FLOWER JAN•FEB 2021
HOUSE l GARDEN l LIFESTYLE
WE’RE COLOR HAPPY +MIXING
IT UP WITH ANNIE SLOAN
A Rainbow of Home Decor BOTANICAL WALLPAPERS YOU’’RE GOING YOU TO WANT
PHOTO BY KINDRA CLINEFF
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2021
Contents
48 Tulips
They beam happiness, and they prompt glorious floral arrangements in a range of hues other flowers can only wish to match
“Just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly. “One must also have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”
–HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
FEATURES
30
36
56
64
In the 30 years since Annie Sloan introduced her Chalk Paint, DIY-ers have picked up their brushes to transform everything from floors to chairs. Here she shares her approach to leading a colorful life
Designer Phillip Thomas used jewel tones, dramatic accents, and funky light fixtures to transform an Upper East Side apartment into a space that envelops its inhabitants in warmth, color, and comfort
And not a demure damsel in the bunch! We’ve gathered our pick of floral wallpapers, so fresh and artistic, they’re positively frame-worthy
He loves you, he loves you not, but your girlfriends are there through thick and thin. Show them how much their friendship means with a special brunch
PHOTO BY KINDRA CLINEFF
Bold Strokes
Living in a Jewel Box
Wall Flowers
Be My Galentine
ON THE COVER: Blue accents, including a blue vinyl wallpaper and a light-reflecting ceiling, bring color to the kitchen in an “estate
condition” New York apartment designed by Phillip Thomas. Photographed by Michael Mundy.
f l o w e r m a g .c o m
| 3 |
in Bloom FLOWERS MATERIALS LIST
Hyacinth Ranunculus Hellebores
MATERIALS LIST
Dianthus Roses Snapdragons Scented geranium Asclepia (milkweed)
HOW-TO MATERIALS LIST
‘Butterfly’ double ranunculus Peonies Tweedia Asclepia (milkweed) Lyschimia
| 18 |
FLOWER
January•February 2021
STEP BY STEP STEP 1
Make a grid on the top of the container using clear tape, which is easier to hide than green florist tape. Then add a line of tape around the top edge to make it more secure, and add water.
“For the how-to arrangement I wanted to explore colors that one might not necessarily consider using together. Texture helps bring the palette together along with the green elements.” –KIRK WHITFIELD
STEP 2
Strip the bottom leaves from the ‘Butterfly’ ranunculus, and fill the arrangement with the stems, creating a base with their foliage.
STEP 3
Trim the peonies and place them throughout the whole arrangement. I used about 20 stems.
STEP 4
I love the babyblue shade of tweedia with its touch of pink that plays well with the peonies. Place 10 stems throughout the container.
For more information, see Sources, page 70
STEP 5
For the final touches, I added asclepia (milkweed) for texture and to help bridge the colors, and then some lyschimia for their shape and “pokey” quality.
f l o w e r m a g .c o m
| 19 |
Living in a Jewel Box Designer Phillip Thomas used jewel tones, dramatic accents, and funky light fixtures to transform a prewar apartment on the Upper East Side into a space that envelops its inhabitants in warmth, color, and comfort
By FRANCES MACDOUGALL • Photography by MICHAEL MUNDY
| 40 |
FLOWER
January•February 2021
THESE PAGES: In the living/dining room, Phillip treats pink as a neutral and dares to treat tiger print the same, anchoring patterns and colors to bring them all together. The flowers reflect his approach to decorating: masses of not perfectly matching tones that come together naturally. Sconces by Vaughan; mirror by Global Views.
f l o w e r m a g .c o m
| 41 |
THEY BEAM HAPPINESS, AND THEY PROMPT GLORIOUS FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS IN A RANGE OF HUES OTHER FLOWERS CAN ONLY WISH TO MATCH
By TOVAH MARTIN • Photography by KINDRA CLINEFF
Sandra Sigman grounded her “totally tulip� arrangement in a pedestal container, letting the various double, French, and lily-flowered forms of tulips express depth. OPPOSITE: Sandra wades between beds of tulips at The Stevens-Coolidge Place.
