Now here’s a woman with exquisite taste and a knack for assembling the most imaginative table settings. Be inspired by this artist and fashion illustrator’s beguiling arrangements.
Here’s a woman with such individual, playful, sophisticated style, she takes table setting to the next level. Buoyed by her talent for producing loose, artsy watercolors for fashion houses, Cathy Graham presents a unique approach to party decoration in her delightful book Second Bloom. Included in her elaborate setups are smiling vintage mannequin heads, a mix of mercury glass vases with thrift shop finds, and a wonderful selection of statement flowers, often one to a vase. Her eye for color and attention to detail add to the whimsy of her work.
You will be inspired page after page for creating subtle touches, like handwritten place cards, but the true beauty of her settings are with her choice of flowers. Gorgeous, large blossoms are her go-tos, sometimes mixed with fresh herbs, fruits or vegetables. The book’s photographs focus on her dual residences in Manhattan and Nantucket, where she has a magnificent garden to supply her with cuttings. Amidst cuttings are small vintage figurines and animals, and her art. It almost makes me want to take a watercolor class!
Enjoy this look inside the book, which give but a small indication of the fantastic photos by Quentin Bacon and Andew Ingalls that showcase Cathy Graham’s vision. She truly makes the most of simple, and sometimes inexpensive items, raising them to a higher level with the mix.
This book will give you great ideas for enhancing your entertaining scene, or even your at home desk, for each season. Spring features a mix of muted tones as blooms start to emerge. Summer focuses on a bounty of pink tones and fresh greens of the foliage and fruit. Fall tends to lean to the colorations of old masters, with a harvest-y tone. Winter brings an exciting twist to holiday decorating, you may never do traditional red and green again.
If you have no artistic talent whatsoever, you can add bits of Cathy Graham’s whimsical touches with her line of products, including candles, coasters, trays, plates, vases, and covered jars. Some objects are made to order, so you can expect something original to cherish.
Second Bloom Cathy Graham’s Art of the Table, published by Vendome, $35. amazon.com
