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36A U G U S T S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5
A Feast for the EyesIf youre dining blindfolded, a porterhouse
steak dinner might taste the same whether served on a paper plate
or a family heirloom. But since we !rst eat with our eyes before we
lift a single forkful of food, the care put into a !nely laid table
adds immeasurably to our dining pleasure.
Cost is not an obstacle to a beautiful table. You can spend
decades collecting linens and one-of-a-kind pieces of silver and
dinnerware and many people enjoy that hunt or you can buy fun and
colorful things online, at arts and crafts fairs and in local
re-sale shops. Whatever the source, these tablescapes, as were
calling them, add a splash of joy to any occasion worth
cele-brating. It says to guests, Youre worth it!
For this story, we asked four local tastemakers to each create a
dining tableau using their own dishes, silver, glassware and
serving pieces. "ey are all well-known Houston collectors. Each set
up a demo table for us and gave us the backstory on their methods
and materials used. We think you will be as inspired by their style
as we were.
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37A U G U S T S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5
WHO Julie Shuford, marketing manager & Barbara Kinas, lead
stylist
BUSINESS Berings Hardware
COMMENTS (Julie) After discuss-ing vignettes for the shoot with
Barb, the Garden Party theme was quickly agreed to because my
family spends so much time in our backyard. !e children cant get
enough outdoor playtime, and, as you might guess from the songbirds
on the salad plates, I love watching the beautiful birds. !e adult
table features Baccarat "utes, a William Yeoward ice bucket, a
Simon Pearce carafe, Reed & Bartons covered casserole dish, a
Michael Aram pitcher and William Yeowards footed cake plate and
dome. !e "atware is Gorham Chantilly, and the hand-etched goblets
are by William Yeoward. !e place settings feature Herends Silk
Ribbon Corn"ower pattern charger, Herends Rothschild Garden dinner
plate and Herends Songbird Pattern salad plate. My husband and I
registered at Berings for Herends #ne china when we married, as its
a family favorite.
Garden Party
PHO
TOS
BY B
ECC
A W
RIG
HT
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38A U G U S T S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5
WHO David Lackey and Russell Prince
BUSINESS David Lackey Antiques & Art
COMMENTS (Russell) Most of the items we chose are estate !nds.
"e tablecloth is by Le Jacquard Franais, which we purchased at
Kuhl-Linscomb. "e dishes featured are Copeland Spode circa 1960. We
paired the dishes with a muted teal-colored napkin, which was an
estate !nd. Sitting atop the napkin is sterling silver Gorham in
the Grecian pattern circa 1860. "e wine goblet is American pressed
glass circa 1880, and the water glass is American green glass circa
1950. We accented the table setting with a small pitcher of #owers
the #owers obtained in a mad dash to Trader Joes. "e pitcher is
English stoneware circa 1850. "e bottle of Chteau Marseau 2005
(purchased from Divino Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar) is
sitting in an English silver wine coaster circa 1800. Lastly, the
placecard holder is English granite circa 1900 welcoming our guest
of honor, Eric Cartman.
Guest of Honor
PHOTOS BY BECCA WRIGHT
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39A U G U S T S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5
WHO Jackson Hicks
BUSINESS Jackson and Company Catering & Events
COMMENTS Recalling the ele-gant at-home teas established in
early 19th-century Britain, I wanted to create a welcome oasis from
the frenzy of our busy urban lives. Perfect afternoon tea is part
ceremony, part miniature works of culinary art and part engaging
conver-sation. Shown here is an antique silver service, double
hemstitched linen tea napkins and family heirloom teacups from my
grandmothers and mother. !e "owers are by Rebekah Johnson of
Bergner & Johnson.
Afternoon Tea
PHO
TOS
BY P
RISC
ILLA
DIC
KSO
N
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40A U G U S T S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5
WHO Donna Jahn
BUSINESS Party Cloths
COMMENTS !e China is Barbi-zon by Mikasa, purchased for my hope
chest in 1964. Its been never used. !e sterling silverware is King
Edward 1936 sterling a family heirloom borrowed from a friend. Ive
chosen to use Riedels Sommelier line of mouth-blown Aus-trian lead
crystal. Each glass is designed to enhance the aroma and "avor of
the wine for which it was speci#cally made. !e "oral centerpiece
was made by Gilda at Central Market to coordinate with the chinas
gray and blue hues. !e tablecloth and napkins are from Party Cloths
inventory. Both are light silver to match the dishes, made of #nest
quality bridal satin, and the napkins are lined with cotton.
Wine Dinner
PHOTOS BY BECCA WRIGHT
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41A U G U S T S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5
WHO Teresa Byrne-Dodge and Taylor Byrne Dodge
BUSINESS My Table magazine
COMMENTS (Taylor) Just like my mother, Teresa, Ive been
collecting antique stemware and vintage serving pieces. Teresa has
amassed an impressive collection of vintage etched wine glasses,
Arts & Crafts accent pieces and mixed sterling silver over the
last 25 years. But we decided to dig into a genre that was entirely
new to us for this assignment: platters and plates that are gilded
and creamy; pedestals that showcase the Hollywood Regency look of
the 1950s and 1960s; Palm Springs panache with a punch of color.
All of these pieces, both new and vintage, were relatively
inexpensive ($10 to $30): the small dessert plates are from the
Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection, the gold-and-glass cocktail
set is a classic Culver design that mom found at !e Guild Shop.
Everything else came from eBay, Etsy and the Blue Bird Circle
re-sale shop. !e runner is just some fun fabric that we folded to
"t down the middle of this outdoor table. !is is a nod to
Mid-Century Modern, but the pieces could also be a sexy theme for a
birthday party, a retirement celebration or even a bridal
luncheon.
Sweet Celebration
PHOTOS BY BECCA WRIGHT