DOMINO

How to Arrange Flowers

for a Creative Centerpiece
We took a cue from nature, incorporating the flora with linens and
dishes for a gorgeous, but laidback tableaux
EDITOR: KIM FICARO AND STEPHEN ORR |
PHOTOGRAPHS: DITTE ISAGER

Whimsical Garden
For a loose effect, gather an understated assortment in a
pitcher. Don't discount beautiful weeds. We went with
flowering grasses, seedpods, cornflowers, scabiosa, lady's
mantle and a few twining vines in a palette of black, white and
green.
WALL FABRIC Linen and cotton "Marlowe" about
$148/yard, Osborne & Little (212) 751-3333 for information
 Modern Rustic
A single, formal arrangement as a centerpiece risks looking
like a plunked-down afterthought. We took a cue from nature,
incorporating the flora with the linens and dishes for three
considered-but-unceremonious tableaux.
VASE (far left) 6 3/4" glazed-clay "Single-Stem" $75, TALL
VASE (right) 9" glazed-clay "Multi-Stem" $85 and VASE (far
right) 3 1/2" glazed-clay "Bulb" $60, all at
heathceramics.com GREEN VASE (center) Daniel Smith
ceramic $150, TOWEL (left) Linen $88, PITCHER Judy
Jackson for Canvas ceramic $150 and BOWLS $60 each, all
at Ochre (212) 414-4332 GOBLETS $14 each, ABC Carpet &
Home (212) 473-3000 NAPKIN Dosa "Little Flower School"
$80/set of four, okthestore.com TABLE (similar to shown)
Reclaimed-pine "Longmont" $1,495 sundancecatalog.com
WALL PAINT Cooking Apple Green, farrow-ball.com
 Classic Beauty
Assembling big, lush flowers the day before allows the blooms
to open to their fullest almost over-the-hill glory.
WALLPAPER Cole & Son "Cranbrook" about $178/roll,
leejofa.com for information
 Romantic Sophisticate
Pretty lilacs, peonies and roses lose their seemingly too-sweet
disposition when united in the clashiest combination of hot
pink, mauve and orange. To counter their intensity, we laid
the table with plain glass goblets, boldly patterned china and
an icy-gray silk-damask tablecloth. A second, smaller bouquet,
perched on a pile of books, prevents the moment from feeling
too proper.
GOBLETS Nason and Moretti murano glass $535/set of six,
mossonline.com GLASS BOTTLE (similar to shown) "Lisbon"
decanter $89 conranusa.com PLATES Royal Crown Derby
porcelain "Midwinter Blue" $145 each, neimanmarcus.com
for stores FABRIC (used as tablecloth) G.P. & J Baker silk
"Belvedere Damask" $250/yard, leejofa.com for information
WALL PAINT (similar to shown) Borrowed Light, farrow-
ball.com
 Mediterannean Elegance
Liberated from their long stems, grand orchids and striped
parrot tulips seem more offhand and relaxed.
WALLPAPER Cole & Son "Selby" in Silver/Turquoise about
$198/roll, leejofa.com for information
 Exotic Bohemian
Pairing a vivid color scheme with intriguing objets on a buffet
or sideboard evokes an artistic atelier. Don't be afraid to use
strong tones, but keep it to two or three hues for maximum
contrast. Here, drumstick flowers (or craspedia), sandersonia,
a single peony and gloriosa lilies hold sway, each in a vessel
that showcases their quirky charms. A clean-lined white vase
and simple dishes offset more distinctive brass bowls,
patterned glass and hand-painted pottery. Garlands of spider
gerber daisies, draped nonchalantly on a chair and a painting,
complete the scene—Frida Kahlo could walk in at any
moment.
CHAIR-CUSHION FABRIC (similar to shown) Cotton
"Benson Stripe" $29/yard, silktrading.com WALL PAINT
Paddington Blue #791, benjaminmoore.com for stores
This content originally appeared as Flowers Set The Table
in Domino magazine