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AD 100 Designer Penny Drue Baird of Dessins LLC, has been a fan of entertaining since she was a young girl, and considers creating elegant table settings for her clients and her own dinner parties the final step in pulling together a home. Known for her ability to design in a variety of styles and situations, she takes an equally eclectic approach to the tables she conceives, which, in addition to the expected tableware, often include accessories from around the house, deployed to enrich the table and enliven any gathering. The designer's new book On Interior Design (Images Publishing Design) is out this fall, and features a chapter on choosing and displaying acessories. Here, she shares some of her favorite settings and the thinking that inspires her creative tablescapes.
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In a clean-lined urban apartment with classical moldings and a traditional crystal chandelier, the setting for dinner includes elements both formal—covered soup bowls, gold-rimmed plates, and crystal stemware—and contemporary. The oversize hurricanes, bold red tulips, and blue-and-white vases reiterate the modern feel of the room. "I usually prefer placemats to tablecloths," says Baird. "It's cleaner, and I like to show off the table itself."
Photo: Marco Ricco
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This breakfast area serves as a bold wake-up call with graphic Hermès plates that reiterate the red of the chairs, and geometric blue placemats that echo the backsplash, so that the whole kitchen becomes an essay in classic red, white, and blue. "Color can serve as an inspiration for the table," says Baird, "or flowers, or a theme. Tables should have a mix of elements and styles, just like rooms."
Photo: Francis Hammond
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The traditional flatware and crystal in this urban apartment take on a fresh spirit when used as elements of a festive gold and white arrangement that incorporates gold-trimmed plates, a golden tray, and a small-scale sculpture. "It is important that people use what they already have in the house," says Baird. "They often don't realize that these kinds of items also work on the table. I encourage clients to collect inexpensive little things—Venetian papier maché boxes, small gold stars—and then use multiples on the table."
Photo: Francis Hammond
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In this Manhattan apartment, the warm color scheme is reflected in the traditional table setting, which encompasses cut crystal, a wam amber-glass hurricane, and gold-burnished dishware contrasting with turquoise chargers. The gleaming mahogany table acts as base while multiplying the candlelight. "What's so great about creating table settings is the flexibility," says Baird. "Whatever the style of the house, there are so many possible ways to proceed. There is never just one way of doing it."
Photo: Marco Ricco
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A soothing atmosphere prevails in this Westchester breakfast room, where the checkered bistro chairs and white Saarinen table set the palette. "Displaying accessories or creating a beautiful table is not an extra," says Baird. "It's part of my job. Placing accessories is an art, and it's a chance to collaborate with clients."
Photo: Francis Hammond
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For a poolside luncheon in Beverly Hills, Baird chose a yellow Chinese porcelain vase as a centerpiece and surrounded it with vivid flowers in hot hues. "Flowers can often inspire a table," says Baird, "or you can look to the room itself for colors and textures to play up on the table."
Photo: Grey Crawford
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In Palm Beach, a niche with a comfortable banquette inspires a relaxed setting for brunch, with over-scale linen napkins and simple round placemats that coordinate with the neutral-colored upholstery.
Photo: Carlos Domenech
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In Montclair, New Jersey, a decorated breakfast table is further embellished with botanical-bedecked dishware and amber water glasses. "For me, when it comes to setting a table, more is more," says Baird. "That is not the case with decorating. But the visual stimulation of a beautiful table enhances dinner, and enlivens conversations. That's what the best restaurants understand, and what we need to remember when we entertain at home."
Photo: Francis Hammond
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The designer's new book, which will be available on October 1.
Source: Internet
