and as someone who loves to paint and draw, watercolors have always eluded me.
The Art of Giving
WE ASKED A DOZEN TASTEMAKERS TO SHARE THEIR FAVORITE IDEAS FOR GIVING AND RECEIVING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. HERE’S WHAT THEY TOLD US
Produced and styled by Amanda Smith Fowler Photography by David Hillegas
FRANCES SCHULTZ
The luster and sparkle of jewelry, be it for the table with a gorgeous epergne or showing up in a piece you love, always enhance the sense of occasion, whether a special day or every day.
Gorham Silver sterling Sphinxsalad set ($2,400), George W. Shiebler sterling tined sardine serving fork ($1,600), Dominick & Ha lidded tea caddies (top, $480; bottom, $380), all from Replacements, Ltd., replacements.com • Watercolors:Take a cue from the Hamptons and commission a painting depicting a beloved’s favorite home or garden. Silver frame by Fotiou Frames, fotiou.com; gold frame by Larson Juhl, larsonjuhl.com • Château d’Yquem Sauternes • Custom albums by Paul Vogel (inquire for pricing), vogelbindery .com • Lettered Olive personalized letterpress stationery (inquire for details), letteredolive.com • Elizabeth Locke Sleeping Beauty turquoise small pu earrings ($4,875) and Sleeping Beauty turquoise Maltese cross pendant ($4,825) on Bellariva gold necklace ($10,250), elizabethlocke.com • Sterling epergne (in photo below roses) from Beverly Bremer Silver Shop, featured in Alex Hitz’s book The Art of the Host, beverlybremer.com • Background fabric by Kravet, kravet.com • Stemware, linens, and ornament: stylist’s own
HOLIDAY CHEER! I love a St-Germain spritzer! I do a 3-to-1 ratio of sparkling wine to St-Germain, a splash of club soda, and an in-season garnish: thyme or rosemary in spring, a sprig of lavender in summer, or an orange peel in fall and winter. —Young Huh
TARA GUÉRARD Send a custom curated charcuterie board from a local caterer. The recipient can always add items fresh from their yard or garden to personalize it. Also, a local friend, Anne Hutson, makes the most divine homemade cheese biscuits.
ELAINE GRIFFIN Nothing says “I’m so happy you came to see me” more than a crisp, starched dinner napkin at the table, especially if it’s monogrammed. I mean, that’s just love. They’re one of the few things you can’t ever have enough of—and that we don’t take time to buy for ourselves.
ANGÈLE PARLANGE I have two of Suzonne Stirling’s Paper Garden creations—a gardenia with kumquats and a camellia, which I wear in my hair (see photo). You could also use these exquisite paper fl owers as “garnish” for a charcuterie board that includes Beth Biundo’s Moroccan almonds!
Necklace:A great vintage fi nd of pink quartz and smoky topaz, saks.com • St-Germain elderfl ower liqueur • Anne Hutson’s Charleston Cheese Biscuits, annescharlestoncheesebiscuits.com • Antique sterling silver biscuit box, great for cheese biscuits and fl owers, from Beverly Bremer Silver Shop, beverlybremer.com • Beth Biundo heavenly spiced Moroccan almonds (in star dish on board; $16), beth biundosweets.com • Fifth & Cherry sustainable F&C 14 cutting board ($299), a board that will stand the test of time, fi fthandcherry .com • Suzonne Stirling incredibly intricate and unbelievably realistic Paper Garden fl owers (inquire for pricing), suzonnestirling.com • French Poodle vinaigrette (bottom inset photo), original recipe created on the Côte d’Azur in 1870 ($14), thefrenchpoodlecarmel.com • Bobbins Design custom monogrammed dinnernapkinsin a rainbow of colors and designs (inquire for pricing), bobbinsdesign.com • Background fabric by Kravet, kravet.com
HOLIDAY CHEER! Rosé Champagne sends me to euphoria. As most of my friends know, I love pink (and most colors) and pouring the blush Champagne into a glass and watching the bubbles rise reminds me of looking at a beautiful cerulean sky. There is just something about it, not unlike the palest of ranunculus or the rose of Sharon. — Angèle Parlange
AMANDA LINDROTH
Anything Lewis Miller touches has the giant gift of his personal magic attached. His Flower Flashes* have enchanted the masses with wondrous surprise, beauty, naughtiness, and generosity. His Flower Flash boxes positively pop open with the same beauty, joy, and abundance he is known for.
ALEX HITZ Caviar! Buy the best and the most you can a ord. American hackleback is great, but nothing gets us through a pandemic like some beluga!
HOLLY HOLDEN
Pearls represent timeless, understated elegance. They naturally have their own unique color, shape, and luster. They never go out of style.
ALESSANDRA BRANCA
With the timing of our current lives, travel has never been more thrilling. Even a small trip to the country can feel like a whole new world and inspire fresh approaches to our everyday lives.
