Natural Plant Tablescapes
By Jane F ~ November 18th, 2009. Filed under: Décor.
When my friend Barbara gave an informal dinner honoring an acquaintance from Argentina, she planned to have some fun and serve her guests typical North American hot dogs and hamburgers. When her pal Kai Loebach, an L.A. caterer and event planner heard about the menu, he had a one-word reaction: No!
Then Kai stepped in and took over. 
Barbara’s dining room is elegant and modern with a square, blond heirloom dining table inset with metal dots. So she always likes to keeps things casual by using placemats and letting the gorgeous wood show.
At the flower market, Kai [photo, right] bought low greenery plus agapanthus (African lilies), tall flowers with small white blossoms. “It’s a very wide table,” Kai explains, “so it’s not good for cross conversation. That’s why you can have tall things that block [the ability to speak to someone on the other side].”
Using Barbara’s low-sided, shallow crystal vases, Kai assembled a little container-garden at the center of the table, mixing in silver and white tapers to coordinate with Barbara’s gray linen placemats and French flatware with frosted Lucite handles. He also arranged showpiece flowers with white casablanca lilies [above] for the dining room buffet.
To hold arrangements in place, pliable young willow roots were submerged in the water, producing a natural, almost basket-like effect behind the glass. “Any kind of foliage, with cranberries, kumquats or even small fruit can be used to keep flowers in place in the same way,” Kai notes.
A tuft of live moss filled one of the small vases (bottom, right). The larger arrangement (center) includes lamb’s tongue leaves, wild thyme and artichokes.
As for the menu, Barbara’s backyard cuisine idea was transformed into a first course of heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese and micro-greens with crisp pancetta and balsamic vinaigrette, followed by grilled veal chops with Fingerling potatoes and sautéed spinach. Chocolate ganache cake seems like a fitting ending for a warm but gala evening. Hold the mustard!
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
New York designer Patricia Fisher also used natural greens as the centerpiece for her dining room table in the Audrey Hepburn room at the Inspired Designs showhouse, which I toured recently. Ivy topiaries (I just love these!) flanked a low vase of white roses in the center of a table set with white china. Placemats seemed to be composed of flat, white skimming stones held together by mesh.
Simple red napkins were smartly arranged to show off their white stripe border design by pulling the folded tip partway through triple silver rings and then allowing the corners to ease into an emblem-like flare.
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November 18th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I am in love with that flatware!! You have some wonderful ideas for centerpieces.
Susan
November 18th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I love yor beautiful table… You did a wonderful job…
Happy Thanksgiving
xoxo
Julie
November 18th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Love everything about the table…wonderful ideas and I plan on using some of them…
November 18th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Those placemats are wonderful. The centerpieces are truely inspirational.
November 18th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Oh, what beauty! I love the florals on your first table. So many lovely things and great inspiration.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia
November 18th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
So pretty and creative! Everything looks wonderful.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Cool looking tables—but you said the top table wasn’t good for cross conversation ? …..I wouldn’t like that!! YIKES>
Interesting centerpieces , non-the-less. hmm, like the name of the last room!
November 19th, 2009 at 12:16 am
How wonderful to have a large square dining table. I love the centerpieces. I may use some of these ideas for my table. Thanks!
November 19th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Lovely table! Happy Thanksgiving.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Love the tablescape! I really like the idea of using plant roots to hold the decorative elements in their setting. Lovely table centerpiece – I especially like the cool silver, green, and willow palette.
However, I must say, that the elegance and refinement of the table setting is rendered quite secular by the bare-tummied, sweats-donning chap lurking in the background in the first photo. Perhaps almost as much as bringing out hot-dogs and burgers to that table.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Well, I wish it were my table as it’s a museum qualilty piece that really can’t be seen in these photos but is really exquisite.
Leave it to you, mindstorm to notice the “chap”. It’s a piece by Gillian Wearing — a photo mural. I also noticed it in the background and told Barbara that I needed the name of the artist because someone might think it was a person — I knew what it was as I’d been in the room but it’s not a person. Just some cutting-edge photography. LOL!
November 19th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Oh dear! “Me as my Brother” then.
Open mouth, declare plebian colours …
November 19th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Hi Jane! I love the table. As a Floral Designer in my real life that talbetop vignette is bloomin great!! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Love your Atticmag too. Where in Ca. are you? I was born in Santa Ana…so…when I meet someone from there I have to ask. I’m going to add you to my blog list as soon as I can. Stop by anytime to chat.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Wow…love both looks, but that first one is just fantastic. This was fun.
Sue
November 19th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Very modern and elegant. The live plants are the perfect touch!
Christi @ A Southern Life
November 20th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Great job, Kai! That table is so wide, not conducive to conversation. Big shame on Barbara for intending to feed American junk food to visitors, as if it weren’t available in Venezuela or at any corner on the street in the USA during their visit. Apparently she has no idea of the legacy of fine European and native cuisine in Venezuela.
November 20th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
@melody — I’m from West LA but currently live in NY. Haven’t lived in So Cal but, as they say, you can take the girl out of LA but you can’t take LA out of the girl — at least when it comes to pineapple!
@yabbi — If you knew my friend Barbara you would understand when I say there is no shame in her serving hot dogs or hamburgers as they would be the finest available! I don’t consider those junk food when made/served at home. She is a world traveler, rest assured and a very knowledgeable food person. I fear, via your comment, you’ve misunderstood but no worries. I did just wish to clarify that her intent was fun, not a visit to Mickey Ds.