Veranda Nov/Dec 2019

AL Birmingham Bromberg’s 205.871.3276 Birmingham Table Matters 205.879.0125 Mobile The Ivy Cottage 251.345.1731 AR Jonesboro The Everyday Chef 870.933.2665 Little Rock Tipton & Hurst 501.666.3333 AZ Phoenix Cornelia Park 602.955.3195 CA Fresno Vonda’s 559.438.9900 San Mateo Draeger’s 650.685.3797 GA Americus Minick Interiors 229.931.0311 Atlanta Erika Reade, Ltd. 404.233.3857 Atlanta Fragile 404.257.1323 Augusta Charleston Street 706.738.6298 Macon Creter’s 478.745.6709 Moultrie Cranford Jewelry Store 229.985.6521 ID Eagle Maison Blue 208.890.1314 IL Glen Ellyn Marcel’s Culinary Experience 630.790.8500 Northfield Peachtree Place 847.441.7585 IN Indianapolis Charles Mayer & Co. 317.257.2900 KS Topeka Home At Last 785.215.8089 Wichita The Plaid Giraffe 316.683.1364 LA New Orleans Adler’s 504.523.5292 Shreveport Lewis Gifts 318.868.6700 MA Hingham La Petite Maison 781.741.8393 MN Minneapolis Ampersand 952.920.2118 MO Chesterfield Mary Tuttle’s 636.728.0480 MS Tupelo Reed’s 662.842.6453 NC Chapel Hill South 919.240.5475…

SO SAID, FAMOUSLY, ELSIE DE WOLFE, who is known as America’s first professional decorator, as well as for being a masterful hostess of rather extravagant parties. (Her 1939 Bal-Cirque at Villa Trianon is said to have been the last great party before World War II.) But what, exactly, does it mean to be gracious? In the past year at the helm of this brand, I’ve found myself using the word time and again to define Veranda’s unique point of view. “Our stories are about, and are meant to inspire, gracious living,” I’ve said. I’m sure I was thinking of the stylish, tasteful, comfortable, and luxurious lifestyle we present. When it comes to entertaining at home—the topic of this issue—I’d define that lifestyle more specifically: A gracious host is well-mannered, considerate, and…

Cruise Indonesian Isles Like a King This may be the world’s most beautiful cruise: a sail through Raja Ampat (the “Four Kings,” Indonesia’s rugged archipelago at the intersection of the Indian and Pacific Oceans) aboard Amanikan, a traditional teak cruising vessel with just three cabins (all above deck). The six-day voyage includes visits to coral reefs, manta ray habitats, Komodo dragon sanctuaries, and pearl farms, as well as a stay at Amanwana, Aman’s luxury camp on Moyo Island. Rates start at $7,750; departs at the client’s discretion. For more information, contact Aman Voyages by phone (800-477-9180) or email (reservations@aman.com). Roam Through Italy’s Opulent Garden Empire Sidestep Venice’s crowds and venture to Padua, Verona, and Vicenza for Gardens & Villas of the Veneto, an invigorating foray through the playground of Venetian patricians. This luxe botanical…

REBECCA GARDNER LIKES TO BURN the midnight oil. “I am most productive in my library in the middle of the night, sitting on the floor with stacks of books and pictures and a basket of fabric memos,” says the events and interior designer, who splits her time between New York (“where it happens”) and Savannah (“where I appreciate it”). Her fervor for meticulous planning gives new meaning to making merry: “Micromanaging details is how we force serendipity. I crave the potent cocktail of adrenaline and fairy dust.” Here are nine other secrets to creating the illusion of effortless magic. 1. I recharge alone but I put on a good show. I love to spend a holiday weekend at the Faena Hotel in Miami. The environment is creative, and it encourages Champagne…

AS QUEEN VICTORIA ascended the throne in 1837, English society ushered in a new code of etiquette. Among the social dictates (which spanned from manners to dress) was a decree that guests should always be greeted with the best one had to offer. And so the role of the Victorian parlor rose in importance, becoming an increasingly opulent milieu in which hosts could entertain and members of society could court in an acceptable—and open—manner. Given the space’s social purpose, the pieces in it were designed to shift throughout the evening like pieces on a chessboard. Brocade-upholstered ottomans and shapely mahogany settees, balloon-back walnut chairs and dapper card tables all made for lively and versatile arrangements in these large reception rooms. “Victorian-era parlors were almost cluttered with a myriad of furniture, but…

16th CENTURY An early predecessor, the farthingale chair accommodates the exceptionally wide hooped skirts of the Elizabethan era. VICTORIAN ERA The 19th-century boudoir chair sits low to the ground for ease of slipping on shoes (either by the lady or her dutiful maid). 1stdibs.com NAPOLEON III The low chauffeuse seat and its extravagant, ultrafeminine trim introduces a curved, sheltered back for sitting fireside. 1stdibs.com 1920s Twentieth-century designers revisit the agile classic with Deco details like channeled tufting and fluted backs. 1stdibs.com 1930s Fritz Hansen weaves modernism into the design, along with ultratextural materials like lambswool. 1stdibs.com 1950s Billy Baldwin seizes on the chair’s versatility and creates a more masculine design for gathering spaces. billybaldwinstudio.com TODAY The pillow chair riffs on the layered cushions of Turkish ottomans and poufs while keeping to the classic armless form. ashnyc.com…