Tag: gien china

How to Set the Perfect Autumn Table

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Earlier this fall we had the pleasure of collaborating with Lisa Rieves, owner of The Front Porch of Vinings, to design a dinner party bursting with the colors of autumn and BIG on style. The backdrop could not have been more perfect; we staged our table setting in Lisa’s beautiful home and this provided direction of the rest of decor.

As you know, we love starting with floral and the centerpiece for party was no different! Floral was purchased from Trader Joe’s the morning of the event – this really gave us that fall color and helped establish the palette. Our selections included roses, gerber daisies, sunflowers, and little petite daisies.  But we think the actually came from a walk together with Lisa through her beautiful garden gathering hydrangea, ferns, branches and vines. We set the centerpiece in a lovely lichen and moss-covered urn Lisa already had and combined the greens and flowers for an abundant, yet casual arrangement. The floral, coupled with Lisa’s beautiful distressed candlesticks, set the stage for the rest of the tablescape.

We then turned to Lisa’s gorgeous open shelves, abundant with dishes, glasses, serving pieces and more – this is when the fun really began! Lisa purchased her Gien and Le Jacquard Francais from our showroom and it looks just stunning presented this way in her home!

As the base for our placesettings, we chose these beautiful, boxwood placemats, which can be found at The Front Porch of Vinings. The green makes such a lovely, lush grounding for the charger and dishes, coming up next…

We then turned to this beautiful Pont aux Choux (in Cream) as the charger from Gien. We love the detail the scalloped handles provide.

The dinner plate is Gien’s Pont aux Choux in Taupe, which sets an earthy, autumn tone to the overall setting.

The Gien Chanterelle dish acts as our salad plate and offers detail and interest to the overall setup.

We then completed the placesetting with a Chanterelle collection bread plate, Gien soup bowl (in Taupe) and vintage silver-plate cutlery, tied with twine from The Front Porch of Vinings, and a Le Jacquard Francais napkin.

For the beverage service, we used a beautiful cut-glass stem vessel as well as a Ball Mason Jar to add a bit of that down-home, comfortable fall feel.

Here is a quick look at the layers all coming together:

The finished look combined with the floral created a truly magical fall evening!

Together, Steve and Lisa had a wonderful day setting the perfect autumn table!

We want to thank Lisa for opening up her beautiful home and collaborating with us on this fun dinner party.

*All photos by Katheryn McCrary Photography

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Tabletop Tuesday – Taken with Tulipe by Gien

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We’ve been taken with Gien’s Tulipe faience china pattern for some time now and we’re thrilled to have finally made this pattern the stars of a Tabletop Tuesday post here on the blog for steve mckenzie’s!

While it offers an absolutely classic sensibility to any table setting, we’ve found it can become quite modern – especially with paired with Gien’s Allure pattern.

This tabletop post begins with a graphic black and white dinner plate from Gien’s Tulipe collection.

The salad plate pattern aligns perfectly with the dinner plate, when stacked.

This stunning pewter Gabriella flatware by Match 1995 was an ideal match with these plates!

Now comes a modern edge, with the dessert plate in Gien’s Taupe colorway.

Bring in the blue! This canapé plate offered us a much needed dose of color.

Placing this Libeco Linen napkin on the diagonal helped to add texture and softness to the setting.

With all the colors and textures going on already, this tabletop didn’t call for added pattern; instead we completed the formal setting with a pair of clear water and wine glasses.

A simple pop of purple floral offers a natural element and completes the tabletop. Bon appetit!

Please stop by the steve mckenzie’s showroom today to begin pulling together a tabletop that’s ideal for you and your lifestyle. At steve mckenzie’s we love to create tabletops, which are unique to each family!

Tabletop Tuesday: Jardins Extraordinaires

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Welcome to the inaugural post of our new “Tabletop Tuesday” blog series! Seeing that steve mckenzie’s is known for for offering some of the south’s top tabletop products – along with inspirational tablescape ideas and entertaining tips to go along with them – we thought it was high time for a series of blog posts featuring fabulous tabletops.

Now presenting Jardins Extraordinaires, our first ever “Tabletop Tuesday” blog post. We hope you enjoy!