| 50 |
FLOWER
January•February 2021
SANDRA SIGMAN SPENDS HER DAYS IMMERSED
in flowers. On any given morning, you will find her juggling blooms with the greatest of ease for arrangements at Les Fleurs, her destination flower shop in Andover, Massachusetts. Even so, Sandra felt lightheaded when she rounded the bend at the nearby Stevens-Coolidge Place to behold 30,000 tulips in full splendor. “When I turned the corner and walked into the garden, I literally gasped,” she says. “I guess I was starved for color, but I felt that even Holland would have been in awe.” The Stevens-Coolidge Place is stewarded by The Trustees of Reservations to preserve the 20th-century North Andover, Massachusetts, estate of Helen Stevens Coolidge and her husband, John Gardner Coolidge, a descendent of Thomas Jefferson’s. The staff at the historic estate was full of hope when crates of tulip bulbs arrived in autumn of 2019. But plans for sharing the 2020 Tulip Festival fizzled with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Because the public was not permitted to come in person, the staff pulled together a Plan B that included virtual tours, videos, and demonstrations, enlisting volunteers to make tulip bouquets for local hospitals and senior housing. Sandra was on their speed dial as well; her contribution was to spread the joy via sumptuous arrangements to be featured in a virtual festival. And that’s how the designer spent a few weeks bonding with a flower that is the quintessential ambassador of color. Even before Sandra selected her vases, tulips had already spoken to her. What she saw in that field was a burst of sunshine. “I’m not usually drawn to yellow as a theme,” she says, “but the yellow tulips in that field were so bright and cheery, they sparked my creativity.” No wonder Sandra was ignited. What she saw was not your standard spring display. Rather than planting blocks of just one color in the typical tulip presentation, the horticultural team for The Trustees of Reservations had ordered bulbs from Colorblends, a purveyor known for Story continues on page 55
RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM: Colorblends gives its combos striking names, such as Stop the Car for a fervent blend of peach and plum. • Skyliners features pin-striped pastel petals. • The Japanese hybrid tulip ‘Akebono’ opens its semidouble flowers against green-striped sepals. LEFT: When architect Joseph Everett Chandler designed the Stevens-Coolidge gardens, he added a serpentine wall as a nod to Monticello.
Be My Galentine
He loves you, he loves you not, but your best girlfriends are there through thick and thin. Show them just how much their friendship means with a special luncheon By MARGARET ZAINEY ROUX • Photography by MARY CRAVEN PHOTOGRAPHY
The centerpiece features a mix of blooms, including parrot tulips, narcissus, hyacinth, sweet peas, mini green hydrangea, and roses. OPPOSITE: “You know it’s a special occasion when you pull out the wedding china!” says Mary Spotswood of the Rothschild Bird china by Herend.
“There weren’t lots of hearts or red feel like Valentine’s Day, because it wa and it deserved its own unique look
or red roses. I didn’t want it to e it wasn’t. This was Galentine’s Day, que look.” —MARY SPOTSWOOD UNDERWOOD
Mary Spotswood borrowed the idea for this get-together from an episode of one of her favorite sitcoms but, naturally, she took it to a new level. As owner of à la Bonne Femme, she is known among Nashville’s social and music industry circles as one of the most sought-after entertaining gurus, and with good reason. Her style is elegant and effortless, and she makes everyone feel at home, something that she proudly attributes to her traditional Southern upbringing in Virginia. The gathering commenced post-carpool in the warmth and comfort of Mary Spotswood’s Franklin, Tennessee, living room, where the gal-pals indulged in chitchat and bacon-wrapped dates and imbibed blood orange mimosas garnished with candied citrus peel. After reveling in the uncommon luxury of lingering, they moved the party to the dining room. On the menu: a few of the hostess’ signature dishes, including chicken-and-mushroom crepes with Cognac sauce, marinated asparagus, a citruspistachio salad, and dressed greens. The table was covered with a sage linen skirt that Mary Spotswood purchased as a newlywed in Birmingham, Alabama, and a hand-embroidered overlay that she bought across the pond as a student at Le Cordon Bleu in London. In lieu of place cards, each setting was marked with a handwritten name tag tied with picot ribbon to a seed packet of cosmos and a mini bouquet of small roses and sprig buds. “I wanted to send each of them home with a pretty little treat, but I figured I would leave the chocolates and long-stem roses to the guys,” she says. “Cosmos are delicate but easygoing and easy to grow. They come in different varieties, so each one brings a unique dynamic to the garden. I can’t think of a more beautiful symbol of our friendship.”
RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM: Chairs are covered in Rose Carol by Hazelton House. • Chicken-andmushroom crepes with asparagus, citrus salad, and mixed greens dressed in mustard vinaigrette • Bittersweet chocolate pot de crème with crème Chantilly, fresh berries, and shortbread cookies decorated with edible pressed flowers OPPOSITE: Feminine florals abound at the ladies-only event. The Portuguese needlepoint rug and handpainted silk wallpaper panels are vintage.
For the chicken-and-mushroom crepes recipe, go to flowermag.com
BLOOD ORANGE MIMOSAS WITH CITRUS CURLS For each blood orange mimosa: Combine 2 ounces freshly squeezed blood orange juice and 4 ounces Prosecco in an 8-ounce Champagne flute. Garnish with a candied citrus curl. For the candied citrus curls: Zest a Meyer lemon or other citrus fruit with a V-notch citrus zester horizontally while rotating continuously. Cut zest into 4- to 5-inch strips. Holding one end, twist the opposite end tightly against itself, making a curl. Repeat with each strip of zest. Place a layer of sugar in a small bowl. Nestle the curls into the sugar while keeping them in a curl. Cover zest with additional sugar. Let stand 12 hours or overnight. Shake off excess sugar. Use curls to garnish cocktails, desserts, or citrus-flavored dishes. You can also use the remaining citrus-infused sugar in other recipes.
f l o w e r m a g .c o m
| 69 |