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
    • At Home in Charleston with Michael Mitchell
  • Shop
    • Home & Decor
      • Accessories
      • Antiques
      • Art
      • Lighting
      • Trays
    • Tableware
      • Baskets
      • Glassware
      • Linens
      • Flatware
      • Plates
    • Fashion
      • Bags
      • Clothing
      • Jewelry
    • Exclusives
      • Tableware
      • Fashion
      • Home & Decor
    • Cartouche Embroidered Placemat
  • Video
    • Exclusive insider tours visiting top designers and tastemakers at home around the world
      VIEW ALL
    • At Home in Charleston with Michael Mitchell
    • At Home with Laura Kirar and Richard Frazier in Yucatan, Mexico
    • At Home with designer Pierre Gonalons in his jewelbox Paris apartment
    • At Home with Young Huh in her historic Hudson Valley home
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

Interior design

Charles Ray Nantucket basket at the Rafael Osona auction
Art & Antiques, Design, Interior design, Nantucket, Travel

The Rafael Osona Americana, Fine Art and Marine Auction

The August Americana, Fine Art and Marine auction at Rafael Osona is one of the most anticipated events of the Nantucket… Read More

Sylvia Antiques at the 2014 Antiques & design Show of Nantucket
Art & Antiques, Design, Interior design, Nantucket, Travel

Favorite Finds at the 2014 Antiques & Design Show of Nantucket

The 2014 Antiques & Design Show of Nantucket has been a highlight of the busy first weekend of August on… Read More

Video thumbnail for youtube video ej97jt-3xng
Garden, Interior design, Travel

At Home in the Hamptons with Susanna Salk and Alex Papachristidis

It’s impossible to visit Alex Papachristidis at his country home without wanting to move in. And you wouldn’t be alone…. Read More

Lindsay Coral Harper at Lee Jofa
Interior design

Lindsey Coral Harper at Lee Jofa

Several times a year, Lee Jofa redesigns the front room in their NYC D&D showroom to celebrate a new collection,… Read More

Soffia B. silk robes and dressing gowns
Design, Fashion, Gifts, Interior design

Fall Product Previews

Although the last couple days have felt like monsoon season here, fall is looming on the horizon, at least according to the many… Read More

Video thumbnail for youtube video e9_yvlsdmz8
Art & Antiques, Design, Interior design

At Home on the Hudson with Marian McEvoy

Whoever coined the phrase “it’s all in the mix,” must have had the creative and effervescent Marian McEvoy in mind. With a… Read More

Video thumbnail for youtube video idyaj_lpvky
Beauty, Fashion, Garden, Gifts, Interior design, Travel

At Home in the Hamptons with Susanna Salk and Aerin Lauder

Less than two years ago, Aerin Lauder expanded her focus beyond her role at Estée Lauder to launch her eponymous… Read More

Video thumbnail for youtube video xqgyh3t3054
Art & Antiques, Interior design

In the Studio Video with Susanna Salk and Madeline Weinrib

In her eponymous signature designs, Madeline Weinrib has melded the once disparate worlds of art and decor. As the great… Read More

Quintessence blog on instagram
Interior design

Design Video Summer Extravaganza

Throughout the year, as Susanna Salk and I get inspired with ideas for our design video series, our enthusiasm perhaps… Read More

cabana magazine
Architecture, Art & Antiques, Design, Fashion, Interior design

The Globetrotting Sophistication of Cabana Magazine

In this era of consolidation, cutting corners and mass market mentality, it is a rare pleasure to come across a unique… Read More

John Richard at NYDC
Architecture, Art & Antiques, Design, Interior design, Travel

A Day of Design at the Mayflower Grace

Next Saturday, June 14th, I am delighted to be participating in the first ever Day of Design at one of… Read More

George Stacey
Books, Interior design

Spring Design Books Round Up

While it’s usually the fall season that brings out the blockbuster line up of design books, this spring, a strong… Read More

Posts navigation

Older Posts Older Posts
Newer Posts Newer Posts
Illustration of camera

Follow

Nantucket baskets are suddenly everywhere this sum Nantucket baskets are suddenly everywhere this summer — filling Instagram feeds, appearing in the pages of The New York Times and garnering attention in publications around the world. Coveted by collectors and a whole new generation of enthusiasts, these iconic baskets are having an undeniable moment. Yet behind all the current excitement is a fascinating story of history, tradition, ingenuity and exceptional craftsmanship.

Five years ago, I had the privilege of making this film with @Mary_emery_design, Director of Heritage Craft for the @nantuckethistoricalassociation , exploring the history and evolution of Nantucket lightship baskets through the people who know them best. We visited master basket makers Karl and Susan Ottison, Tim Parsons and Nap Plank, and heard about legendary maker José Reyes from his son-in-law, Maurice Gibbs. We also spent time with Nantucket scrimshander Michael Vienneau, whose work illustrates another chapter in the continuing evolution of the basket.

The film was made at the time the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum became affiliated with the Nantucket Historical Association, bringing its extraordinary collection — and the stories and traditions it represents — into the care of the NHA.

With Nantucket baskets now capturing the attention of an entirely new audience, it seemed the perfect time to revisit the film and celebrate the remarkable makers, history and craftsmanship behind this enduring Nantucket tradition.

Watch the full film at the link in bio.
August, stay a while. August, stay a while.
Charleston has a way of drawing people back again Charleston has a way of drawing people back again and again—and homes like this remind us why.
Tag along as designer @michaelmitchelldesigner welcomes us inside his gracious home, where layers of history, thoughtful collecting, and a deeply personal approach to design make every room a reflection of both its owner and the city itself.
LINK IN PROFILE.
One of my favorite things about setting a table is One of my favorite things about setting a table is that it never has to begin from scratch.

The most beautiful tables are collected over time—mixing old favorites with new discoveries, heirlooms with contemporary pieces, and the things you’ve loved for years with something that brings fresh perspective.

For this table, I’ve paired PeterDunham + Hudson Grace’s (@peterdunhamdesign @hudsongracesf ) beautiful salad and bread plates and napkins with Blue Carnation dinner plates, table linens, glassware, and flatware from my shop, alongside a few favorite pieces from my personal collection.

I hope this table is a reminder that you don’t need everything to match—or come from one place. The magic is in the mix. Every new piece should make you fall in love with the pieces you already own all over again.

That’s the joy of collecting—and the beauty of a table that reflects your own story.

Shop the table through link in profile
Very excited to be returning to @eleishvanbreems o Very excited to be returning to @eleishvanbreems on Nantucket for a 2 day trunk show next Thursday and Friday! If on island, do stop by! There will be many new introductions you will be the first to see!!
© 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.