Behind the Scenes: Little Hands Tablescapes Showcase
Earlier this month, we had the honor to create and implement a tablescapes design for the 2024 Spring Tablescapes Showcase supporting Little Hands Virginia. Little Hands Virginia is a wonderful nonprofit organization that works to provide essential items such as, diapers, clothes, and bottles, to economically disadvantaged families with young children.
The theme for the Tablescapes Showcase was “What a Wonderful World,” which left us plenty of room to play and interpret the theme as we wished. We decided to connect to the theme by referencing the Wonders of the World, both the original ancient wonders and the new seven wonders. As we developed our design, we wanted to make sure there were pieces of it that would be recognizable for the theme, without going overboard with columns and pyramid imagery.
The Process
Our tablescapes design evolved throughout the design process, as it always does, but our vision for our tablecloth was the thing that stayed constant throughout, it guided our decisions and grounded the design from the beginning. Our beautiful, hand painted tablecloth was done by a wonderful artist, Suzy Lindlow. She incorporated recognizable classic elements, various symbols, and language characters, all while keeping an element of whimsy and fun. If you look closely at the tablecloth, you can spot the Great Wall of China, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Acanthus leaves, and so many more fun details.
An important element throughout our design was the color of Lapis Lazuli, which our history buffs will know was a very important stone and pigment used in Ancient Egypt, from where the only remaining Ancient Wonder of the World, the Great Pyramid of Giza, stands today. Lapis Lazuli is stone that has a rich blue hue, which can be seen in our plates, which were generously loaned by The Ark Elements, and the blue in our tablecloth. Design elements like color, material, and pattern were used throughout the tablescape to reference pieces of history and the Wonders of the World, without showing literal representations.
The last essential piece of our tablescape was our gorgeous centerpiece, created by the amazingly talented Vessel + Stem. The beautiful ethereal centerpiece was our homage to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, another of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. With the addition of fruit, ceramic bowls, and other accessories, the table evolved into its final form.
The Finished Table
Photo By: Gordon Gregory Photography
We were so pleased by how all the elements of our tablescape came together for our finished table design. We were also so excited to be able to collaboratively work with other creatives throughout the process, see how they explored our theme, and let them do what they do best. We are so grateful to Suzy Lindlow, The Ark Elements, and Vessel + Stem for everything they did to help us create this tablescape for such a wonderful cause as Little Hands Virginia.
Photo By: Gordon Gregory Photography
Check out who we partnered with for our tablescape design: