Sheila Bridges
“Basically, I don’t really follow the rules when it comes to setting a dining room table. For me it’s all in the mix. I am always inspired by nature (flowers and birds in particular) and chose many items from the Sotheby’s sale that reflected that as well as my love of bold, brilliant color. My mood board started with inspiration from Frances Palmer’s Instagram and her beautiful ceramic bud vases. I prefer using individual vases for guests rather than one large arrangement as you get to truly appreciate each individual shape. I selected six items from Dining In including
Fornasetti
malachite plates, a faience parrot ewer,
Buccellatin
silver place card holders, colored, cut-glass wine glasses, Italian bamboo candlesticks, and a majolica fish tureen. All of these items compliment my own table setting. I chose The Punctilious Mr P’s Place Cards which I think would look amazing in the place card holders. The place setting in the middle is my own- vintage Angela Cummings porcelain and vintage glassware, staghorn flatware- again mixing old and new together to make it my own, signature look.”
Read more about Sheila's style at her website
View Sheila's selections on Instagram
Read more about Sheila's style at her website
View Sheila's selections on Instagram
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Adam Lippes
"I am often inspired by the patterns and colorways of porcelain for my fashion collections and this Meissen Dutch decorated teapot is a perfect example. Also, must be used… what a beautiful way to serve coffee or tea in the morning. The pair of Paris porcelain Naples-decorated ornithological-subject monteiths would be stunning planted with ferns on the middle of the table. I am a big fan of majolica. Aside from its incredible artisanal beauty, there is often a whimsy that brings a smile to my face. This fish tureen is all that. I like objects that are beautiful but also have a twist. Who won’t smile taking ice from this fantastic Mexican silver form ice bucket? I have candles lit at every dinner. In fact, my dining room in Brooklyn heights has no electric lights. It’s all candles. My neighbors looking through the window must think I am a bit nuts, but there is nothing like candle light. As for these two Italian silver and bamboo Tahiti pattern candlesticks, I love the contradiction of the silver and bamboo. They are both elegant and modern."
Read more about Adam's style at his website
View Adam's selections on Instagram
Read more about Adam's style at his website
View Adam's selections on Instagram
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Ken Fulk
"I have been inspired lately by all things Surrealist – even before our worlds were turned upside down! In my work and in my life, I love finding new ways to insert the unexpected into everyday moments. This fantastical dining room was inspired by an Alice in Wonderland-type fantasy. Imagine being seated amid the giltwood dolphins of this Regency table and dining on Dodie Thayer porcelain lettuce leaves under an ornate cut-glass chandelier while a jewel-toned duck and owl fill your glass. It's whimsical and wild but utterly chic! Now more than ever, it's important to find joy and laughter wherever you go."
Read more about Ken's style at his website
View Ken's Selections on Instagram
Read more about Ken's style at his website
View Ken's Selections on Instagram
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Heather Clawson
“When Sotheby’s asked me to come in and style my favorite pieces from the Sotheby’s Dining IN online auction, I jumped at the chance. I’ve really missed being able to go places and see beautiful things in person and the china and silver in this sale are just gorgeous. Everyone has been cooking and eating at home every day since the pandemic started so styling a dining table was the obvious choice. I decided to use the Dodie Thayer Lettuce Ware Tureen as the centerpiece since some people might not be able to get flowers now. The KPM Berlin Tea and Coffee Service had such beautiful colors that I kept the tablecloth simple and let them shine along with the Kings pattern silver flatware. I got so excited seeing all the pieces and setting the table that I forgot to include the embroidered French napkins I brought with me. We can just pretend that the guests had already put them in their laps.”
Read more about Heather's selections at her website Habitually Chic
View Heather's selections on Instagram
Read more about Heather's selections at her website Habitually Chic
View Heather's selections on Instagram
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Campbell-Rey
"We imagined a palacio in Seville with well-worn terracotta floors, large leaf banana plants in huge glazed urns lining a courtyard loggia with steaming golden August sunlight. We wanted to create a warm and elegant backdrop that breathed texture and history but that felt in line with the subtle humour of the Fornasetti universe whose plates we chose as wall decoration against the beautiful Leda Pompeii wallpaper from Iksel. In our work we often try and bring the outside in so it was fun to take this idea further with the exuberant animal and vegetable forms including the Dodi Thayer lettuceware tureen, the Bucellati-style leaf candlesticks and the playful rosewood dining table with dolphin supports. "
Read more about Cambell-Rey's style at their website
View Cambell-Rey's selections on Instagram
Read more about Cambell-Rey's style at their website
View Cambell-Rey's selections on Instagram
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Want to get in on the action? Join our #SothebysDiningIN challenge! Create your own table setting at home and post it to your feed tagging @Sothebys and using the hashtags #SothebyDiningIN and #SothebysDecArts for a chance to win a copy of our new cookbook, ‘The Art of Cooking: A Contemporary Twist on Georgian Fare’ which reimagines 18th-century English gastronomy for a 21st-century palate. We’ll announce the winner here next Tuesday, 11 August, ahead of the sale closing on 12 August.