Ruinart and Laurent Perrier rosé Champagnes • Phalaenopsis orchids—the more stems, the better—are the seasonless hostess gift that continues to give year after year. • Lewis Miller’s Flower Flash boxes (from $185) include fresh fl owers and instructional videos for a variety of arrangement options (also check out his new limited edition prints of the most popular NYC Flower Flashes), store.lewis millerdesign.com. • Pearls, pearls, and more pearls. For Mikimoto and other treasures, shop Bromberg’s, brombergs.com (box: stylist’s own). • William Yeoward Crystal Katerinacaviar server with spoon ($280) through Scully & Scully, scullyandscully.com • Buccellati caviar server with caviar detail edging ($7,100), us.buccellati.com • Smythson Panama zip currency case ($335) and Maracard holder ($175), smythson.com • Background fabric by Kravet, kravet.com • Two small shell dishes,blini dish (bottom right), and mother-ofpearl spoons: stylist’s own
CATHY KINCAID Hatcher Cargo is the ideal blueand-white. It is always timely and has a place in every home.
MARK D. SIKES Myrtle topiaries are both casual and elegant and when cared for can live for a long time. I also love how tall and linear they are—they add height to a mix of accessories.
YOUNG HUH My friend Frances Palmer gives me extra dahlia bulbs each year—a gift I treasure dearly!
HOLIDAY CHEER! NEGRONI SBAGLIATO To make this sparkling variation (shown here) on a classic Negroni cocktail, I combine 1 part gin, 1 part vermouth rosso, and 1 part Campari in an ice-fi lled oldfashioned glass; top with chilled prosecco; stir; and garnish with an orange twist (sometimes I swap out the gin for more prosecco to make it even lighter). —Alessandra Branca
Verdura studded lemon chrysoprase bead necklace ($7,500), verdura.com • Kotobuki shears feel great in the hand. For similar, visit fl owermagshop.com. • A place for everything with the L/UNIFORM No. 3Tool Bag (about $945), luniform.com • For the brightest of scents, try Bronnley Lemon & Neroli soaps ($25/boxed set of three), smallfl ower.com • Myrtle topiaries are a chic gift to accent any tabletop. • The playful shapes of the Casa Branca Fleurette cocktail napkins ($160/set of four) add fun and fl air to the table, casablanca.com • Heartcup ($359), Piazzidecoratedcup ($375), and Grainger McKoy julep cup ($799) from Beverly Bremer Silver Shop, beverly bremer.com • The dahlia is one of the happiest and most striking fl owers with its bright colors and gigantic growing abilities, hollandbulb farms.com • Modern Ginger Jartip towels ($40/set of two) from Haute Home, hautehome.net •Hatcher Cargo porcelain: For the most sought-after fi nds, visit christies.com. • Background fabric by Kravet, kravet.com
Visions of Sugar Plums
WHEN SANTA CLAUS COMES TO PALM BEACH, HE DONS PINK, THE PERFECT PASTEL HUE FOR A SUN-KISSED GINGERBREAD-HOUSE DECORATING PARTY CO-HOSTED BY PALM BEACH LATELY AND LOVESHACKFANCY
By Cathy Still McGowin • Photography by Shea Christine Photography
Mercury glass Christmas trees, nutcrackers, and vintage glass bottles holding pink garden roses mingle with gingerbread houses awaiting decoration. RIGHT: The store window at LoveShackFancy was decorated by Flower Love Palm Beach.
Beth Aschenbach and Danielle Norcross, the sister duo behind the lifestyle brand Palm Beach Lately, love the beach, their children, and the holidays. So when Rebecca Hessel Cohen, the founder and creative director of the boutique LoveShackFancy, opened their doors at The Royal Poinciana Plaza in sunny Florida just a few weeks before Christmas, the sisters welcomed them to their hometown by co-hosting a holiday party brimming with all things Palm Beach.
“LoveShackFancy is an adult version of a little girl’s childhood fantasy,” says Beth of the brand’s clothing and tabletop designs.
Walking into one of the boutiques is a bit like stepping into the pages of a Jane Austen novel thanks to its Victorian appointments, garden lattice, and swaths of floral fabric tied up in great-big bows. Working with her go-to event planner based in New York, Rebecca asked Anne Ligeard Murat of Clafoutis to enhance the new storefront with the magic of Christmas for a motherdaughter gingerbread-house party. “It was fun to reimagine the Land of Sweets scene from The Nutcracker,” says Anne.
Each child received a gingerbread house (designed by Earth & Sugar) set upon a fondant-covered tray, with plenty of icing and sweet adornments. In addition to traditional gumdrops, Anne also included exotic candies such as French strawberries, chocolate nonpariels, and sour belts. “We wanted this to be a beautiful party and give the children something beautiful to take home,” says Anne.
