Hello, Gentle Readers! Remember how I mentioned that I was going to do a “holiday tablescape” at the Design Center’s Schumacher showroom to benefit Children’s Hospital? It’s up!
The opening party was great on Tuesday —
Our concept for a cozy, formal/informal, bird-themed table actually started with Schumacher’s Maggiore Damasco. I have been DYING to use this, especially in this Ruby colorway, so we decided to use it for the tablecloth. We wanted cozy, but we didn’t want red and green.
Then we upholstered the chairs (which Amy and I bought at High Point, NC) in Schumacher’s Quail Meadow, Spring colorway.
Please note that the welt on the chairs is the Maggiore Damasco. That was Amy’s genius ;)
The plates were next. I’d collected these vintage Johnson Brothers plates this fall, way before I knew about this tablescape project. What luck, right?! I think they look great with the Maggiore Damasco!
For 2 seconds I worried that there were too many birds, with the quails and the turkeys, but then I thought, no. Never too many birds.
So we went for it and added feathers to the centerpiece. But there was one little snafu as we set up on Monday: one of the metal urn handles was broken!
After being unable to fix it with glue, superglue, or spongey tape stuff, we decided it would just have to remain broken. The look is vintage; vintage things aren’t perfect. (We briefly debated trying to break the other handle to match it, but what were the chances of THAT working out?!)
Back to the table: the napkins are Schumacher’s Paloma Embroidery in Fez, and the fringe on the tablecloth is called Hula.
Our new designer Audra happened to have all of these gorgeous brass candlesticks (!!!) and I supplemented with 2 of my own. I had purchased the wooden chargers for my own Christmas dinner last year, and I got the silverware for a reasonable price on Ebay (before realizing that while there are a gazillion pieces, there are only 9 regular-sized forks. Blech!).
MAJOR thanks to our wonderful clients Kathleen and Lou Ann for lending us the beautiful pinkish/amethyst glasses!!! I think they absolutely MAKE the table, and people really loved them ;) Thank you again!
I also want to thank the wonderful people at the Schumacher showroom, who were so incredibly helpful during the lead-up and installation. Thank you, Michael, Ashley, Heather, and especially Frank, our resident ironing expert!!!
The tables will be on view at least through this week! (The Design Center isn’t open on the weekends, unfortuntately). I won’t be taking ours down until December 19 or 20. It’s in Franklin Court, which is 1099 14th Street, NW, corner of 14th and L. The Schumacher showroom is Suite 340 ;)
There will be behind-the-scenes video on TikTok and Instagram in the coming days, so take a peek if you’re curious!
Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C. My book, My Neighbor Saw Me Naked, and Other Reasons You Need Drapes, makes a terrific holiday gift! You can buy it on my website right here, or elsewhere in D.C. at Politics & Prose‘s Connecticut Avenue store, Proper Topper, or Miss Pixie’s; or at Oxford Vintage & Trade or Mystery Loves Company in Oxford, MD.