February 2023

As many of you know, what’s trending in fashion oftentimes predicts what will be hot in interior design… Take that fact, and Jill’s love for fine quality, unique clothing, and you have an idea where steve mckenzie’s appreciation for high end fashion comes from.

Recently, we hosted a pop up shop for Hampden Clothing, undeniably one of the country’s top boutiques, whose brick-and-mortar location is located on Charleston’s historic King Street. Hampden Clothing owner, Stacy Smallwood, was along for the pop up, and we took the opportunity to pick her brain for all of you!

Spoiler alert – she’s fabulous and has a brilliant mind for fashion and business. We think she’s in the right line of work. 😉 Scroll down and be captivated by Stacy and all she has to share:

Stacy Smallwood

• Which words best describe your aesthetic/style?

Evolving, Experimental, Simple, Confident

• Please share a little about your favorite ensemble with us…

I’m not really attached to outfits – it really depends on my mood. I’m so busy, it’s hard to remember! I travel so much, so I know my go-to pieces, pack them, and know they work.

Rag & Bone Fleet Blazer, available at Hampdon Clothing

Tip – Stacy’s favorite staple item is a good blazer. It nips in at the waist without being a belt.

• What are the sources of your inspiration?

Travel! When traveling, you’re able to see what others are really wearing. In our day to day lives, we see the same people and same looks – this can be conforming.

Hampden Clothing – interior

• Who are three people, alive or dead, you would invite to your dream dinner party?

Rene Brown – Obsessed with her right now! Creativity, and vulnerability. We see so much vulnerability in the dressing room; it gets really raw when women look at themselves in the mirror.

Gwyneth Paltrow – Lifestyle and food.

Chelsea Handler – Have fun!

Miuccia Prada

“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” ~ Miuccia Prada, famed Italian fashion designer (Miu,
Miu, Prada)

• What are some pieces in your wardrobe you can’t live without?

A good bag and good shoes – finish the look!

• Are there any rules you follow when pulling a look together?

It’s all about proportion. If you wear a flowy top, choose a skinny bottom and vice versa.

Don’t limit yourself by age, but be appropriate. Take your cues from your peers and peer media, not your teenagers. If you’re limiting yourself with your wardrobe, where else may you be limiting yourself?!?

• What trends are you seeing?

For fall, underlying Bohemian style. Velvet, burgundy. Cold shoulder and off the shoulder continues. 90’s rocker girl – chokers, plaid, monochromatic. Red. Turtlenecks – in the south find a tissue weight short sleeve option to pair under a sleeveless summer dress and bring it into fall!

• If stranded on a desert island, what’s the one thing you couldn’t live without?

Iced lattes!

• What’s a piece of advice you’d share with someone looking to break into the fashion indistry?

You don’t need a fashion degree – get a business degree! Find a good mentor and polish up your math skills.

THANK YOU to Stacy and Hampden Clothing for gracing our showroom with your pop up shop and for this fun interview – it was such a treat hosting them all here and learning more about Stacy!!

Sidenote – Stacy and Hampden Clothing are part of a select board, which Harper’s Bazaar works with to determine what may be featured in the magazine. Pretty awesome, right?!?

We hope Stacy and her thoughts on fashion have inspired you to reconsider your wardrobe a bit and how it works for you!

Jill and Steve recently attended an exhibit of Jeremy Brown’s art at the local Kai Lin Art gallery and were quite taken with this “graffiti-guided” artist! So much so, we thought it would make a great blog post for those of you who could attend the show, to encourage you to plan a visit, and for those who may not be able to make it to a viewing, an opportunity to learn more about Jeremy Brown and his fantastic work…

Our friends at Kai Lin Art were so gracious when we requested to feature the show, they even had Jeremy answer a few questions from us for all of our blog readers out there!