— BETH ASCHENBACH OF PALM BEACH LATELY
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Danielle Norcross (left) and her sister, Beth Aschenbach, enjoy a moment with their children. All wore LoveShackFancy for the event. • Anne Liegeard Murat of Clafoutis customized a herd of tiny reindeer with ribbon, bells, and glitter. • Fondant palm trees, rock candy sticks, and sprinkles of sugar make this creation from Earth & Sugar almost too pretty to eat. • Rebecca Cohen of LoveShackFancy and her children smile for the camera with a pastelclad Santa. • Guest Christin Carron watches her daughter, Coco, put the finishing touches on her gingerbread house.
Designing Duo
SARAH EILERS AND SANDRA LUCAS CELEBRATE 25 YEARS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A NEW BOOK THAT EXPLORES THEIR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY AND HOW THEY PUT TOGETHER ELEGANT, COMFORTABLE ROOMS IN THEIR NATIVE HOUSTON, TEXAS, AND BEYOND By Alice Welsh Doyle • Photography by Stephen Karlisch and Julie Soefer
Flower: Congratulations on your new book, Expressive Interiors (Rizzoli, 2020), and 25 years of Lucas/Eilers Design Associates. How have you managed such a successful partnership?Sandy Lucas: Because we don’t work together! What I mean is that we are business partners, but we design our projects separately. It’s wonderful to have a relationship and to have someone you trust to work with. We also do things together, like going on buying trips and sharing resources, and our work inspires each other all the time.
How did you two get started? Sarah Eilers: We actually met in design school at the University of Texas, were sorority sisters, and became friends. We have many memories staying up late drafting projects by hand. After school, we worked together at a design fi rm for 15 years before coming together to start our own fi rm in 1995. What binds us together is a respect for design, for each other’s distinctive aesthetic, and for our clients, both young and older. We share the idea that good design is . . . good design.
How do your aesthetics di er? Sarah Eilers: Well, all you have to
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: A Barry Dixon for Vervain mural wallpaper provides a focal point and hides the TV cabinet doors. • Designers Sarah Eilers (left) and Sandy Lucas • An artist created a design of dogwoods and native Texas birds to grace the walls of this Houston home.
do is look at our respective offices! Mine has an old-world partners desk and Queen Anne chairs, while Sandy’s is sleeker and more contemporary with a clean-lined laminate desk that she designed with function in mind. But we both have Aeron chairs and the same bulletin board, although mine is neat and Sandy’s is haphazard. And we do have different jumping-off points, for the most part. I tend to start by selecting the rugs first, while Sandy always considers the art first. Sandy Lucas: We actually have a lot in common as well. We are both tuned in to our classical design training; we emphasize that in our work, and it has become fine-tuned through years of experience—scale, proportion, flow, lighting, comfort, and practicality are so important to make rooms work, and they are not easy to achieve. Of course, the goal is to make it look easy!
I certainly respect the idea that it’s not easy! So much planning goes into everything. I love your motto: There are no problems . . . only design opportunities. That’s an optimistic approach. Sarah Eilers: We have both learned over the decades that, even with the best-laid plans, things can go awry, and you simply have to be nimble and embrace the challenges that come your way. Sandy Lucas: Sarah and I regularly consult with each other when we are stumped on a project, and we have always helped each other in our own homes. Sometimes all you need is a fresh set of eyes to see something in a new light.
A fresh set of eyes is often needed in the writing process as well—even an editor needs an editor! Sarah Eilers: Exactly, and because we come from different backgrounds, we come to the table with alternative perspectives. We grew up in the same neighborhood in Houston, but our families were not the same. I grew up in a house of collectors and fine antiques, while Sandy’s mother used her home more like a laboratory to try out the latest design trends or of-the-moment color combinations.
While a lot of your work is Texas-based, tell us about other
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT: Sarah’s living room combines antiques with comfortable upholstery for an inviting atmosphere. • A stencil pattern creates a graphic element in a powder room. • Contemporary floral art and a pendant play off the wallpaper pattern.
DECORATE: Q&A
ABOVE: Mixed materials keep this kitchen interesting in addition to practical. BELOW: Appliquéd floral patterns on linen bring charm to a bedside table.
locations and how the setting affects your choices. Sandy Lucas: When I was designing a second home in Utah, the clients wanted the interiors to reflect the Western location but in a refined way. “Western” is not one thing, and it can go in many directions. That’s why Sarah and I always look to the client and how they live for direction—we draw them out to determine what appeals to them. I recently started a project for a client who is originally from New Orleans, and we were all influenced by the rich design of the city. It is a treasure trove of inspiration, but it has to be appropriate and must align with your client’s wishes. For example, we wove the classic New Orleans fleur-delis motif throughout some of the design elements.
How wonderful to have flowers throughout!
