Summer Wedding

The beauty about a summer wedding is the many choices of fruits and flowers and the crispness of lace.

We designed an arbor of flowers and fruits in summer colors for this intimate rehearsal dinner.

In considering these economical times, the silver bowls filled with flowers were used the following day for the reception.

Summer fruits add a great touch to these centerpieces.

Hanging Details

Napkin Ties

Celebration of Spring

Spring buzz is in the air.

It’s not only the great feeling that I get being outside but also as I walk to work on these busy New York streets; I can sense a change of attitude in my fellow New Yorkers. They have a smile where there is normally tension.

At my gym, The Chelsea Piers, I see everyone with a new resolve to tone up their bodies. There has been such a lack of hope with all the bad news on T.V, it’s all beginning to have a power over us. The beauty of Spring is the promise of hope that we need during these times.

In my table setting “Celebrating Spring,” I wanted to capture the blossom of nature and there was no other flower that represents Spring more than the Daffodil.

I created a centerpiece featuring two swirling blocks of boxwood with an explosion of bright yellow daffodils and bursts of orange spread throughout the design. Complimenting the boxwoods are tall glasses overflowing with more yellow daffodils emitting light like soft spring sunshine.

In harmony with the theme of spring are placemats made with a feathery light bed of leaves, and a ball of foliage placed on the backs of chairs; which add a whimsical presence to the table setting.

Such subtle touches of spring are a simple and attractive way to celebrate a season that for me includes some of life’s most important themes: nature, beauty, and warmth.

Forever Inspired,

Preston

Those of you who know me well already know that my friend Vicente Wolf was the person who inspired me to start my business way back when. By bringing me in on his beautiful home installations, I discovered my flair for styling and his confidence in me was the final push I needed to establish Preston Bailey Designs. Vicente’s sense of style and his charm has always made for great times together and I’ve often brought him along on my major jobs all over the world to help me install. There’s something about our friendship over the past forty years (am I giving my age away here?) that has always been inspiring to me. Vicente is a most curious traveler and the times where the two of us have traveled the globe together have always been incredibly enlightening to me. It is thus with great joy that I’d like to tell you how you too can share in these inspirational travel experiences!

Vicente has launched a new initiative that will take ten guests with him to discover the beauty and inspiration of Thailand in October 2009. You have the chance to go to Bangkok and Chiang Mai with Vicente and visit the traders that he always visits to buy one-off pieces for his luxury Manhattan showroom, VW Home. Vicente’s play of composition, scale, color, contrast and light has made him a master of his trade over the past 30 years and he will take his ten guests to his favorite antique stores and restaurants, the tailor where he gets his stylish outfits made and guests will even have the opportunity to visit his shoemaker for a pair of perfect heels!

But it’s about more than just traveling to an exotic destination with one of the world’s favorite designers. What makes this experience really special is that Vicente is offering a full-circle opportunity that starts with the option of an in-home consultation prior to the trip for him to analyze the space and ascertain what opportunities can be found in the travels. With this visit setting the stage for what’s to come, Wolf will guide his travel companions, once abroad, to shop the wonderful markets with expert input to ensure that they bring the world into their home – on a personal basis. Once the goods arrive, Vicente will make a second trip to the guest’s home to assist in their placement so that the items can fully represent their education.

The cost of traveling with Vicente is $15,000 per person, which includes one-on-one time with one of my best friends, but excludes the cost of travel for Vicente to visit each guest’s home and all travel accommodation and fees for guests. Travel arrangements will be handled by Sterling Brownell Travel and in Thailand, my favorite luxury tour operators Abercrombie and Kent will take care of guests. Vicente’s latest book, Crossing Boundaries, focuses on the inspiration he draws from his travels and how he translates what he sees in the far-off places he visits into the residences, hotels and restaurants he designs. For more on his work visit http://www.vicentewolf.com/

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact travel@vicentewolf.com or visit http://www.vicentewolftravel.com/.

