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Quintessence

Quintessence

Lifestyle blog | Living Well with Style and Substance

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    • Books that I have collaborated on, as photographer, with design author Susanna Salk
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    • At Home with Dogs and Their Designers: Sharing a Stylish Life
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    • At Home with Designers and Tastemakers: Creating Beautiful and Personal Interiors
    • Making a House a Home: Designing Your Interiors from the Floor Up
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New Year’s Eve

Quintessential Guide to Champagne 2018
Food and drink, Gifts, Holiday

Quintessential Guide to Champagne 2018

As tomorrow is (shockingly) the last day of December, the time has come for the Quintessential Guide to Champagne 2018… Read More

New Year’s Movies
Entertainment, Holiday

New Year’s Movies

Since we have a long weekend (and a freezing snowy one here in New England), it offers ample opportunity for… Read More

Quintessential Guide to Champagne 2015
Food and drink

Quintessential Guide to Champagne 2015

It’s time for this year’s edition of what has become an annual tradition here chez Q – the Quintessential Guide to Champagne… Read More

Quintessential Guide to Champagne 2014
Food and drink, Holiday

Quintessential Guide to Champagne 2014

While I am a proponent of drinking champagne throughout the year, there is certainly no more traditional time to celebrate with a… Read More

Bollinger SPECIAL CUVEE
Food and drink, Holiday

Quintessential Guide to Champagne 2013

At this festive time of year, it’s become tradition in these parts to publish my Quintessential Guide to Champagne. For… Read More

Bollinger La Grane Année Rosé 1999
Food and drink

Quintessential Guide to Champagne

It has become a tradition here, in preparation for New Year’s Eve, to publish my Quintessential Guide to Champagne. Long… Read More

dom perignon oenotheque 93
Food and drink, Holiday

Quintessential Guide to Champagne

In preparation for New Year’s Eve, everyone needs to know at least a little something about champagne. Long time readers… Read More

William Yeoward Bunny Champagne Flute
Food and drink, Gifts, Holiday, Interior design

Coupe or Flute?

This is the age old champagne dilemma – coupe, flute or tulip! Last year I wrote about Seth Box, director… Read More

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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!!
Some homes are beautiful. Others tell a story. Th Some homes are beautiful. Others tell a story. 
The Yucatán home of interior designer @laurakirar and architect Richard Frazier @rwf333 is both -  a masterful reflection of its surroundings, where architecture, landscape, light, and craftsmanship come together in perfect harmony.
Tag along for a visit to this extraordinary retreat and discover how years of collecting, collaboration, and creative vision shaped a house that feels deeply connected to its place. LINK IN PROFILE
Wishing everyone a very happy Mother’s Day! 🌸 Flow Wishing everyone a very happy Mother’s Day! 🌸 Flowers from my thoughtful husband - all else from my shop (plates coming soon - DM to be notified).
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