Each December, celebrated garden designer BUTTER WAKEFIELD transforms her West London home into a candy-colored jewel box of Christmas cheer
By KIRK REED FORRESTER • Photographed by CLIVE NICHOLS
DECORATING THE HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS IS A little like baking with small children—it sounds like a tender, beautiful experience but in reality demands the mental fortitude of a Navy Seal and a really good broom. There’s a lot of nostalgia, tradition, and expectation wrapped up in those nativity sets and tangled bundles of Christmas lights. Delivering the goods year after year can be daunting and, for even the merriest among us, take on a formulaic rigidity. So, what a thrill to witness the way Butter Wakefi eld, the award-winning, Baltimore-born, London-based garden designer, decks her own halls for the holidays, in a wild, joyous mash-up of color. Like the Wise Men departing from Bethlehem, Wakefi eld shows us an alternative route.
“I am properly obsessed with Christmas decorating,” says Butter from her home in the Shepherd’s Bush neighborhood of West London. “I long for the day when my four children say, ‘Mommy, don’t worry about the presents, just go totally overboard on the decorations and the food.’ ” While her children (all grown up now) may not have reached that conclusion just yet (“they still love their hand-stitched needlepoint stockings
In the drawing room, a vase of paperwhites and large arrangements “jammed with green ery” are among the designer’s favorites. LEFT: One of Butter’s kissing balls in the foyer PREVIOUS PAGES: Pink anemones in her beloved lusterware • Butter and her Border Terrier Wafer in front of her home, Ravenscourt Park
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: One of Butter’s hand-tied wreaths • A handmade fairy that sits at the top of the Christmas tree • Simple paperwhites are elevated on a gorgeous Mason’s Ironstone platter. • Pink anemones add a note of luxury and drama. • The acid-green ribbon is from Tobias and the Angel, one of Butter’s favorite shops. • Orange tulips, candlesticks, and citrus dazzle against the pink tablecloth. • Silver mint julep cups full of nodding Lenten roses beside Christmas greenery • A bowl of pomegranates at the table OPPOSITE: The mantel, full of greenery, candles, and natural materials, has a rustic charm.
—BUTTER WAKEFIELD
that took me two years each to make”), Butter still takes a maximalist approach.
Starting in December, she drapes fairy lights in the garden and hosts wreath-making workshops for friends and clients at her kitchen table. Using natural materials like twigs, lichen, cypress, and eucalyptus, her creations have a rangy, rustic charm. “I like them to be really hairy and wonderful,” laughs Butter, whose personality exudes a wonderful bicameralism— an American sunny, optimistic can-do spirit infused with a Brit’s wit and way with words. “You won’t find a spray-painted acorn or roll of cinnamon anywhere here. I need something much fresher.”
Along with the wreaths, kissing balls, and buckets full of greenery throughout the house, Butter introduces what she lovingly calls clashy colors. “I’m not really a red, gold, and green kind of girl,” she says. On December 22 she goes to the market and buys bunches of pink anemones, orange tulips, and paperwhites, which fill her gorgeous collection of pink lusterware. “I think Christmas is one of the times of year when you really should get out your best bits of china and use it. I love to set the table for fun and with color,” she says.
Besides the lusterware, Butter’s home brims with other collections—framed botanicals in the kitchen, white and black Staffordshire dog figurines, vibrant art on the walls. “I feel what really makes a house a home are those found objects,” says the designer. “I’m very keen that the house is not full of bought standard items. Things with a bit of character, things that are a bit old and unmatched are more interesting,” she says.
To be sure, Butter’s penchant for organic, wild greenery and flamboyant color combinations should not be mistaken for a kind of aesthetic gluttony. As with her award-winning garden design, which embraces whimsy within the confines of strictly
BELOW: The conservatory, with views of the garden, is painted a soothing gray with strong accents of green. RIGHT: Butter’s Christmas table mingles opulence and affability through a color combination that reads festive and fun.
edited structure, Wakefield’s interiors have a purposeful coherence. (Before studying landscape architecture, the designer worked at Christie’s and Colefax and Fowler.) Black-and-white linoleum tiles serve as the foundation for the first floor, with gray paint in the drawing room that makes everything else pop. The color green infuses each room through fabrics, drapery, wallpaper, and accent paint (this is a garden designer’s home, after all, and “green just makes you feel better”).
Wakefield has lived in her home, Ravenscourt Park, for nearly three decades. It has seen her through the raising of four children, a burgeoning business, a divorce, and a new chapter of independence and success. “I’ve lived in this house for 28 years, and I’ve been busy making it my own ever since,” says Butter. Christmas at Ravenscourt Park, with its wild kissing balls and clashy colors, may break a lot of rules, but Butter casts a spell that is warm, authentic, generous, and joyous— the crux of Christmas in unexpected wrapping.
At the entry, topiaries, foliage, and fl owers, including paperwhite, cycla men, and alyssum, are corralled in urns and pots made by artisans in L’Isle sur la Sorgue in France. OPPOSITE: A fresh cone-shaped topiary fl ocked with doves and white fl owers stands in lieu of a traditional Christmas tree in the foyer. An 18th-century painted putto keeps vigil atop a Louis XV giltwood stool. A 19th-century oil painting by Henri Daudin hangs above a Directoire recamier.
