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On the Bright Side

June 4, 2013 by ark_admin

Gather friends and family for an evening of al fresco fun with these simple, stress-free ideas for a backyard soiree

Summertime is all about rest and relaxation, which is why Chris Norwood, AIFD, CFD and vice president of Tipton & Hurst, believes entertaining should be easy and never exhausting. For this summer dinner party, Norwood grouped whimsical yellow and orange ranunculus with multihued “Free Spirit” roses and happy Gerbera daisies in small, color-blocked clusters. “People are really moving away from fussy arrangements,” Norwood says….

The Collected Table

May 2, 2013 by ark_admin

Two design-savvy sisters set an elegant table to celebrate with friends and family

When sisters Mona Thompson and Talena Ray of Providence Design celebrate Mother’s Day with their family, the group gathers around a table set with the sisters’ signature style. “For a brunch or luncheon, we want a table that’s a bit more formal,” says Mona. “Unique and found items give it a collected feel, which is our style.” Ladylike details, such as custom linen ruffled napkins, upholstered chairs and a tufted bench from Providence Design’s booth at Fabulous Finds Antiques, create a neutral backdrop for an expertly combined collection of antique silver, textured woods and white accents. Perfectly pink flowers and bright green apples add pops of springtime color.

Get the Look Resources

Small potted topiaries: Providence Design, Fabulous Finds Antiques, Little Rock, (501) 614-8181

Bird bell jar on stand: Tipton Hurst, Little Rock, (501) 666-3333, t iptonhurst.com

Mercury glass hanging hurricane: Ellen Golden Antiques, Little Rock, (501) 664-7746

Silver ice bucket with deer head handles: Ellen Golden Antiques, Little Rock, (501) 664-7746

Wooden trough with handle: Providence Design, Fabulous Finds Antiques, Little Rock, (501) 614-8181

Masterful Mix

April 4, 2013 by ark_admin

El Dorado-based interior designer Andrea Brooks loves to layer vibrant colors as well as new and vintage pieces in her room designs. So, it’s no surprise she applies that same fearless philosophy to entertaining. For this modern take on a fun ladies’ lunch, Brooks began with vintage blue-and-white peacock china and cobalt cut glass tumblers. Next, she added yellow and gold accents to give the table a warm, yet subtle shimmer. “The yellow tray adds a playful, modern touch that keeps the tablescape feeling young and current,” Brooks says. Simple green button mums bridge the blue and yellow, complementing both colors without being the main attraction, while a peacock print tablecloth, made from a fabric found at Cynthia East Fabrics, acts as the statement piece that ties it all together….

Swirled Sweetness

March 24, 2013 by ark_admin

When bakery manager Peter Billings isn’t ordering ingredients or coordinating deliveries from Boulevard Bread Company’s downtown bakehouse to their other locations around Little Rock, he’s doing what he loves most-baking. Billings particularly loves experimenting with flavors to create new breads and pastries for the popular eatery. One of his more recent creations combines the brightness of citrus with sweet chocolate, which produces a light flavored bread that’s perfect any time of day.

Boulevard Bread Company’s Orange Chocolate Swirl Bread

Recipe yields three loaves.

Note: You will make two batches of base dough, adding in the respective ingredients to create the two flavors, orange zest and chocolate.

Ingredients:

BASE DOUGH

2 tablespoons dry yeast

½ cup warm milk

¼ cup sugar

2 ½ cups bread flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup water, separated

3 tablespoons butter

Orange Zest Dough

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 tablespoons candied orange peel

1 teaspoon orange oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate DouGh

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

¼ cup chocolate chips

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons water

1 egg

Directions:

1. Make the first batch of base dough. Start by activating the dry yeast with warm milk and sugar. Once the yeast is activated, add flour, salt and ¾ cup of water. Using a stand mixer, mix on low until dough comes together. When dough has formed, turn mixer to high for 5-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Add butter and mix 2 more minutes.

2. Add ingredients for the orange zest dough with remaining ¼ cup of water and mix two more minutes. Set aside.

3. Repeat step 1 to make the second batch of base dough, and then add ingredients for the chocolate dough with remaining ¼ cup of water and mix 2 more minutes.

4. Brush a large bowl with olive oil and place one dough on top of the other, cover and let sit for one hour until doubled in size.