Jeremy Brown Here’s a bit about Jeremy Brown’s exhibition at Kai Lin Art:

LOVE marks the spot is a solo exhibition featuring graffiti-guided Jeremy Brown. This is Brown’s first solo show he explores passion, energy, and drive through the act of creation. His artworks are layered tiers of color fields, inspired thoughts, and abstracted shapes depicting unconditional love encapsulated in physical form. Through Jeremy’s work, love marks the spot.

And here’s our Q&A with artist Jeremy Brown:

How long have you been making art? Since I was about 15 years old, replicating a Mark Rothko painting for my mother. 

Do you have formal training? No, self taught. A lot of trial and error. 

Tell us about your studio where it is what it is like. How does the studio impact your work? My studio is located in the Inman Park/ Old Fourth Ward area. It’s an industrial space with a large roll-up door, yet clean and modern. Fresh white walls, modern contemporary furniture, concrete floors & bright colored artwork. The only wall that is not white, is the wall that I hang my canvases on while I paint, that wall is covered in many different colors. I think having a minimal, white wall interior, inspires my use of bright colors, adding a little pop to the surroundings. 

Does the Love theme always emerge from your work or was it just this body of work? Where did you pull your inspiration for this current work. Thus far the Love theme has always been the focal point of my artwork. It come directly from my view of unconditional love, as well as romantic love being the greatest for of art there is.

Do you have a favorite piece in this current show at KAI LIN ART? My favorite piece would have to be “Even diamonds start as coal”. I even have that phrase tattooed on my chest, written backwards so that I can read it in the mirror..  Everyday is an opportunity to better yourself To become a better son/daughter. A better artist.  A better husband, even to become a better stranger. 

The work is really moving I thought of it as Visually Expressed Urban Poetry, how would you describe your work? I like that description. I’ve always been better at expressing my thoughts & emotions through my actions/artwork, and I’m definitely inspired by the use of text by one of my favorite artists Jean Michelle Basquiat.

Is there a favorite place you like to go to for inspiration? I attend a Buddhist monastery in Brookhaven from time to time, for their guided love and compassion meditation. The colors inside the monastery and teachings of the monks are always a great source of inspiration for me.

Who or What would be your dream collector? Honestly. Anyone who is inspired or touched by my work. 

What is next for you following this show? There has been a great response to the pieces and message of this show, so I’d love to keep it going. To keep creating pieces that spark positivity and inspire unconditional love.

We hope his words and works have inspired you to view Jeremy Brown’s outstanding exhibition at Kai Lin Art before it comes to a close! We left energized and inspired and know you will too…

If you’ve already visited the gallery for this showing, did you have a favorite piece? Perhaps you’re imaging one of Jeremy’s works in your own home? We’d love to hear what others thought about the show!

As you all may remember, we were lucky enough to attend and host a fantastic group of Design Bloggers at the 2016 West Coast Art & Frame Expo (WCAF)… We’ve shared a bit about all of the unique things you can have custom framed, and now we’d like to offer some top tips on creating a truly fabulous gallery wall.

We’ve been seeing an explosion of beautiful gallery walls for quite some time now, and while many may seem haphazard, there’s definitely a few tricks to making them work. During our time at WCAF, we noted a number of similarities between the gallery wall displays we found most effective, and thought we’d pull our notes together and share them here with you:

image via House & Garden

1. Keep the art in the same tone – With as many pieces featured in the space above, things could have gotten chaotic quickly. This large gallery wall works because the art is all in the same black and white tone. While the sizes vary slightly, they pieces all appear to be pencil drawings in tones of black, white and grey. Keeping the art in the same colorway allows one to appreciate this gallery wall as a whole and as individual pieces. image found via Pinterest
2. Use same sized artworks – By using artworks that are all the same size, you’re able to create a symmetrical grouping, no matter how many pieces are a part of the overall grouping. The gallery wall above features an array of what looks to be Audubon bird art, all of identical size. Although there are may colors in the works of art, the sizing of the pieces laid out in this grid, allows for a visual appealing gallery wall. image found via Setting for Four
3. Feature identical custom frame designs – Your custom framer can get creative with their custom frame designs for your gallery wall, as long as they’re all the same. The above image features a black and white photo gallery wall. But, what’e really special about this space is the unique frame design. Although they stuck to classic black frames and white mats, the custom framer bottom weighted the mats. This provides a truly custom look that offers a stylistic element this otherwise basic design craves. image found via Home DIT
4. Use frame mouldings of similar width and finishes – The above gallery wall features the ever-popular “salon” style grouping, which incorporates different types of art all in different colors, styles, textures, etc. While glancing at each work individually, you may not think it could work in a grouping with all of the other pieces, however, using custom frame mouldings in similar widths and finishes unifies a potentially mismatched grouping. image found via One Kings Lane
5. Know when to vary the frame finishes – Changing up the finishes of the custom frame mouldings in a wall grouping can be tricky. The trick to making this look work is hanging a thoughtful layout. The space pictured above showcases different types of art, framed in many different ways, however it works because they utilized the horizon line hanging technique. Note the bottom edge of the bottom row of artworks all hit the same sight line. This gives reason and rhyme to a totally unique collection of custom framed art.

*Bonus tip – your Interior Designer or custom framer will be happy to do the dirty work, and hang your gallery wall, just as you desire… However, if you’re looking to DIY this step – say, if you’re collecting framed art over time – cut butcher paper to the same size of each pieces you’re hanging, and lay them out on the wall with tape. This will give you the ability to move things around, and visualize the final product without lots of unnecessary holes in the wall.

We hope we’ve inspired you to get a bit more creative with your art arranging and displays, just like our trip to WCAF inspired us to share these tips with you. Gallery walls can provide a space with tons of style and personality, we encourage everyone to find just one place in their home for a gallery wall.

If you need assistance creating a gallery wall for your home, please contact the team at steve mckenzie’s and we’ll be more than happy to create something perfect for you and your space!

If you’ve ever visited the steve mckenzie’s showroom in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood, you know we’re surrounded by some pretty fantastic neighbors. This includes our neighbor right next door, Verde Home. You may remember the many posts where you’ve we’ve made mention of them. We’re obvious fans. Plus, Steve has designed a line of rugs with Verde Home, which was such an honor!

Naturally, we turned to our friend, Kent Schneider, of Verde Home, when looking to share information on selecting an ideal rug for a space. He was so kind to answer our many questions and we thought we’d share them with you in this post all about how to choose an area rug.

After all, rugs are one of the primary elements of a space we’re asked most about and unfortunately, it’s easy, even with good intentions and tastes to not get it right. We hope this post helps you in your area rug selection. And please know, our design team here at steve mckenzie’s is always available to aid in your search and selection!

steve mckenzie’s: How do you know where to shop for a rug?

Kent Schneider: I would suggest looking for a specialized rug dealer or a store that sells rugs as a category rather than just as an accessory.  By this I mean if you go into a home furniture store that has rugs on the floor but has no area to display and browse rug options…chances are they are just using them to make the furniture they are selling look good and they may not know as much about them.  There are many exceptions to this, but in my experience I think it is a good rule of thumb.

sm’s: What should you know about your space when shopping for a rug?

KS: Most important would be the size of the room.  That seems obvious but you would be surprised how many customers really have no idea how big the room is.  9 out of 10 times when customers estimate the size the do so on the small side.  Rugs out of context often look very big.  When you shop for one you may see an 8×10 in a stack and think it is a very large rug and perfect for a living room that actually needs a 10×14.

sm’s: Which rug materials work best in certain spaces?

KS: Right now, I would say Wool is still the fiber of choice for all indoor applications.  It has great resilience, luster, and cleans well.  Most of the synthetics on the market will always compare themselves to wool.