For interior decorator Alix Rico, every day is Christmas Day when you live and celebrate with the things you love most
Styling and text by MARGARET ZAINEY ROUX Photography by SARA ESSEX BRADLEY
An 18th-century giltwood Madonna basks in the glow of white lights and candles on gilt altar sticks, all set in a garland of evergreens peppered with lilies, garden roses and tulips. OPPOSITE, LEFT: In the living room, the deconsecrated giltwood tabernacle, a xed to the wall like a console table, is one of many that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and lovingly resurrected by Alix and Paul. OPPOSITE, RIGHT: Michael the Archangel, recovered from a chapel, watches over the living room from a Louis XV walnut table.
THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED CHRISTMAS IN PARIS,
I was awestruck,” recalls Alix Rico. “All along the ChampsÉlysées, hundreds of long silver rectangles dangled from the trees. They lit up the night as they bounced off the streetlights and chimed in the wind like a bell choir. The scene in our French village is much more low-key. You won’t see commercial-sized Christmas trees or a Papa Noël on every corner. You’ll find markets stocked with seasonal crafts and homemade goodies, and shop windows dressed in homey decor without any bling.”
It is the simplicity and authenticity of the provincial style that has inspired Alix’s designs for decades—and not just during the holidays. For 25 years, the interior decorator and her husband, Paul, a photographer, have split their time between a 17th-century townhouse in the idyllic village of Goult and their primary residence, a 1930s cottage in New Orleans. Once described as a “cookie-cutter brick box,” the 3,300-square-foot home in their beloved Old Metairie
neighborhood was purchased in an effort to downsize.
But going small evolved into something big when they embarked on a painstaking renovation to revive the suburban structure and infuse it with the easy elegance of their home away from home in the Luberon valley of Provence. The brick exterior was slathered with thick layers of a natural, sand-based stucco that ages gracefully over time, while run-of-the-mill windows and doors were replaced with arched counterparts trimmed in cast-stone case moldings. The entry was offset from the front to the side, allowing the European-style courtyard to become the street-facing focal point. Inside, bleached and pickled white oak covers the floors like a blanket, softening rooms filled with Louis XV and XVI tables, chairs, and case pieces with rich walnut stains and even richer patinas. Mirrors, lighting, and accents in chalky white, robin’s egg blue, and seafoam green gleam ever so slightly in the company of their delicate gilt details that have somehow managed to survive the centuries.
“The French don’t ‘save the good stuff’ for special occasions. They love what they have, so they use it. They don’t see a chip on a plate or a patch of tarnish on the silver as a flaw, but as a sign of a life well lived.” —ALIX RICO
“I prefer a light touch,” says Alix of the ethereal palette. “That’s reflected in the drapes, upholstery, and rugs that I surround myself with every day, so why would I go with red and green come December? My wintry mix of pure white and shiny silver speaks to my aesthetic regardless of what the calendar says.”
But to say Alix doesn’t “go green” isn’t exactly accurate. Cedar, pine, fir, eugenia, and boxwood abound in every form, from sculptural topiaries to wispy, hand-tied garlands. White flowers of any and all varieties flock the greenery like snow as they spill from a mélange of unexpected vessels, including vintage confit jars, rustic dough bowls, antique molds, and ceramic soup tureens. Perhaps the most unique of these containers isn’t a container at all, but an 18th-century giltwood crown that proudly sits on permanent display on the dining room table. During the holidays, it gets the royal treatment with a bounty of white hydrangeas, tulips, and roses bursting from the center.
“Year after year, I hear friends lament the unpacking and repacking process,” says Alix. “I don’t have heavy boxes of decorations to haul back and forth to the attic. I pull from what’s around me. I clip kumquats, citrus fruit, and magnolia leaves from my yard and gather pine cones and oak branches— the more lichen-laden, the better. The gilded statues, putti, and church plaques don’t disappear after the New Year either. They are daily reminders of the special moments, people, and places in our lives. To us, they capture the true meaning of Christmas in a way that stockings and snowmen never could.” Continued on next page
A medley of white flowers and greenery spills from an 18th-century giltwood corona that reigned above a life-sized church statue in its former life. “It’s one of my absolute favorite finds,” says Alix. OPPOSITE, LEFT: Alix in the kitchen of her New Orleans home OPPOSITE, RIGHT: Paired with a suite of Louis XV cane chairs, the antique walnut refectory table hosts intimate suppers and grand dinner parties when extended to 13 feet. An antique vaisselier holds a collection of Provençal pottery.
Osborne & Little wallpaper panels applied to the ceiling create a canopy of stars above the four-poster bed in the master bedroom. OPPOSITE, TOP: The family room’s limestone fi replace is an authentic representation of the classic château-style fi xture common in Provençal architecture. Antique walnut boiserie panels were retrofi tted as closet doors. Kumquats, pomegranates, and decorative cabbage enhance the garden-fresh fl avor of the room, which is situated between the kitchen and the back porch. OPPOSITE, BOTTOM: Between the two of them, Alix and Paul have hundreds of books on art, poetry, and design.
