Remember when I said we were b.u.s.y.? Well, I am so thrilled to showcase some proof {and fruits} of our labor!
Last week, Merci New York had the pure pleasure of designing a tablescape for the lovely ladies of Rue Magazine . As we may have mentioned last week, Rue is such a fabulous online magazine. I was honored to be asked to work with them and my fabulous co-collaborators, Marissa Lippert of Nourish and Kathleen of kat flower .
Merci New York designed the tablescape and styled the kitchen space for Rue, who was whipping up tips for fall entertaining during “What’s New, What’s Next,” a posh annual event at the New York Design Center. Taking cues from a late summer English Garden, Merci showcased repurposed materials and vessels, such as birch bark and moss place mats, as well as vintage dessert plates, French books, and organic hemstitched linen. 
Speaking of floral, the gorgeous blooms were the brainchild of the wonderfully talented kat flower . Kathleen pulled an array of brightly colored flowers for our table, all which were simply striking. Kudos to Kathleen for magically turning my pulls from ABC Home into gorgeous, abundant, lush floral pieces… 
I wanted to make sure the table had a distinctly organic feel, so I leaned on neutral linens, some signature moss {I can never get enough!} and nests, well, “nestled” inside Jan Burtz soup bowls. Jan Burtz pieces are among my all-time favorite dinnerware items {and coincidentally, a staple of the nearby ABC Kitchen}. They were my first pull at ABC, and the item from which the rest of the table was designed.
One of the sweetest elements of our table was the flatware. The gold toned “bamboo” pieces are actually vintage; they’re 40 years young and compliments of Kathleen’s mom. How beautiful are they? I thought they lent a bit of glam femininity to the table. They also tied back to the gold rim of the dinnerware, and were certainly a nod to the overall tablescape theme. 
Kathleen and I both love artichoke. It was wonderful tie in to our kitchen theme. It also helped draw the eye around the table to other unexpected materials, such as my favorite little moss / birch place mats and Kathleen’s use of other unexpected florals… Here are a few other fun shots of the kitchen nook… 
Inside each nest, I placed a bed of reindeer moss and a few small blooms from Kathleen’s endless floral supply. Deep red proved to be perfect autumnal choice, and a great way to tie back to the nook’s bench linens.
The wonderful Marissa Lippert hosted a fantastic cooking presentation for the Rue event! Marissa is the chef and founder of Nourish and the author of the newly published book, The Cheater’s Diet. Marissa aims to fuse eating well and fresh foods with style and design. Her presentation was absolutely amazing – and her apple-themed dishes were truly delicious! Guests couldn’t get enough!
Here I am with the lovely editors of Rue enjoying a quick break at the event. It was such a pleasure to work alongside so many talented ladies – and a great way to spend a wonderful fall afternoon in New York City! 
Below, an example of a classic soup tureen transformed into a kitchen centerpiece, paired with antique bud vases, vintage books and more of kat flower’s creations… At right, a freshly baked apple tart from Marissa Lippert of Nourish.
Well, that’s all folks! I hope you enjoyed this beautiful collaboration!
Many thanks to the editors of Rue Magazine for the great opportunity. Another big thank you to my friend and talented photographer, Trent Bailey , for documenting all our work in these very pretty pictures for Merci.
And though I know I must sound like a broken record, trust me. If you haven’t listened yet, you must check out Rue . It’s fabulously addicting and wonderfully stylish…
Photos courtesy Trent Bailey Photography .
