Today’s Post requires No Cooking…it’s all about creating a stunning table in tune with the season

Michael and Jim of The Bridgehampton Florist are two of our best buddies.  They are also two of the most wildly talented individuals you could ever meet.   And just one of the things they do that sets them apart are tablesettings that are just out of this world.

Ever since we got the new ChewingTheFat up and running, you’ve been privy to a fantastic sample of their work right on our cover page.   For a mutual friend’s birthday, they created this beauty for the granite table that sits next to our pool.  Cobalt is my favorite color and you can see how they’ve taken it to their hearts.  Note too that they don’t limit themselves to flowers:  Here they used pieces of Coral and sea shells to create a setting that was perfect poolside.  And they put it altogether with china from our collection. The all white flowers included roses, freesia, verbinum and daisies. The guest of honor was thrilled and when we took apart the table, we re-purposed the flowers around the house.

Now that Fall has finally arrived, we knew it was time to say so long to summer and to feature another phenomenal tabletopping.   It’s now our key illustration.  Note how the centerpiece uses not a single flower!  Instead Michael has raided the larder and filled his baskets with Grapes and Apples. Then he’s tucked in some perfectly coordinated farm stand finds—radishes, purple cauiiflower—even eggplant.  And what says Fall like miniature dried corn and red berries.   Note how beautifully this table, which is in Michael and Jim’s garden, has been designed to take full advantage of the Japanese Maple in the background.

And now for something completely different.   This tabletopping is a mastery of a color not always associated with Fall.  It’s White!   Do you see some things tucked in next to the White gourds and white berries?  They’re onions and cauliflower!  What’s also beautiful is the use of a burlap tablecloth—a perfect neutral to combine with this all-white palate.  Note too how a white gourd has been pressed into service to hold the candle in place in its hurricane lamp.  The glasses sparkle in the sunlight and you just can’t wait for your guests to see what’s in store for them when they arrive.

I can’t thank Michael and Jim enough for these. I hope you will take a few minutes to go to www.TheBridgehamptonFlorist.com to see all that’s on offer there.  Sign up for Michael’s Blog and you’ll have ideas for how to use flowers (and fruits and vegetables) in your home.

In addition to being a wildly inventive and talented Floral Designer, Michael is a great cook.  Here are couple of posts that he had a lot to do with to prove my point…

http://chewingthefat.us.com/2016/05/the-all-time-greatest-chocolate-cake.html

http://chewingthefat.us.com/2012/11/the-perfect-pound-cake-courtesy-of.html