THE PROVENÇAL FEAST
IN PROVENCE, many families throughout the region continue a centuries-old Christmas Eve tradition known as Le Gros Souper. Translating to “The Great Supper,” the humble menu consists of seven dishes in remembrance of the seven plagues of Christ. The meatless fare often includes soup, white bread, omelets, escargot, cod, anchovies, and artichokes. In the spirit of giving, an extra seat and place setting is reserved for an unexpected guest like a downtrodden neighbor or wayward traveler with nowhere else to go.
Following the meal, a wine-filled coupe referred to as Sauvé Chrétiens (Save the Christians) is passed around the table. According to local lore, a sip from the communal cup will warm and fortify celebrants as they walk in the cold night air to the village church. After the service, they arrive home to a bountiful spread of 13 desserts awaiting on a table draped with three white tablecloths in honor of the Holy Trinity. The desserts, representing Christ and his 12 apostles, include an assortment of nuts, fresh and dried fruit, quince cheese, and black and white nougat. Freshly baked olive oil bread, or gibassier, is accompanied by calissons, a candied fruit paste, and navettes, little boat-shaped cookies flavored with orange-flower water imported from the capital city of Marseille.
When Julia Reed died in August, the South lost one of its richest voices and most talented chroniclers. Author of numerous books and magazine articles, Julia’s subject matter ranged from presidential politics to pimento cheese, always peppered with her trademark wit, razor-sharp analysis, and mastery at bringing the reader along for the ride with a good story. She was the life of any party but loved nothing more than giving one, including a Christmas luncheon she and Keith Meacham co-hosted for the Garden Club of Nashville in Keith’s home last December. Here, Keith, her dear friend and business partner in the online shop Reed Smythe & Company, shares memories and a few of the entertaining lessons she learned from Julia over the years.
II DON’T THINK THERE WAS EVER A TIME WHEN I wasn’t aware that Julia Reed was in this world. We’re both from the small town of Greenville, Mississippi, and our families were friends, although she and I were 10 years apart and didn’t know each other well back then. Julia loved to joke that on Christmas Eve I was upstairs having milk and cookies in the nursery, while she was downstairs sipping Champagne at the grown-up party. We didn’t truly become friends until the mid-1990s, when we were both living in New York and my husband, Jon, became her editor at Newsweek. During that time, Julia and I began co-hosting parties and bringing a little bit of the Mississippi Delta to Manhattan. We thought it was so funny that people would go crazy over food that would have been part of any gathering back home, like Sister Schubert’s rolls and beef tenderloin with horseradish or cheese straws and sausage balls. Remembering Julia
Little did folks realize that those tasty bites were nothing more than Bisquick, cheddar cheese, and Jimmy Dean sausage, but when it all comes together, it’s a fabulous combination.
We’d cook out of the tiny kitchens in either her apartment or mine, and we enjoyed the planning and preparation as much as the actual event.
Whipping out our legal pads, we’d make endless lists and phone back and forth, plotting where to procure the crabmeat or what to serve with the aspic this time. Jon would kind of roll his eyes and say, “Here we go again, the Crabmeat Caucus in action.” The nickname stuck. everyone from Manolo Blahnik, André Leon Talley, and Katharine
Jon has certainly benefited from the efforts Graham to some renegade Mississippians who happened to be in of the Crabmeat Caucus, not least of all when Julia town. One of the things Julia taught me that I treasure most is that and I hosted his 30th birthday party at the grand entertaining is all about having faith that your guests, no matter but small apartment Julia had on East 78th Street. who they are, are going to have a much better time if you mix it up.
There was this hilarious high-low mix of people, Everyone doesn’t have to be famous or fancy. People are genuinely
By KEITH MEACHAM as told to Karen Carroll • Photography by LAUREY W. GLENN
THIS SPREAD: Keith Meacham and Julia Reed in a rare moment of pre-party quiet before a holiday luncheon in Keith’s Nashville home. The entry wallpaper inspired the palette for lush floral designs by Sherry and Sarah Smythe of Lagniappe, who also happen to be Keith’s stepmother and sister. Interior design by Brockschmidt & Coleman.
BELOW: Ellie, the Meachams’ Springer Spaniel, awaits guests. RIGHT: In the kitchen, small bouquets and myrtle topiaries were placed in votives, wine rinsers, and a gentleman’s ice pail from Keith and Julia’s online shop, Reed Smythe & Company. OPPOSITE: The centerpiece urn was packed with a vibrant mix of roses, ranunculus, tulips, cedar, Queen Anne’s lace, and silvery-blue eucalyptus pods for a gatheredfrom-the-garden effect.
grateful to be invited, and it makes for a much more interesting evening if there is an element of the unknown.