For outdoor applications, you will see a variety of fibers used.  Rugs that get full exposed are generally made from some sort of woven plastic and can be very cheap (because they tend to last only a few seasons).  Polyester is a good choice for covered out door areas as it handles moisture well.  Most recently, we have seen solution-dyed acrylic fiber, like those used in Sunbrella fabrics start to make their way into the floor covering industry.  At present, the piled rugs made from these are pricey, but I expect that will come down and these will become a good indoor/outdoor option. 

sm’s: How do you determine the right size rug for your space?

KS: There is no hard and fast rule about how to size the rug for your room. In my experience, the larger the rug you can fit in a room, the larger the room will feel.  Rugs tend to ground the room and define the boundaries of conversation groups.  Undersized rugs can make a room feel cramped and can get lost under furniture.

You should also consider natural traffic patterns and doorways when laying out a room.  When in doubt we always like to draw a room out to scale to see how a rug will fit. But if you need a quick method to visualize it we suggest marking the area off on your floor with some masking tape.

sm’s: What questions should one ask when shopping for a rug?

KS: Not all rugs are created equal and this will often be reflected in the price. Here are some different terms you’ll hear, which will help you determine what type of rug will work for you and your budget…

1. Handmade or Machine made – with very few exceptions the machine-made rug should be cheaper than the hand made.  That doesn’t always mean better because rugs come in many different knot densities.  However, when comparing two rugs of similar content and density, the handmade rug would most often be more expensive and would generally be considered the better rug.
2. Hand knotted, hand tufted or hand loomed – Handmade rugs can be made using Hand Knotting, Hand Tufting or Hand Looming.  Hand knotting is the most time consuming and would considered the best.  Hand tufting has many qualities and often gets a bad reputation for the goods on the low end of the spectrum that are coarsely tufted and use a bad backing.  Fine hand tufted pieces can often achieve the look of a hand knotted rug at much less cost. The main drawback with tufting is the backing.  Each tuft of wool is fastened into the foundation using glue.  Overtime, this glue will break down (cheaper glues will break down quicker), and the tufts will release. Hand looming is a process of weaving a rug that bear similarities to fabric weaving.  The rugs are often very simple in pattern and can be woven very quickly.  They generally priced about the same as fine, hand tufted products.
3. Density and Content– How fine is the knotting, tufting, or looming of the rug and what is it made of?  Finer rugs take longer and generally cost more, as do rugs made or wool or wool and silk rather than synthetics.

sm’s: What else should you consider purchasing when buying a rug?

KS: We always recommend a good rug pad.  Aside from preventing the rug from slipping, it also provides sound dampening and helps ease the wear of a rug. In spaces where children and/or pets may be present, we also suggest having your rug sealed.

sm’s: What’s the best way to keep a rug looking its best?

KS: The primary upkeep would be vacuuming.  This can be done weekly (or as needed).  Make sure the height of your vacuum is set so that it does not lift the rug.  In some instances, you may wish to turn off the beater bar or only use it occasionally. Spot cleaning can usually be done with water or a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water.  If the rug is wet, make sure it dries thoroughly to prevent mold and dry rot.

With a little knowledge and preparation you’ll be set to find your perfect rug! Good luck on your search, and feel free to reach out to our team here at steve mckenzie’s with any questions you may have and guidance you need.

Thank you to Kent and Verde Home for providing their expertise – their showroom should not be missed when searching for a fantastic rug!

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

Last night was the unveiling of McKenzie Design’s vignette for Sherwin Williams 2016 ColorMix event at ADAC, and we have to say we are so thrilled with our space!

This design was a bit of a boundary-pusher for Steve. He and Jill selected Sherwin Williams’ Noir color palette to work with, which offered an opportunity to audition color combinations he’s been marinating over in his mind.

The Noir palette is full of deep, rich, and somewhat moody hues that we loved working with.

