For our Entertaining column, we are thrilled to collaborate with Backcountry Mercantile, a place that celebrates “les arts de la table”. Founder Amanda Gaudelet believes that a table setting should not only be elegant but should tell a story. Her carefully curated collection of bespoke and vintagetable wareallows for both memorable and creative celebrations. Please enjoy our Q&A with Amanda:
Patricia Mae Olson Tabletop
Tell us about your collections…
We pride ourselves in offering our clients the ability to create their very own bespoke tabletop for the home. The products we offer are one-of-a-kind, hand-painted maiolica ware from Deruta, Italy, bespoke porcelain wares from Limoges, France, as well as an array of vintage curations and hand-pressed glassware (both reproduction pieces made from vintage molds, and new).We have over thirty maiolica collections that we have designed, then seen the creative process through our artisanal partner in Italy. Each piece is made the same as was done during the Italian renaissance, from the hand-pressing of the mold to the hand-dipping of the glaze, to the using of the ancient spolvero technique (hand tracing through charcoal pin pricks), to the hand-painting of each unique piece. It is a six-to-seven-day process to create each item and is a true labor of love from design to finish.
What are some of your favorite pieces for entertaining in spring?
Spring evokes vibrant colors, much like the flowers that begin to bloom and give us new hope. My maiolica bunny collection is still one that is near and dear to my heart. It debuted the spring of 2020,when, due to the pandemic, people were spending a great deal of time at home. The collection sold out quickly, as many were craving at-home entertainment. It is not specific to Easter, although we will set a table with it for the upcoming holiday. It celebrates all the joys that the new season brings, including the family of bunnies that will soon frolic across our backyard.
Simple Easter Tabletop
Maria Avila Designs
How did you get started?
I have a background in hospitality, and my husband is a restaurateur, still practicing. He is also a classically French trained chef. With that being said, my family reaps the many benefits that come along with having a chef under our roof. One can find our family spending a fair amount of time on the weekends in the kitchen together. Holidays are always spent at home and revolve around entertaining friends and family over fine meals. I have also been known to be a lover of setting a fine tabletop. I suppose that because my partner spends a great deal of time creating masterpieces in the kitchen, it is only deemed fair that I deliver on the presentation end of it.
When my husband and I launched our first hospitality firm, I worked on a project that involved seeking an artisan to assist us in creating table ware for a restaurant project. I had so much fun working on the design end of it, that I decided I could apply this new passion to so much more. My love for travel and collecting heirloom elements everywhere I go (from teacups, to linens, glassware and dishes) melded with my new love for tableware design, go hand in hand. It is how the concept of my business was born.
Do you offer bespoke items?
Absolutely. Our most popular items to date are those that can be customized by hand-painting the client’s family name, a monogram, or a personal motif, on our dish ware. It doesn’t get any more personal than that. Our lead time is 8-12 weeks, depending upon the season.
What are some of your favorite springtime dishes?
There are far too many to name them all, however, we do love to celebrate whatever produce happens to be fresh and in season. With that comes our favorite vegetable salads-cucumber and avocado, and then an heirloom tomato and watermelon platter (closer to summer months), and then finally, the cold soups. While we enjoy warm soups throughout the winter, it is truly the cold pea soup, the variation of both white and red gazpachos (we love ripe cherries blended with tomatoes and red peppers in our red version), and the vichyssoise that I crave most. Garnishing these seasonal items with fresh and fragrant herbs is quite literally the icing on the vegetable cake!
Do you mix and match?
Most definitely! Setting a tabletop is like setting the stage. I love to meld vintage treasures with new, carefully curated, and sought after ones. Finding ways to incorporate various textures, colors, and heights on the tabletop is key. An all-white tabletop would be awfully boring without some form of floral elements or nature, and so would one with no story to tell. Something as simple as bringing branches from a new blooming cherry blossom tree onto your tabletop has already set the stage for an inviting, bespoke setting.
Lisa Elrich Designs
How do you create a memorable celebration or occasion?
Our motto is this, “We believe that setting a table that not only looks elegant, but one that also tells a story, is what becomes the foundation of a memorable celebration.” Whether it be heirloom linens we sourced in the south of France, o r vintage stemware taken from my mother’s corner cabinet, each element of that tablescape tells a story. Dressing the table with colored glassware is much like wearing some of your favorite jewelry and will bring much personality to the table. Melding vintage treasures with new, carefully creative and sought after ones, will set the stage for a one – of – a – kind bespoke setting, like no other. Table settings are personal creations, and much like us, no two are exactly the same.