5. Fold the doughs together by rolling them like a sleeping bag, then let sit for another hour.

6. Divide into thirds and using an oiled cookie sheet, shape into loaves (or use three oiled loaf pans). Whisk egg and 2 tablespoons water, then brush onto bread. Bake at 350° F for 35 minutes.

Note: If you do not have a stand mixer, stir ingredients and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead until dough appears smooth. Fold in butter and ingredients for each dough and continue kneading for 20 more minutes.

Boulevard Bread and Bakehouse, Little Rock, boulevardbread.com for locations

Botanical Bash

March 20, 2013 by ark_admin

For this garden party, Haynie juxtaposed a rustic wooden table with an eclectic mix of glassware and ceramics. Traditional “Blue Willow” china feels updated when paired with preppy grosgrain ribbon and modern glass champagne flutes. A mix of indigo-hued flowers, lavender Fuji chrysanthemums and fuchsia heather spills from the center of the table. “We love to mix traditional and non-traditional pieces,” Haynie says. “That’s what we are all about.”

Spring days are the perfect excuse to put your china to good use, cut fresh flowers from the garden and invite a few of your dearest friends for an afternoon of fun. To put a fresh spin on seasonal entertaining, floral designer Tanarah Haynie of Tanarah Luxe Floral created a lush tablescape, inspired by the indigo shades of Madame Pompadour dendrobium orchids, blue belladonna and classic blue-and-white china.

“People seem to think you can’t use the same color twice. They’re afraid it will clash or it won’t match. Commit to one color and really go for it. Don’t worry if it’s not all the same shade. A monochromatic color palette always makes an impact.”

Get the Look Resources

Flatware: Fifth Season, Little Rock, (877) 440-0543, fifthseason.com

Dinner Plates: Tanarah Luxe Floral, Little Rock, (501) 372-1400, designsbytanarah.com

Ribbon: Tanarah Luxe Floral, Little Rock, (501) 372-1400, designsbytanarah.com

Votives: Dwell, Little Rock, (501) 603-9934

Set the Table in Seasonal Style

November 21, 2011 by ark_admin

Holiday Cheer

Sissy Clinton and Lydia Hall, Fifth Season, Little Rock

Create a relaxed holiday tabletop that is as versatile as it is cheery. “Casual with lots of color sets the tone for the fun to follow,” says Clinton. Red polka dot china can be used year-round, square Santa Claus-motif salad plates double as dinner plates, a utensil container holds a bottle of wine, and a footed punch bowl filled with sequined tree ornaments is transformed into a festive centerpiece. Tall white trees can be moved to a buffet during a dinner gathering. And to maintain a casual feel, incorporate traditional red and green plaid linens and natural accents such as greenery, pinecones and woven wood chargers. “But,” says Clinton, “a more formal tablecloth and place cards are also fun for holiday get-togethers, to make guests feel special.”

Old St. Nick by Vietri square salad plates, mugs, sugar and creamer, salt and pepper, wine holder, footed bowl centerpiece; Rosso Vecchio Dot by Vietri chargers, mugs; Reed & Barton Allora flatware; Mary Carol Home Collection chargers; India Overseas plaid placements, napkins; Rose Tree red napkins; RAZ place card holders; Melrose International trees; Renaissance sequined ornaments; all from Fifth Season, Little Rock; 1950s Directoire table available at Marshall Clements, Little Rock

Holiday Spice

Becky Charton, Table Setters Inc., North Little Rock

Go exotic this holiday season and spice up your tablescape. Begin with statement-making plates like these, inspired by Charton’s favorite faraway destination, India, and then layer on wares in the same color palette—in this case, turquoise, orange and metallics. Try suspending handmade paper cones holding seeded eucalyptus from a light fixture, or gold leafing mangos and oranges to scatter around the table. “It combines India’s traditions of gold leafed candy and holiday fruit giving,” Charton explains. Set out bowls of sugar crystals, and send guests home with authentic party favors such as journals personalized with scrapbook letters and tasseled money cards inserted with thoughtful holiday messages. Striking silver cutlery with carved handles, French 1930s chairs and centerpieces with floating orange roses add elegance to the enchanted setting.