To highlight the full range of the palette, we worked with a custom stencil to create a one-of-a-kind look for our walls. Here’s Steve working with the stencil and revealing the finished design:

Challenging ourselves to work with a pre-specified palette of trendsetting colors helps inform future design concepts and even inspires upcoming steve mckenzie’s fabric collections. Here’s a link to Sherwin Williams’ full 2017 ColorMix forecast – so exciting to see what’s on the horizon!

Most of the products in Steve’s interior designer space for ColorMix2016 were sourced from the superbly curated Martin Nash showroom at ADAC. The amazing rug is by Laura Walker from Verde Home.

Other Interior Designers featured at this year’s Sherwin Williams ColorMix event are Heather Roberts, Chris Scocci and Ann Wisenewski – and we couldn’t be more pleased to be in such fantastic company!

Thanks to all who came out to enjoy the interior design vignettes. We hope you were inspired by some fabulous, trendsetting color palettes!! Reach out to McKenzie Design to bring some inspiring color into your own home.

Ruth Franklin is interested in painting, or to be more specific, the process of painting. “Paint is such a lovely medium, it’s a shame to ignore the possibilities that pushing it around can create. Recognizing the possibilities is the trick,” she says.

Ruth Franklin, working in her Decatur studio.

Steve and Jill were immediately taken with Ruth’s work – and soon after, Ruth herself – the first time they laid eyes on one of her pieces, years ago. Now, the friendship has come full circle, and we’re thrilled to share, steve mckenzie’s will be hosting “Painting Out Loud,” a show featuring Ruth’s works, in store, launching Friday, September 18th!

“Untitled” (#4049), 48×48 – by Ruth Franklin

A reception, taking place in the steve mckenzie’s showroom that evening, from 5-8pm, will be the kickoff to this fantastic show and you’re invited!

“Untitled” (#4344), 12×12 – by Ruth Franklin

Based out of Decatur, Ruth Franklin is a contemporary British artist, whose expressive paintings and drawings are exhibited and collected internationally.

“Untitled” (#4071), 48×48 – by Ruth Franklin

Ruth was born in Kent, England in 1964 and grew up in the picturesque and quintessentially English countryside of East Anglia. She studied at the Lowestoft College of Art before attending Brighton Art School, where she earned her BFA (Honours) in Painting. Ruth started showing & selling her work in the US a few years later.

“Untitled” (#4345), 12×12 – by Ruth Franklin

Ruth lived briefly in Barcelona and was duly inspired, creating a striking body of work in soft pastels which were exhibited in New York to enthusiastic collectors.

“Untitled” (#4041), 48×60 – by Ruth Franklin

Shortly thereafter, Ruth emigrated to the US and set up a home base and studio in Decatur, where she continues to live & work.

Ruth’s Decatur-based art studio

Her studio is a cave of cut out images, large art books, and photographs, piled amongst the giant coffee tins that she uses to hold her brushes and water. Sketches and drawings are push-pinned to the walls and lie on the tables – a constant reminder of possible paintings.

Works in progress in Ruth Franklin’s studio.

Last year, she was voted ‘Best Established Visual Artist’ in Atlanta, by the readers of Creative Loafing. Her work was most recently shown at the Harlem Fine Arts Show, RAW Art Fair in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and in the 2013 MoCA GA show: ‘Georgia Artists Selecting Georgia Artists’.

Ruth’s work on display.

When asked how she envisions people living with her art, she says “good art matches the sofa better than bad art.”

Ruth Franklin, at work.

Ha, we appreciate that last tidbit for sure! We’re so excited to celebrate this fabulous show featuring works by Ruth Franklin, with an art show reception Friday, September 18th from 5-8pm – we look forward to seeing you there! Please reach out to the team at steve mckenzie’s for additional information.

Steve, with panel participants, Karl Champley, Elle H-Millard and Alberto Villalobos. You may recall from a recent post, Steve was invited to moderate a panel on “Innovation in Kitchen Design” at What’s New, What’s Next (WNWN) in New York City. The panel was a success and the entire event truly delightful!

