Celerie Kemble and Bronson Van Wyck Set for Summer at Michael C Fina

table set for summer at Michael C Fina

Just in time to kick off summer entertaining this Memorial Day weekend, designer Celerie Kemble and event planner Bronson Van Wyck celebrated the season at Michael C. Fina last week. Co-hosted by Architectural Digest, where Van Wyck is a special projects editor, the event featured four fabulous thematic tablescapes set for summer by the talented duo.

Nymphenburg fish platter at Michael C. Fina set for summer

Friends since boarding school days, with offices mere feet apart, Celerie and Bronson are old hands at creative collaboration. As Kemble explained, “It was so great creating the fantasy of these different dinner parties and picnics together. We had the fun of coming to Michael C. Fina which is the biggest bazaar of table settings and beautiful objects. Bronson and I raced around pulling everything we loved off the shelves and themes developed from there. I fell in love with these Nymphenburg fish platters (above). First it was ‘Yes! It’s a beautiful swamp night!’ Then it was Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It’s fun working with somebody who has the same shorthand.”

table set for summer at Michael C FinaThe table ultimately became a sumptuous “Midnight Supper in the Mississippi Delta” including Baccarat red stemware and l’Objet place card holders in alternating place settings.

Kemble and Van Wyck at Michael C. Fina

Another venue became “Picnicking After the Beaufort Hunt,” a civilized picnic with a mix and match assortment of Royal Crown Derby patterns, below. Van Wyck concurred, “The most fun was being able to mix all the different brands and china patterns culled from an enormous selection. We’re in the business of saying yes to our clients and so it’s nice to come someplace like Michael C. Fina where they could say yes to everything we wanted!”

Table set for summer at Michael C. Fina

table set for summer picnic at Michael C. Fina

summer table at Michael C. Fina

The Hermès Voyage en Ikat inspired “The Rug Merchant’s Banquet.” An exotic ode to luxe eastern opulence, I could almost smell the spices.

Hermes tablesetting at Michael C. Fina by Kemble and Van Wyck

Celerie explained, “It’s exciting to be able to curate by imagination and to mix things the way I would in real life. I’m interested in the story you tell by what you put together.”

table set for summer entertaining by Kemble and Van Wyck at Michael C. Fina

The last setting, inspired by the vintage silver in the background, gave rise to “Don’t we need to be in the most impossible place to use all this – and that would be out in the middle of Africa. You come back from game watching all day and this magnificent silver is being used in a dusty camp.” That marvelous dichotomy became “Sundowners on the Serengeti Plains,”

Van Wyck and Kemble tablescape at Michael C. Fina

with a fantastical arrangement by Van Wyck, who executed all the floral arrangements for the event.

Bronson Van Wyck at Michael C. FinaAnd Van Wyck’s own Arrowhead Farms supplied the tasty mixers for the special summer cocktails for the evening. They were the perfect accompaniment to Swifty’s impossible-to-resist Millionaire’s Bacon, along with other delectable treats.

Arrowhead Farms mixers at Michael C. Fina

Thanks to Celerie and Bronson for a fun and inspiring start to the summer entertaining season

Bronson Van Wyck and Celerie Kemble at Michael C. Fina

and to hosts Architectural Digest (Advertising Director Bill Pittel in middle below)  and Michael C. Fina (Ashley Fina, president and owner, below left).

Tablescape event at Michael C. Fina

all photos by Quintessence

5 thoughts on “Celerie Kemble and Bronson Van Wyck Set for Summer at Michael C Fina

  1. I love the elegance of the Nymphenburg fish platters displays. I have been staring at modern and old botanical artists trying to figure out which style of artists I like, and now you have thrown fish into the mix and completely re-routed my thinking! Bravo Celerie and Bronson for that display!

  2. Beautiful! I bought some beautiful old fish plates and platter and would not have envisioned this in a 1000 years. Lovely. Thank you.

  3. “Sundowners on the Serengeti Plain”, love it!! Kemble, Van Wyck, so much talent and gorgeous tables all! Thanks Stacey!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena
    Coco Chanel: Three Weeks

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