DIY - You can "Do it yourself"

I love designing table setting. Whether the event is large or small it is the one place where people can gather. I enjoy designing tables that are full of visual layers - the details in the napkins, the placemats, the candles, the tableware, and, of course, the tall centerpiece.

Apart from designing for my clients, one of my greatest joys is empowering people to do it themselves. I am always so honored when people come up to me and tell me that they recreated one of my designs for their event. Still, some opt not to create their own table setting because they fear that they do not have the skills or that these statements have to cost a fortune, and include the most expensive flowers, linen, and tableware. It just isn’t true.

In my new book, "Celebrations," I have a chapter dedicated to making simple to challenging table settings using only the most cost effective materials and natural elements. I hope that this chapter inspires all of you DIYers out there to go for it. Here is one of the table settings, the one I call the Wedding Bell:

The beauty of this table and what makes it cost effective is that most of the wonderful layers and details are done with paper.

To further inspire you to create your own table setting, I am going to provide on Monday, April 6th a complete how-to guide and resource manual for you to create the Wedding Bell. There will be a modest cost for the manual because I will only send out 1,000 copies. If you are interested and would like to reserve your copy, please email us at diy@prestonbailey.com with your name, address, email address and telephone number.

Forever Inspired,

Preston

My Country, My Inspiration, My Orchid

Inspiration can be a mysterious and fleeting thing with no clear source, and at other times the inspiration is crystal clear. After a recent trip to my hometown in Panama, I experienced the latter form of inspiration.

I was invited by Las Amigas de Malambo for a project that is near and dear to my heart, which is the Malambo Orphanage. I had the privilege of being honored with the keys to the city and was treated with great love. Amongst the many wonderful celebrations, I attended one of the most glamorous parties in the magical home in the sky, of the infamous architect Nacho Mallol, his lovely wife Sandra and their beautiful family. They hosted a party that was entertainment Panamanian style and was a thoroughly enjoyable event that would rival even the most lavish Hollywood parties.

Another highlight of my trip and the source of my latest inspiration was a visit to one of the largest orchid farms in the world, Hacienda Loma Linda, owned by Juan Arias and Juan Arias Jr. Experiencing this farm is like a visual feast for the eyes with a wide array of orchids blossoming in various hues and proportions. Immediately I was reminded of the splendor of my country and of the connection to nature that I always feel when I visit Panama.

To pay homage to my source of inspiration I created my own version of an orchid composed of wild moss, colorful leaves, and exotic candles. The beauty of this arrangement for a table is that at the end of an event each guest can take an orchid home with them. So not only is the orchid a decoration but it also serves as a wonderful gift; and that's the gift of inspiration that keeps on giving.

Valentine's Day

What better symbol for love is there than flowers? Juliet was aware of this when she compared her affection for Romeo to a "bud of love," that will blossom into a "beauteous flower." Centuries later and it's no surprise that flowers remain the standard gift on Valentine's Day.

But this year why not do something inspired, unique, and absolutely unforgettable for your loved one? The Valentine Bouquet is an arrangement with absolutely no flowers. The bouquet is designed with sweet decadent chocolate, ripe succulent fruit, and exotic nuts; wrapped at the base with a satin ribbon of radiant color. It's simple to make at home, cost-effective in these dire economic times (after all you can eat it too), plus it's a creative and original way to express your love.

The Valentine Bouquet is an arrangement that your loved one will greatly appreciate and never forget. I'm quite sure Juliet wishes she had thought of this idea for Romeo.

My Favorite Christmas Tree

I love this tree and all the gifts under it! ( My books of course)

The reason I love this tree is because it mixes modern and traditional elements.

As many of you know by now my favorite flowers are orchids, you can see how the orchids garland on this tree really pop. We also created our own fresh floral ornaments out of green mums. It is so fun to mix in fresh flowers on a tree, but remember to pick heartly flowers for this so they last.

We wove in butterflies, birds, and crystals among many other little items throughout the tree all within the same family of green.

You can see in the image above we even threw in some mini disco balls and emarld green feathers around some of the orchids.

Happy Holidays!