As an interior designer, staying abreast of the latest in design trends is paramount and events like WNWN make that possible. And fun to boot! By moderating this panel, Steve was able to learn even more about the newest trends in kitchen technology and looks forward to incorporating these trends into future client projects!

A highlight of this year’s WNWN for both Steve and Jill was the Grange suite, where the brand’s latest designs, finishes and inspirations abounded. As you probably know, Grange is a favorite line of ours, and is often times one of the first things guests to the steve mckenzie’s showroom take note of. The way Grange combines textures, finishes and styles – in addition to all of their customization options is seriously awe-inspiring. And the functionality is abundant.

Grange’s Rive Gauche Wardrobe Grange’s Rive Gauche Occasional Table

Having NYC as a backdrop to WNWN is absolutely exciting, but some of our most memorable moments was visiting with some of our Atlanta design friends – Barbara Westbrook and Beth Lacefield in particular – while there!

Steve’s art in the Grange showroom A visit to Chelsea Frames/Gallerie Protege (the locale of Steve’s 2012 NYC art show) reminded us of the importance of not only art in a space, but beautiful, quality custom framed art in a space. It’s these details which elevate a space from fine to fabulous!

As always, our time in NYC always seems to move past with great speed. But, this time, Steve and Jill were able to take a few days to enjoy much art and inspiration both within and outside the NYC limits… Which we’ll share in Part 2 of this post :-))

A unique perspective of the Empire State Building… street level, aglow at night. For now, we’ll end thanking all of those who made our time at WNWN truly memorable – especially  the Grange and Viking teams who invited Steve to moderate the panel. This was an event that will not be soon forgotten!

And please keep an eye out for Part 2, which will highlight some unforgettable art and sweet family time for the McKenzie’s…

To us here at steve mckenzie’s, Monderisim is represented by the architecture and furniture design following World War II. It began as a response to the rapid advances in technology and how we could live using these new materials and manufacturing techniques.

Ville Savoye by Le Corbusier

Modernism was founded in Architects such as Le Corbusier, a French-Swiss architect who designed iconic buildings like Ville Savoye. Le Corbusier sought to create structures and furniture that responded to the crowding of urban cities. His lines are both graceful, yet paired down and facilitate a tranquil living amongst the chaos of the city.

Corbu LC04 Chaise Lounge

Steve and Jill consider themselves lucky to live with the Corbu LC04 Chaise Lounge, in hide, by Le Corbusier – it’s a showstopper!

Another modernist who really inspires Steve is Alvar Alto. He was a true renaissance man with accomplishments in architecture, design, textiles and glassware. His lines are timeless and their function is unparalleled.

Alvar Alto’s Savoy Vase

Alto’s Savoy Vase in White glass for iittala is a go to wedding present for us; it’s beautiful on any table with just about any floral arrangement. Steve and Jill’s favorite is gardenia floating in their grey glass Savoy Vase.

Arne Jacobsen’s iconic Egg Chair

Arne Jacobsen one of the founders of the Danish modern movement; again, a man of many disciplines of design. His architecture and furniture have become the icons of the modern movement. Steve would put an egg chair in every interior if he could. To him, it is the icon of the modern movement. Steve and Jill also live with an egg chair in a black boucle; always a popular seat at cocktail parties!

Ray and Charles Eames

Ray and Charles Eames come to mind next. A duo of unparalleled creativity, they really shaped how the United States moved into the modern world. From logos and art experiences, to furniture, architecture, and textiles. They really defined what modern means to the US.

Herman DCW Moulded Plywood Chair

If you have not seen it, watch the documentary on their lives, “Charles and Ray Eames: The Architect and Painter.” They were an amazing force of influence. Steve and Jill live with their Herman DCW Moulded Plywood Chair in Walnut for Herman Miller – can you tell we have a thing for classic chairs here?!?