Julia collected people wherever she went. She had her foot in many different arenas—politics, design, food, fashion, culture—and the high-profile personalities she met along the way often ended up around her dinner table. But she always remained unpretentious. She knew that guests appreciate when you’ve made an effort, and it doesn’t have to happen in a huge house or with the finest silver, although she definitely had plenty of that. It’s about the people, the deliciousness of the food, and a friendly atmosphere, rather than about pretension or even perfection.
And believe me, there were plenty of mishaps, but we reveled in the chaos. One New Year’s Eve, we co-hosted a dinner in her New Orleans apartment on Bourbon Street. As was often the case, I was acting as her sous chef and making some blinis to serve with caviar. I mistakenly used sour cream rather than heavy cream, and they puffed up like footballs—a total screwup, but we laughed for an hour as we were getting dressed for the evening, and they actually tasted delicious.
At another party in my apartment, a salon-like affair with Jon interviewing Arthur Schlesinger and Tom Brokaw for the Council on Foreign Relations, the caterers set up a round table and neglected to lock the legs. The table crashed in the middle of the discussion, sending spinach Madeleine and beef tenderloin flying all over the dining room. Julia and I ran to the kitchen, opened another bottle of Champagne, and got to work putting fresh food on the table, assuring the guests that this sort of thing happened all the time. Julia’s Madeira School motto, “Function in disaster, finish in style,” was fitting for a lot of the entertaining we did in those days.
Julia left New York for the South a few years before we did, but when Jon and I decided to move our family to Nashville, we bought a house down the street from the one her mother was born in, where Julia frequently visited her grandparents as a child. We were thrilled when our new house became Julia’s home away from home, and we continued to find all sorts of reasons to plan parties and menus together, including a couple for her cookbooks.
Last December we gave a holiday luncheon for Julia’s cousin, Frannie Corzine, to celebrate her leadership of the Garden Club of Nashville. While we would often arrange centerpieces and flowers ourselves, we knew for this time of year and this crowd we needed to
JULIA REED’S MILK PUNCH
“I never serve eggnog—the one holiday culinary tradition I have not been able to get behind—but I do make milk punch. With its frothy top and not-so-jaundiced color, a milk punch is prettier to look at than eggnog and is not nearly as rich and cloying, saved from that state by an e ective combination of bourbon and brandy. They are especially good before a holiday lunch with, naturally, cheese straws and pecans. By evening, everyone wants a Santa hat.” —From Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties (St. Martin’s Press, 2008)
For the recipe, visit fl owermag.com.
step up our game. Fortunately my stepmother and sister, Sherry and Sarah Smythe, own an event and fl oral business in Greenville called Lagniappe, and they have such talent for incorporating beautiful branches and other things from the yard into more formal arrangements, even using fruits and vegetables from the kitchen. It all felt organic and made the day more special. Pulling the party together became a family a air.
As usual, there was a bit of a mad rush behind the scenes. Although generally we don’t have alcohol at Garden Club functions, Julia not surprisingly put the kibosh on that plan. We mixed up some milk punch around 10 o’clock and everyone consumed their fair share while we prepared lunch. The guests arrived at noon and no one else turned it away either. I think it’s safe to say it was a very festive meeting of the ladies.
One of the sweetest things about the day was seeing so many generations together—women that Julia’s mother had grown up with; women that Julia had been friends with as a child; women they had handed on to me as new friends for my life in Nashville, whose daughters are now growing up with my daughters. Julia believed the best recipe for a party is the right combination of people, and this one seemed like everything had come full circle.
The greatest lesson I learned from Julia over the years is that cooking and setting a beautiful table are really the purest expressions of friendship and love. Shortly before she died, Julia wrote me a note telling me I was like the sister she’d never had, and although for a long time she may have been the teacher and I the student, how much she had learned from me, too. It was the most precious gift Julia could have given me.
THIS SPREAD: Sherry and Sarah drew from Keith’s collection of antique porcelain for several of the arrangements. “Keith and Julia have always given us creative freedom to make whatever we’re feeling in the moment,” says Sarah. “We were feeling especially good that day because we had all of our favorite people around us.” Guests mingled by a fireplace draped in a garland accented with pomegranates, apples, and persimmon branches. The hostesses served a festive milk punch in emerald-green goblets from Reed Smythe & Company.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: A cedar garland with a magnolia swag in the foyer • Pretty packages on an antique settee • An arrangement of white amaryllis mixed with greenery, tallow berry, and viburnum branches OPPOSITE: Weston Farms Emerald Lace wreaths grace the front door.
WWHEN INTERIOR DESIGNER VICKY SERANY speaks about her clients Christy and Scott Goudy, you can hear the warmth and admiration in her voice: “We have worked on three homes together, and because they are in a creative field, they truly value design and get excited about the whole process. It’s contagious!”
In this home, Vicky realized that the architecture would lead the interior design. “This was a more traditional house than they have lived in before, and the rooms were well defined and not as open, so the challenge was to make sure everything flowed well between the spaces,” she says. To make that happen,
Vicky used a spectrum of blues, from peacock to navy. She also evoked warmth in the classic floor plan with textural wallpaper—grass cloth in the living room, cork in the mudroom, and a tactile metallic for the powder bath.
