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

Amelia Handegan beach house master bedroom
Architecture, Art & Antiques, Design, Interior design, Travel

Amelia Handegan in Charleston

Creative collaboration is at the heart of Urban Electric Co.‘s design philosophy. Over the last ten years, working with several… Read More

Steven Gambrel
Art & Antiques, Design, Interior design

Rooms with a View Finale

Today we travel back to Connecticut for a Rooms with a View finale. One of the most glamorous vignettes was… Read More

P1180308
Architecture, Design, Interior design, Travel

Celebrating in Charleston

For the past few days, I have been honored to be participating in a press trip to Charleston, South Carolina,… Read More

Wadia Associates at Rooms with a View
Art & Antiques, Design, Interior design

Rooms with a View Continued

I love how this year’s Rooms with a View designers really embraced and interpreted the theme of Americanism: Timely and… Read More

Corbett Wright Koi Home Office
Art & Antiques, Design, Interior design

Rooms with a View 2013

This year’s Rooms with a View 2013 was the 19th year of one of my favorite design events in Connecticut. Originally… Read More

Dior Diorette ring
Design, Fashion, Interior design

Preserving the Craft

I realize it was only a few weeks ago that I referenced an article in T Magazine, but this week’s… Read More

Jacques Garcia Chateau de Bataille
Architecture, Design, Interior design

High Point Picks | Jacques Garcia Collection for Baker

One of the most talked about events at High Point this fall market was the unveiling of the new Jacques… Read More

Video thumbnail for youtube video ksna3n8ttds
Fashion, Interior design

Stylish Shopping with Susanna Salk and Scot Meacham Wood

A love of tartan, plaid and the romance of Scotland has earned San Francisco interior designer Scot Meacham Wood a… Read More

Design Leadership Summit
Design, Interior design

2013 Design Leadership Summit

This week I am privileged to be attending the 2013 Design Leadership Summit in New York. The premier event of the… Read More

Classical Invention | The Architecture of John B. Murray
Architecture, Books, Design, Interior design

Classical Invention | The Architecture of John B. Murray

We really have the author’s mother to thank for John Murray‘s elegant new volume Classical Invention | The Architecture of… Read More

Wesley Hall Concavo ottoman
Design, Interior design

High Point Highlights | Wesley Hall

I was delighted to have Wesley Hall as one of my co-sponsors again this market. As a privately owned made-in-America… Read More

Jamie Drake Designer Visions
Architecture, Art & Antiques, Interior design

Jamie Drake for House Beautiful at Designer Visions

In the Designer Visions apartment designed by Jamie Drake for House Beautiful, it’s not surprising that color plays a major… 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.