Skip to content
  • Articles
    • Design
      • Architecture
      • Art & Antiques
      • Books
      • Garden
      • Gifts
      • Interior design
    • Entertainment
      • Entertaining
      • Food and drink
      • Holiday
      • Tabletop
    • Style
      • Fashion
      • Jewelry
    • Travel
      • Nantucket
    • Threads of Time and Taste: The Art of Dressing in Pierre Frey
  • Shop
    • Home & Decor
      • Accessories
      • Antiques
      • Art
      • Lighting
      • Trays
    • Tableware
      • Baskets
      • Glassware
      • Linens
      • Flatware
      • Plates
    • Fashion
      • Bags
      • Clothing
      • Jewelry
    • Exclusives
      • Tableware
      • Fashion
      • Home & Decor
    • Peony & Thistle Linen Tea Towels
  • Video
    • Exclusive insider tours visiting top designers and tastemakers at home around the world
      VIEW ALL
    • At Home with John Lyle
    • At Home in Paris with the Hurleys
    • At Home with Veere Grenney in his Extraordinary Gardens in Tangier
    • At Home with Veere Greeney in Tangier, Morocco
Quintessence

Quintessence

Lifestyle blog | Living Well with Style and Substance

  • Books
    • Books that I have collaborated on, as photographer, with design author Susanna Salk
      VIEW ALL
    • At Home with Dogs and Their Designers: Sharing a Stylish Life
    • At Home in the English Countryside: Designers and Their Dogs
    • At Home with Designers and Tastemakers: Creating Beautiful and Personal Interiors
    • Making a House a Home: Designing Your Interiors from the Floor Up
  • About
  • Articles
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Books
  • About

Fashion

Dr. Zhivago: The Story Behind the Style
Art & Antiques, Fashion, Interior design

Dr. Zhivago: The Story Behind the Style

With the arctic weather producing feet of snow and sub zero temperatures here in New England and down the coast,… Read More

Special Shopping for the Chic and Unique
Design, Fashion, Gifts, Interior design

Special Shopping for the Chic and Unique

Last week was an insanely busy week of design and although I was under the weather and missed many fun… Read More

Delvaux Brillant
Art & Antiques, Design, Fashion

Delvaux Brillant

When you think of Belgium, french fries, beer, chocolate and Brussel sprouts may come to mind, their famous decor style,… Read More

Gucci Décor at Bergdorf’s
Design, Fashion, Gifts, Interior design

Gucci Décor at Bergdorf’s

It was only a matter of time before the brilliant Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele applied his talents to the… Read More

The Power of Pearls
Art & Antiques, Fashion, Jewelry

The Power of Pearls

In the September/October special 30th anniversary issue of Veranda (which we will revisit), the style section’s Objects of Desire celebrates… Read More

Nantucket Favorite Friday Finds VII
Art & Antiques, Design, Fashion, Food and drink, Interior design, Nantucket, Travel

Nantucket Favorite Friday Finds VII

With its modern organic vibe, Coastal is a long time Nantucket favorite. Founded by ex-Calvin Klein fashion executive Karen Fisher,… Read More

A Look at How They Decorated with Author P. Gaye Tapp
Architecture, Art & Antiques, Books, Design, Fashion, Interior design

A Look at How They Decorated with Author P. Gaye Tapp

It was no surprise when long time blogging friend, decorator and now author, Gaye Tapp  shared her book idea for How They… Read More

Vogue Living x Schumacher
Fashion, Interior design

Vogue Living x Schumacher

It’s hard to keep up with Dara Caponigro and her team at Schumacher! Their latest creative collaboration with Vogue –… Read More

Nantucket Friday Favorite Finds III
Design, Fashion, Food and drink, Interior design, Nantucket, Travel

Nantucket Friday Favorite Finds III

It’s been busy on island and I’m a tad late with this week’s Nantucket Friday Favorite Finds but wanted to… Read More