Cutlery, small ivory box, Fabulous Finds Antiques, Little Rock; chargers, glassware, napkins, napkins rings, Pier 1 Imports, locations statewide; gold gilded fruit, gold leaf trees, hanging cones, handcrafted by Lori Wenger of Table Setters Inc.; handmade gift envelopes and silk window panel purchased in India; Horchow punch bowl, horchow.com; journals, ABC Carpet & Home, New York; large ivory boxes, TJ Maxx, locations statewide; mercury glass votives through Table Setters Inc., North Little Rock; Mughal King of Elephant glass plates, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; paper for hanging cones, ART Outfitters, Little Rock; sugar bowls, spoons, Global Table, New York; table runners, Southern Wholesale Florists, Little Rock; 1950s Directoire table available at Marshall Clements, Little Rock

Holiday Masterpiece

Reggie Marshall and Jim Clements, Marshall Clements, Little Rock

Design your holiday tablescape to resemble a still life painting, combining a mixture of styles from a variety of time periods and focusing on color and texture. “Try to use what you have and reinvent it,” says Marshall. “Don’t be confined to the pantry; look all over the house for items to include.” Rather than focusing on trends, create a traditional holiday color palette by mixing pistachio green chargers and dark green dinner plates, and pairing them with an array of green goblets in various styles. Then inject crimson hues through artistically arranged fruit such as red grapes, watermelon and strawberries. As a final festive touch, cherubs adorn napkin rings and a centerpiece, which is filled with red roses, holly and pittosporum, while candelabras cast a painterly glow for holiday meals.

Aidan Gray small candelabra; Art Deco fluted green glasses; German chargers; English sardine containers; 1700s Baroque tall candelabras; 17th-century carved cherub napkin rings; 1830 Louis XVI chairs; 18th-century French terracotta planter; 19th-century Spode plates; Louis XVI bench with original tapestry; vintage Mexican glasses; Murano champagne glasses; 1950s Directoire table; all from Marshall Clements, Little Rock

The Garden Home for the Holidays: At Moss Mountain Farm near Little Rock, designer P. Allen Smith readies his Greek Revival-style residence to celebrate the season

Stock Up: Ready your rooms for holiday cheer with a host of bright red and green wares sure to bring a smile on Christmas morning

Set for Summer

June 24, 2009 by ark_admin

Set the table for summer with a mix of textures and colors and your beautiful tablescape will become the topic of discussion. We began with a Daffodil tablecloth from Xochi and poppy-inspired table runner from The Kitchen Company, Conway. White dinner plates from Paul Michael, Lake Village, balance the vibrant red Vietri salad plates from The Full Moon, Little Rock. We topped them off with Danic cloth napkins in navy, gathered with Marble Curry napkin rings by Xochi, also available at The Kitchen Company. Red pillows, from Ken Rash’s, Little Rock, give a punch of color to any summer table.

It’s all in the details

Blue glasses from Murphy Long Design, El Dorado. Yellow salt & pepper shakers from Cobblestone & Vine, Little Rock. Make a statement with simple flower arrangements displayed in a boldly-colored pitcher (Vietri, from Chez Weenie, Forrest City). Add serving pieces like the Arthur Court silver platter from Ragan’s Gifts, Stuttgart. When the sun goes down, light these trophy-inspired votives from The Full Moon.

When life gives you lemons…

Offer your guests fresh-squeezed lemonade (with or without a kick) in these dragonfly water glasses from Cobblestone & Vine. Embellished pitcher from Catering to You, Little Rock. Add a punch of color with Tag drink napkins (The Slaughter House, El Dorado) in a silver holder from By Invitation Only, Little Rock. The tablecloth is Florilege Saffron from Yves Delorme, Little Rock. Blue serving dish from Vesta’s, Little Rock, and metal tray with tile insets from The Now & Then Shoppe, Ft. Smith.

Add a twist of lime

Beverage cooler from Periwinkle Place, McGehee.	Lime green vase from Coker Hampton, Stuttgart	Bohenian-inspired pillow, III’s Company, Russellville.
Tin plates from By Invitation Only, Little Rock.	Eco-friendly placemats from Box Turtle, Little Rock.	Insulated ice bucket from Crown Shop, Little Rock.

Don’t forget to push play

“A Tune for Jack” Lemonjelly
“In the Colors” Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
“Ooh La La” The Faces
“100,000 Thoughts” Tap Tap
“I Zimbra” Talking Heads
“Worry B Gone” Willie Nelson
“The General Specific” Band of Horses
“Down in Mexico” The Coasters
“Liver Splash” The Meters
“Alaska” Dr. Dog
“You are the Best Thing” Ray LaMontagne
“Big Boat” M. Ward

Dinner on the Lawn