These are but of few of the modernists that inspire Steve and our work here at steve mckenzie’s. For us, to create spaces with interest and comfort, it is important to have several styles and periods represented. One of the best ways to bring in that feel is the juxtaposition of a modern chair or sideboard with Louis IV side chairs, etc. We’ve shared our love for the Danish Modern Furniture movement before, and are continuously drawn to the clean lines, honest woods and timeless style that truly represents what Modern means to us.

No matter how you celebrate Thanksgiving, there’s a good chance there’s a great meal involved… And a great meal deserves a great place setting. After all, they do say, you eat with your eyes first!

Now, we’re not necessarily talking about a super-formal setting, with eight pieces of flatware that you have to be an etiquette expert to know how to use, we’re suggesting you simply think about your meal and the style gathering you’re hosting, and create a place setting you and your loved ones will be comfortable with.

To help with this, we’ve created three different place settings to share as examples – one for a casual buffet style Thanksgiving dinner, another for a nicer, family style feast, and the final one, which lends itself to a more formal meal:

Buffet Style Thanksgiving Place Setting

This place setting is ideal for a casual, buffet-style meal and features acrylic Mario Luca Guisti drink-ware – perfect for those more clumsy relatives; 🙂 no broken crystal here! A Match pewter charger and R Wood plate, in our exclusive Red Clay colorway, adds a festive touch. And that fabulous Road salad plate is only $10! To mix it up, and bring in a fun, seasonal element, we’ve added a pair of vintage turkey salt and pepper shakers from Steve and Jill’s personal turkey collection (pretty cute, right?!?). The TAG place mat and napkin will transition beautifully to Christmas – we love double duty items like these!

Family Style Thanksgiving Feast Table Setting

If you’re planning a meal that’s more family style in nature, you can get a bit more detail-oriented with this place setting, as everything’s done at the table, i.e. your family and friends won’t be milling around filling their plates and glasses. This setting features a Match Pewter charger, salad, bread plate, and glasses, which all add a bit of sparkle to your table. The plate and coffee cup are by Royal Crown Derby Mikado, in their cantaloupe colorway, which brings in some needed warmth to the overall look. The placemat is a round shagreen acrylic placemat, which makes for easy care – something we can all use more of around the holidays! Finally, the napkin is Libeco linen. Here, we’ve added a special touch of whimsy with another Vintage turkey item from the McKenzie’s collection, and “planted” a faux orchid in it to bring some life and greenery to the table.

A Fabulously Formal Thanksgiving Table Setting

Here, we’re really setting the stage for a spectacular meal with a place setting that will be equally as fantastic. We’re using Julie Wear China, inspired by their home state of Kentucky; the salad plate is from their Bluegrass line and the dinner plate and charger are part of the Cheval collection. Agate coasters from Rab Lab make the perfect perch for some special glassware. Even with our most formal setting, we’ve taken the opportunity to introduce one of those vintage turkeys Jill and Steve love so much, this one bringing out the deep tones in this beautiful china. To help set off the darker brown of the linen napkin and place setting, we opted to go with a tan, round acrylic place mat (who says fancy dinner cleanup can’t be made easier?!?).

And there you have it, a place setting for each type of Thanksgiving meal!

If you’re looking for more inspiration for your Thanksgiving table, the folks at Veranda magazine published an article a while back all about setting the perfect table. You can find it here. It offers an organized way to consider the overall tablescape, and which elements make the most impact.

Finally, we’re in the midst of finalizing our own holiday menu, but wanted to share a delicious sounding recipe for a stuffed mushroom appetizer, from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa’s Thanksgiving 2.0 episode – click here for the goods.

YUM – we can’t wait to taste those! Let us know which new recipes you’ll be trying this year.

We hope these place setting ideas inspire you to create something beautiful for your loved ones this year – and help to make your meal even more special… And from our steve mckenzie’s family to yours, happy Thanksgiving everyone!