Then there are the luxurious fabrics and rugs in all rooms. “The Goudys really take care of their home, so we used more precious treatments—mohair on an ottoman and a silk rug in the living room, for example,” says Vicky.
“We were able to incorporate many pieces from their earlier home and then had fun adding a few new ones here and there. After years of working together, we have such trust between us that when Christy found the settee in the foyer at a local shop, I knew it would work perfectly.” A jaunty geometric print was employed to infuse the antique piece with a
THIS SPREAD: Chairs from Hickory Chair with custom velvet pillows sit on a Kravet silk rug in front of the decorated magnolia trees. Ottoman by LEE Industries. Erin Weston of Weston Farms (above right) created the mantel garland with Weston Farms mini bouquets, ‘Raywood Weeping’ Arizona cypress, faux magnolia blooms developed with New Growth Designs, and fresh gardenias from High Camp Supply.
FOR THE LOVE OF MAGNOLIAS
Erin Weston of Weston Farms grew up appreciating the land, as her late father, Noel Weston, was the horticulturist for the city of Raleigh. After college she headed off to New York but felt the pull of her family farm leading her back to North Carolina. In 2002, she moved and started cultivating magnolia trees, scouring the globe for the best specimens, with help from her father. Erin started humbly, selling wreaths at a local farmers market, and now ships nationwide, creating installations at art museums, trade shows, and more. In 2019, Erin worked with Ed Glenn of New Growth Designs to create a botanically accurate copy of the magnolia flower from her farm. “The ephemeral nature of real magnolia blooms prompted us to seek out an alternative floral to pair with the farm’s fresh foliage, which dries beautifully and lasts for years.” Before he passed away, Erin’s father insisted that the blooms should have a clip attached to the stem so the flower can be easily added to real foliage. “He was right,” says Erin. “It is so practical and makes using the bloom so easy. He would be happy to know we followed his lead.” westonfarms.com; @westonfarms on social media
—INTERIOR DESIGNER VICKY SERANY
more modern attitude. In the adjacent dining room, Vicky crafted a glamorous vibe with a crystal chandelier, glossy table, hair-on-leather upholstered chairs, and drapery panels in an icy-blue silk.
With the flow between the spaces perfected, the Goudy home was ready to show off some of its elegant, well-appointed attire for the holiday season. Vicky enlisted local talent to up the style quotient when it came to the Christmas decor: Diane Joyal of Bowerbird Flowers & Apothecary and Erin Weston of Weston Farms. “Erin has hosted magnolia wreath–making classes for our clients, and Bowerbird had been on my radar for a long time, so I felt like I had the best people to make it extra special for family and friends,” says Vicky. The designer drove out to Erin’s farm, and the brainstorming began.
After visiting the house and discussing what type of tree to use, Erin had a novel thought: “Why does a Christmas tree have to be a Fraser fir or the like?” she mused. “Why not magnolias instead?” Although she had never tried it before, Erin chose two magnolia trees from her farm and put one on each side of the fireplace. Because magnolia blooms fade in a few hours when cut, she used meticulous faux ones that she developed in conjunction with New Growth Designs. She also used them in the fireplace garland, along with mini magnolia bouquets and sprigs of ‘Raywood Weeping’ Arizona cypress. “I wanted to bring more fragrance to the room, so I tucked fresh gardenias into the garland as well,” says Erin.
To dress the trees, Erin called on holiday decorating guru Paul Hodges, who worked his magic with twinkling lights, clear blue ornaments, and spray-painted magnolia leaves formed into poinsettias. Diane brought floral flair to each room with fresh flowers and abundant greenery. “With such a neutral and wintry palette, I thought it was important to have a lot of texture and architectural elements like branches,” says Diane. “I also used a lot of smaller white flowers like hyacinth to invoke the feeling of snow.” The Goudys can only hope for a white Christmas to mirror the dreamy winter wonderland inside. Continued on next page
ABOVE: Interior designer Vicky Serany BELOW: An arrangement of Viburnum tinus branches and cedar OPPOSITE: In addition to the centerpiece, Diane put small vases of hellebores at each place setting. She used leafy green cedar for the wreaths. “I love the drapey effect of the cedar,” she says. “It’s softer and dreamier.”
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT: A mercury glass container with hyacinth, ‘Silver Bell’ eucalyptus pods, phlox, and cone leucadendron with cedar and ‘Carolina Sapphire’ cypress • Even the mudroom is decorated for the season. • Scott and Christy Goudy and Caroline, one of their three daughters, enjoy the outdoor fireplace decorated with magnolias. • The sun-drenched breakfast space shows off a lively botanical print from Telafina on windows decorated with a classic Weston Farms Magnolia wreath. Diane added a mix of white flowers in mercury glasses for the table.