Our first Tabletop Tuesday feature was inspired by the Jardin Extraordinaires collection by Gien, all of the tropical design we experienced at Maison & Objet, as well as the new Justina Blakeney collection for Selamat Designs.

To begin this tablescape we partnered with Erin Weston of Weston Farms, who styled the floral. For this tablescape we used the magnolia topiaries created during our in-store class.

The base of our tablescape was an antique French table, which offered plenty of warmth and character.

Our place setting began with an R. Wood Studio chartreuse dinner plate.

Next, Erin’s floral brings an organic, soft touch to the table.

A cocktail napkin to ground the glasses adds depth and interest.

A blue tumbler introduces a rich hue.

A pretty vintage cut glass tumbler is brought in for the wine – we love going stemless for wine; taking a note from our European friends!

The Jardins Extraordinaires oblong tray juxtaposed with the round dinner plate works!

The Gien wine coaster serves as a bread and butter plate – think outside of the box and consider dual uses for the pieces you already have!

Vintage brass cutlery, found at a flea market offers a sense of history and ties back into the antique table.

A small R. Wood Studio salad plate is added and ties into the dinner plate.

A soup bowl in R. Wood Studio’s blueberry colorway adds another solid blue element.

A Le Jacquard Francais napkin in a cheeky citrus tone brings in a bit of brightness.

The canape plate from Gien completes the look! The Jardins Extraordinaires small plates are offered in sets of four, with each plate depicting a different garden setting… A conversation starter for sure!

See it all come together in a few quick seconds here:

If only it were that quick in real life!

This tablescape makes us ready to jump into spring.  Most products are available in store at steve mckenzie’s or on our webstore. Contact us for up-to-the-minute availability or if you have any questions. Happy entertaining and bon appetit!

 

All Photos by Rustic White Photography

Four Reasons to Register your Wedding Gifts with steve mckenzie’s

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Get engaged over the holidays? First of all… Congrats! Second, where will you register?!? It’s a question you’ll hear a lot between now and the big day, and deservedly so. Your loved ones want to gift you with that something special, when each time you see it, you think of them.

We encourage you to give your loved ones an opportunity to gift you with items you’ll treasure forever, things you can’t find in a big box store – all while shopping small and local. Register with steve mckenzie’s!

Gien earthenware
Gien Pont aux Choux in Taupe

Why? Here are four reasons we think you’ll be just as head-over-heels for steve mckenzie’s wedding registry as you are with your fiance:

  1. Unique offerings – steve mckenzie’s carries items you won’t see at every chain store. Everything we offer is painstakingly selected by Steve and Jill McKenzie, our own husband and wife team with loads of homemaking and entertaining experience.

    An assortment of R. Wood Pottery, handmade in Athens, GA.
    An assortment of R. Wood Pottery, handmade in Athens, GA.
  2. People LOVE to give special gifts – We make it easy for you to select truly special items for your registry, which your guests will love gifting! steve mckenzie’s offers so much more than tableware – let your loved ones give something as unique as you and your fiance for your big celebration!

    A smaller-scale original work of art by Steve McKenzie - ideal for beginning your family's collection.
    A smaller-scale original work of art by Steve McKenzie – ideal for beginning your family’s collection.
  3. One of a kind art gifts – Our team spends a lot of time creating and curating original artworks that would help to make any house feel like a home. Pick pieces you’ll love forever and add them to your registry. Even small works of art can be the jumping off point for your home’s design. Give someone an opportunity to give your new family the gift of art.
  4. It’s easy! – Registering and shopping registries with steve mckenzie’s is so simple! You’ll work with our team, who will help guide you through the registry process, selecting items you’ll use – and possibly pass down for generations. When it’s time to shop, your guests are welcome to peruse our store, or simply call in to place an order. steve mckenzie’s offers complimentary gift wrapping, and has even been known to make hand deliveries.

    A classic mint julep cup by Match Pewter - use for cocktail hour, a petite vase, or even utensil holder for your buffet!
    A classic mint julep cup by Match Pewter – use for cocktail hour, a petite vase, or even utensil holder for your buffet!

We hope you’ll consider working with our team to create a truly unique registry for your upcoming wedding celebration. Please contact us today with any questions or to get started!