We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have been selected as Tastemakers for NewlyWish’s Registry Re-Patterned launch, a new and innovative way to shop and register for china and service wear from Wedgewood, Waterford and Royal Daulton.  What does this mean? Well, Mayra and I, along with Lord Wedgewood himself, Marcy Blum, Mark Ingram, Ceci Johnson of Ceci New York and Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty have each created a “collection” of china, flatware, stemware and serving pieces from across the fabulous catalog of patterns being retailed on Newlywish’s website.

Our collection is called City Chateau and Mayra and I just had the BEST time putting it together.  We imagined our collection being used by couples a lot like our clients:  approachable, fun-loving couples with a great design sense who appreciate the open air aesthetics of the country with the glamour and excitement of city living.  We just loved the Jasper Conran chargers and the pops of color in the china, which we paired with classic, floral Vera Wang… Here are some fabulous images by Karen Mordechai.  Check out our fellow tastemakers at Style Me Pretty and you can enter a chance to win $4,500 worth of Wedgewood, Waterford and Royal Daulton product from Newlywish.  Or shop the elements of the collections here.

I don’t know if you know this about me, but basically, I really like food.  I love it, actually.  I work out like a mild lunatic simply so I can run around town and graze like a vaca.  And I specifically love eating out at restaurants.  In fact, in another lifetime, I would have been a food critic, because I will go to the same place (if I like it) and methodically make my way through the menu to the point that at my favorite places, such as Number 7 for brunch, I can tell passers by what they should consider ordering, what is a special and what they can take a pass on (btw. Run, don’t walk to try their amazing fish sandwich.  Honestly, Tyler is a master in the art of the Sandwich, and this brunch sammy is one of his works of caloric genius.)  I digress.

My love of food comes at a time when New Yorkers have never been more obsessed with food, so when I heard about the new and exciting Foodie Registry, I was beyond thrilled.  Amongst our clients (largely New Yorkers) we find so often that they have been living on their own and together for quite some time.  They have their share of plates and glasses and not much place to store extra bedding and no short supply of cooking supplies.

But, do you know what is in short supply after the wedding? (especially for a couple who paid for the soiree themselves)  Date Nights.  The Foodie Registry accomplishes two things; it enables your friends and  family to gift you with meals and drinks at some of the city’s better restaurants AND it ensures that you two newlyweds can get out of the house instead of sitting home and writing thank you cards while watching Dancing With The Stars. (Go Kirstie!)

You can set your registry up on their website, and guests can purchase gift certificates for you both without any added fees to them or the restaurant.  The registry is also active in Chicago, Denver and (my culinary favorite) San Francisco, and I wonder if you are able to register for a meal in a town you may hit up for work or play? For right now the list of New York participating restaurants is growing but includes 15 East, the legendary ‘21’ Club, Alloro, Anfora, dell’anima, the James Beard Foundation, Junoon, L’Artusi, L’Ecole, the restaurant at the French Culinary Institute, Lunetta, Merchants NY Café, Merchants River House, Miranda, One if By Land Two if by Sea, Pera Mediterranean Brasserie, Pescatore, Pound & Pence, PUBLIC, Southwest NY, Tagine Dining Gallery, Tamba, Thalia, and Tocqueville.

Obviously, we often get to think in wedding, but having a apartment with no real dining area, I don’t get as many chances to dream in dinner party, so I was tres excited when Amanda Allen from Newlywish asked if I would want to step in and style their table for the Brooklyn Wedding Crashers event.  The challenge: to create a tabletop utilizing some of the many wonderful items on the NewlyWish registry.  Since NewlyWish is an online registry for some of the city’s most unique and fabulous boutiques, this was like being a kid in a candy store… in fact, my favorite part was wandering her website and in and out of some of her retailers shops to get ideas and narrow down my options.

Ultimately, when I saw a display of these UNBELIEVABLY adorable MUD bowls in various colors and sizes at Greenhouse on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, the decision was made. I was utterly inspired by Spring chics and, of course, Huevos!  (eggs).  Rather than use the bowls in the traditional sense, I thought it would be cool to create a colored runner with them and use the vessels for floating some blooms and succulents.  A simple solution that could really dress up a brunch or dinner party that you might be having at your home.  Plus, it picked up on the playful nature of these gorgeous plates from Bobby Berk Home.  The glassware and flatware was from B. Moore Home and the linens and vase for the flowering quintz were also from Greenhouse. And of course, all the fabulous cook ware in the back and the Melangerie genealogy chart are all ALSO available at Newlywish.

In a true spirit of collaboration, the lovely Karen Wise was sweet enough to stop by early on a Sunday morning to take some shots of the table for us.  She just adores color and I just  love these sweet shots of some of the details and blossoms.

This tabletop made me terribly happy and I do believe, Spring has Sprung… that said, this marks my last official use of the Bird as a motif at Always a Bridesmaid… BUT, please look out for an homage to the Bird at the Wedding in next week’s post “Put a Bird on it”.

I am constantly looking for ways to improve my apartment. So how excited was I when Xochitl sent me a Daily Candy post about  Suki Cheema, a new line of travel inspired home goods? VERY!

I love colors in theory, but in practice, I always find it difficult to pull the trigger. I need to start small. Which is why I loved these throw pillows. What a great way to add color splashes and make your living room a little more interesting!

The site is still not complete, but I was on a role, so I started to look elsewhere for places to buy home goods that remind you of your travels. I came across a company named Ten Thousand Villages. This company works with artisans around the world by marketing their goods in North America.  My favorite part about this site is that you can see which artisan created the item that you have fallen in love with. This paperweight (which you can flip according to your mood) is made by an artisan in Haiti. I want this on my desk so that everyone in the office knows where they stand in the morning:)

Everyone always makes fun of how much I love the color gold. I mean, I would totally wear it EVERY single day if I could (and honestly pretty much do). So, how excited was I when I saw this gold Owl Pouf on Global Home New York . This company, started by a couple who quit their corporate jobs to start their business, features pieces from around the world.

I also feel in love with these bins. Having a baby? Need something cool for your nursery? What about these adorable cotton toy bins to a help you keep your child’s toys nice and stylishly neat.

So when you are registering for things for your home, consider going global in your approach.  It’s a nice way to add some character (and possibly personal relevance) to your interior.

This past weekend I was in Essex CT with my Aunt Linda.  The town was quainter than quaint and we let my Uncle off the hook from our shopping excursion through adorable stores.  This was a good thing because I found and fell in love with an array of products from Juliska.  Some of these things MUST make your way to your registry.  Initially, we fell in love with this adorable ceramic piggy that is available in an array of  glazes including yellow, green, pink and blue.   At only $45 it’s the perfect thing to gift to people for a new baby.

After I noticed the piggy, we went crazy over these GORGEOUS pitchers. They are all handblown in the Czech Republic and are insanely delicate and yet dishwasher safe. They have gorgeous stemware as well. My favorite detail about this pitcher is that the mouth forms the shape of a heart… but in a totally, uncheesy way!

If you love the blown glass, you will love these domed dessert dishes. I think they are a MUST have for any registry because, honestly, when would you buy yourself a domed dessert stand?

Finally, I just loved their ceramic dinnerware. The patterns are definitely leaning towards the shabby chic and are much more for everyday than fine dining, but they are so lovely and INSANELY well made AND, again, you have a lot of options with the glazes. They are all made in Portugal.

Anyway, it’s not that often that I’m really impressed by quality and price and design of household items, but these really did impress me. I encourage you to check them out- especially some of their hostess pieces, as I think they could round out a registry of some more basic items.