T
Life/Entertaining
‘TIS THE SEASON—FOR WEDDING PARTIES, BABY SHOWERS, AND SPRING SOCIALS. With warmer weather and a host of reasons to invite friends and family into your home, we asked Chris Norwood of Tipton & Hurst to set the scene— and the table—for an easy yet elegant brunch at the home of his client, Mrs. Barbara Hoover. Naturally, Norwood started with the floral design. “We always try to match the look and the feel to our customer. As you can see, Mrs. Hoover loves tradition and Southern elegance, so we tried to use spring flowers that would accent her home,” Norwood says. “She also loves different shades of pink, so we used a range of them from soft pastels to bright pinks.” Norwood, who is known for party and event work and is one of 29 members of the American Institute of Floral Designers’ Hall of Fame, often works with Mrs. Hoover and has come to know her tastes well. Outside of the flowers themselves, he thought of several overarching
themes to make this gathering a reflection of her style, including greeting guests at the front door with a festive sign of what’s to come, using Mrs. Hoover’s formal china, and keeping a light menu that matches the season. “In the South, people still enjoy entertaining,” Norwood notes. With that thought in mind, he and his team are honored to carry on this tradition by creating events—from the intimate to the extravagant—that are a true reflection of their clients and a true pleasure for guests.
GARLAND CENTERPIECE
At first glance, the table appears to have one large floral centerpiece. However, Norwood cleverly used four large arrangements composed of roses, tulips, lilacs, hydrangeas, and hyacinths. “They are all the same arrangement but give the effect of a garland down the table when grouped together,” he explains. Smaller votive cups filled with the same flowers help to connect the larger vases. “I chose these because they are spring flowers that are plentiful in March. It’s also more affordable to use seasonal flowers,” Norwood notes.
Garden Greeting “When her daughter married, we had baby’s breath wreaths on the doors,” Norwood recalls of a previous event with Hoover. “Since then wreaths on the doors have become her signature as far as entertaining; she always does these.” For this occasion, Norwood chose to use the same blooms as the ones seen in the dining room, thus creating a continuous flow from the front door to the table. March 2017 | athomearkansas.com 31