Garden to Table

Summer Foraging

For this particular al fresco summer soirée, my vision was to forage from the garden on my Dumbo terrace. Garden to table I suppose! I used clippings from the chive blossoms and herbs growing in my garden in both the food (as the herbaceous bundles for my fish) and taking it a step further, I used those very elements on the tabletop, letting nature make its way onto the plates of each of my guests.

Photography by Alpha Smoot
Jewelry by John Hardy
Shared on HarpersBazaar.com

The wild whispy-ness of the green ferns coupled with fragrant rosemary leaves and the swoony, pale lavender chive blossom acted as the décor to each guests dinner plate – an herbaceous bundle wrapped with twine. With the help of my uber talented friend, Lisa Prtzysup from James Daughter Flowers, we ever so easily & elegantly placed some loose blooms and tall sprigs of herbs in vintage African bowls and created a gathering of olive branches punctuated with a few precious blooms to hang above the tablescape.

Dress, Ulla Johnson

Kalen of Upstate lent a hand in the décor by providing her stunning shibori textiles in a beautiful indigo wild pattern for both the pillows scattered about the terrace, and as the dramatic table runner and guest napkins.

All of the décor choices were meant to evoke a free spirited summer soiree that felt relaxed and celebratory simultaneously, honoring nature in the very urban environment.

Flowers by James Daughter
Linens by Upstate
Ceramics by Jono Pandolfi