Summer Staple: The Straw Bag
Fashion, Nantucket, Travel

Summer Staple: The Straw Bag

In this weekend’s WSJ Off Duty, fashion contributor Hayley Phelan extolled the virtues of the straw bag with a comprehensive… Read More

Pierre Frey x J. Crew
Design, Fashion, Interior design

Pierre Frey x J. Crew

The intersection between interiors and fashion continues to inspire as Pierre Frey x J. Crew have joined forces to collaborate… Read More

At Home and Around the World with Susan Walker and Ali MacGraw for Ibu
Art & Antiques, Design, Fashion, Interior design

At Home and Around the World with Susan Walker and Ali MacGraw for Ibu

Susan Walker has long walked the line between style and substance. With a spiritual soul, curious mind and educated eye… Read More

Posts navigation

Older Posts Older Posts
Newer Posts Newer Posts
Illustration of camera

Follow

As we start the new year, taking a deep fresh brea As we start the new year, taking a deep fresh breath with inspiration from Spanish designer @ludovicoporta . See how he creates a sense of calm elegance using curated collections and negative space in his magnificent renovated 18th century palacio. Watch the entire house tour on the Quintessence YouTube channel.
Monday blues with an international cadre of artisa Monday blues with an international cadre of artisanal tableware from our @shopqworthy collection. Shop it all through link in profile.
And the winner of the @academia_de_la_mesa table c And the winner of the @academia_de_la_mesa table contest is… (drumroll please!) this extraordinary table by @Monicabardaji!! She entered on the very last day of the competition and completely won us over! With this table, Mónica has managed to create something both modern and classic, using completely unexpected elements. Nothing on the table is unnecessary and yet nothing is missing. The mix of wood and silver is phenomenally chic, the color and size of the flowers are perfect and we found it extremely elegant! It was a tough choice for us judges, as there was strong competition right on her heels!

Mónica is the lucky winner of the best prize we have ever given (what you see in the last photo), consisting of a Limoges porcelain tableware set, Cristóbal Marine, offered by @raynaud_porcelaines; six hand engraved glasses from @artel_glass; six embroidered placemats with their napkins from @noel_lingedemaison_paris; and six Tokyo Noir cutlery sets from @alain_saint_joanis.

All the finalists’ tables were wonderful, each with something that made it extraordinary, and we can only congratulate you on your creativity and craftsmanship!

Congratulations to Mónica as the winner, but also to all the other participants—each of you, with your tables, makes this possible! Over the coming days we will be raffling off the remaining prizes!!

Heartfelt thanks to the “usual” jury (@azarraluqui @amarosanchezdemoya @bea_satrustegui @carmencarooneill @paz_qb @raulromeropress and @vanessacraccoliving) and to our guest stars @bonadeaofficial @casa__lopez @quintessence (honored to be included) and @vioscooking — it has been a fantastic edition! ♥️
In this snowy January weather, see how @timothycor In this snowy January weather, see how @timothycorrigan uses a plethora of @benjaminmoore whites to full advantage in his elegant Paris apartment. Full home tour on the Quintessence YouTube channel!
Quiet breakfast on this snowy morning. I cross sti Quiet breakfast on this snowy morning. I cross stitched these placemats for my mother YEARS ago when I was living in Switzerland. They have recently come full circle back to me and on this holiday are a lovely reminder of both her and my time spent there. Grounding tablecloth from @heathertaylorhome  @latuilealoup aptware and mini baskets. Flatware from @alain_saint_joanis in my shop and last, but certainly not least, my spectacular handpainted pitcher and glassware set by the talented @margotlar (available by special order through the shop).
© 2026 Quintessence Design LLC
Site design by The Beaux Arts Digital
FAQ & Shipping Terms of Use Privacy Policy
X Illustration of hand
Never Miss A Post
Get insider access to the most inspiring and informative design stories straight to your inbox. Satisfy your style curiosity, quench your sophisticated shopping thirst and scratch your discerning need-to-know itch - sign up so you never miss a thing.