The Chicago Flower & Garden Show will sparkle even more brightly this year with the addition of “Tablescapes” to its array of gardens.
The new feature will bring together top floral designers from the Chicago area to work with local retailers in designing table settings for a variety of entertaining situations. Paul Witry, nursery manager at Sid’s Greenhouse and Garden Center in Palos Heights, is happy to see the addition. “It will demonstrate to visitors other ways flowers can be used, while helping to make the show more interesting,” he says.
Sid’s floral designer Tom Fennema is creating the garden center’s display, which will have a French country theme. “There will be royal blue and red plates with roosters and an informal arrangement of garden-type flowers,” Fennema explains. “No orchids. We want it to look as if it was just picked from the garden.” The tableware is coming courtesy of Mona Lisa, a gift shop in Palos Heights.
Other creations will run the gamut from rustic charm to stately elegance. Sawbridge Studios, a store with locations in River North and Winnetka, which sells handmade furniture crafted by artisans throughout the country, is collaborating with The Flower Firm of Chicago for its display, a carefully orchestrated blend of handsome wood, weathered metals and flowers. A pedestal table and chair made from mahogany and a natural cherry armoire by Charlie Shackleton will be the focus. Containers, flowers and ornaments will be selected to enhance the beauty of the woods.
“We will be changing the flower arrangements daily,” explains James Papajohn, owner of The Flower Firm. “Dendrobium orchids will be featured one day, TerraCotta roses the next, then hydrangeas (which will be flown in for the event) and even a terrarium.”
In contrast, Michigan Avenue’s The Joy of Ireland and City Scents, just east of the Magnificent Mile on Ohio Street, will be putting on the glitz with a stately dinner setting complete with fine bone china and crystal. Richard Kosmacher, co-owner of The Joy of Ireland, will be providing Wedgwood china, Waterford crystal and flatware, while the flowers and the overall artistic direction will come from City Scents and its head designer, Bruce Carroll.
For innocence and sweetness, look to the display American Girl Place will put together to evoke its cafe, an environment that aims to provide sophisticated yet fun dining for girls. The table, set with black and white china–a combination of Bernardaud and custom-designed pieces–starched linens and glistening glassware, will feature a sterling-silver watering can filled with bright pink Gerbera daisies as a centerpiece. An individual touch will be the conversation starters, a series of questions intended to introduce opportunities for sharing special memories across generations. The floral design will be created by A New Leaf, which has stores on North Michigan Avenue and Lincoln Park.
Additional participating retailers in the Tablescapes exhibit are Crate & Barrel, Ravinia Gifts and Smith & Hawken. Other floral designers include MilleFiori! of Evanston, Phillip’s Flowers and Gifts, which has 10 locations throughout the Chicago area, and Rick Orr Florist of Champaign.
