Stephanie Rado Taormina
Stephanie Rado Taormina Interiors & Art
In your own words please describe your centerpiece and elaborate a bit on its theme.
My vignette was inspired by bare sculptural branches that I lacquered a glossy white. I selected a tall contemporary ceramic vase with a lime green glaze that complements the bright colors of one of my large abstract paintings. Other items include a clear brilliant cerulean blue modern glass vase, a gold glass square tray and a gold spiky sculptural piece of art. My centerpiece is set atop of an IKEA glossy white console, is paired with a cerulean blue colored antique chair and my custom LOVE pillow. This vignette speaks volumes about energy, art, diversity, tradition, and transition.
Is your creation seasonal or good for year-round?
In my studio, I would think it is a year-round installation.
What do you love and appreciate most about your creation?
What I really find interesting about it is how it brings a warmer, more useful feeling to the art and the space. Adding natural elements and balancing the proportions really works to add interest and purpose to everything.
Tell our readers more about where and how it is displayed.
This vignette was created in my design and art studio. It is a bright, contemporary space with white walls, clean lines and definitely no clutter, to let the art be the main attraction.
Was there a step in the creation process that didn’t go as planned?
Not really. The branches were a little thicker than I originally visualized, but I always embrace those little details that some people would be thrown off by. I look at those “blunders” as being necessary to give the piece freedom of the moment.
Do you think the piece would appeal to most people?
If you are open to contemporary design it would be very appealing. I like to push the boundaries! I studied at Parsons School of Design as a fashion designer; I am trained to look to the next level. My eye gets bored quickly with things that are established already.
What is your design sense?
I specialize in doing what is best for the longevity of a space. My own personal style is adventurous and imaginative, so if I am designing for clients who tend to be more traditional, they are excited to push their boundaries of design a little bit.
If you were asked to create a floral piece, what kind of flowers would use and how would you present them?
I would use peonies because of their luscious color, shape and texture. Also, I think of them as such feminine flowers. Another thing to remember is to go bold and big and use three times as many flowers as possible so that the statement is lush, strong and fragrant. I like to keep the stems cut shorter and placed into a bigger mouth vessel so it reads as a gorgeous, chic bouquet.
Yvonne Staskel
Decorating Den Interiors
In your own words please describe your centerpiece and elaborate a bit on its theme.
My creation is a tablescape for an outdoor lawn party. The centerpiece, made of tree bark, was found on a nature walk. White river birch tree trunks (also found on a walk) hold ornamental birdhouses covered with paper of different motifs to create visual interest. I used moss and dying arborvitae branches to disguise the base of the birch limbs. Bird, butterfly and bee ornaments adorn the piece.
What do you love and appreciate most about your creation?
I love the natural feel of the display.
Tell our readers more about where and how it is displayed.
The display could be used anywhere: a formal dining room, kitchen, patio or lawn area. And it need not be limited to a centerpiece for a dining table; it could adorn an end table sit inside a bookcase or rest on top of a credenza.
Was there a step in the creation process that didn’t go as planned?
Yes. I bought green moss at the store and found it to be too bright for the container, so I used that in the background and put more natural materials in the forefront (the dead arborvitae branches).
Do you think the piece would appeal to most people?
Anyone could make this his or her own, utilizing his color preferences, changing the paper to fit the décor of her space. For example, someone whose home takes on a modern feel could place the birdhouses on metal pedestals and paint them with bright, glossy paint, changing them from whimsy to hi-tech.
What is your design sense?
My ultimate goal is to design spaces that reflect my clients’ dreams and style. And I pride myself on working within the clients’ budget. I come to the clients’ homes, talk with them about their projects. I then create a design plan that matches our collaborative design ideas with the perfect products — fine furnishings, window treatments, wall and floor coverings, bedding, lighting, accessories — all selected specifically for them. Everything about us is custom — from the initial design ideas all the way through installation. We handle it all, making our clients’ lives easier and saving them valuable time and money.
If you were asked to create a floral piece, what kind of flowers would use and how would you present them?
Fresh would be my preference, but artificial would also work. Flowers that can be found in a meadow or along the roadside are perfect every time.
David Reppert
Wishes Entertaining & Event Design presented by Boscov’s
In your own words please describe your centerpiece and elaborate a bit on its theme.
The half-black and half-silver glass vase is fitted with an open sphere made of aluminum tubing and silver wire twisted into an irregular shape down and around the vase. From it hang various sized and shaped crystals. Also fitted to the sphere are white taper candles and hanging glass votive holders with candles. Also there is a cluster of white pillar candles nestled in the center opening of the sphere. The overall effect is a stylized candelabra. The entire color scheme is black and silver with clear glass crystals.
What do you love and appreciate most about your creation?
I like the scale, the shape and the “funky,” untraditional take on a traditional piece.
Tell our readers more about where and how it is displayed.
The piece is displayed on a black and silver scroll linen covered table which is placed in a studio setting to create the feel of an entryway, or gallery. The backdrop, a black framed upholstered board with ribbon diamond shape pattern, could be used as a focal point in any area of the home.
Was there a step in the creation process that didn’t go as planned?
Placing the center pillar candles was a bit challenging. It was an afterthought, so I had to improvise on the mechanics of placing them.
Do you think the piece would appeal to most people?
I believe it would not appeal to everyone’s taste or fit every décor. It is more of a show piece, an event piece — a bit over the top.
What is your design sense?
I create all types of designs ranging from rustic to modern to formal traditional.
If you were asked to create a floral piece, what kind of flowers would use and how would you present them?
Probably something long stem, like white calla lilies. I think they work really great in a vase like this; it’s tall, sleek and has a deco or modern feel, and the black and silver is a great base for white architectural flowers such as callas.
Garden in a Vase
by Gloria Day, Pretty Dirty Ladies Inc. Garden Design & Maintenance
There are plenty of flowers in the garden to choose from when making simple arrangements. You can even utilize weeds, which make great fillers for the casual flower arrangement. For the most part, leave annuals in their patio containers and at the garden borders’ edge. But perennials make great cut flowers and will come back effortlessly year after year. Plant them with abandon and you will be rewarded year-round with cutting material for your indoor arrangements.
Astilbe, iris, peony, allium, columbine, dicentra and spiderwort will combine gracefully with tulips and daffodils to begin the season for cut flowers from the garden.
In the summer, roses, phlox, coneflower, liatris, Asiatic lilies, yarrow, coreopsis, daisies, coral bells, helianthus, lavender, monarda, nepeta (catnip), perovskia, penstemon, salvia, scabiosa and veronica will overfill the vase. One of my favorites is Queen Anne’s lace. If you have a patch in your garden, let it grow; its lacy flower and foliage is beautiful alone in a vase. Be experimental.
Japanese anemone, sedum Autumn Joy and tricyrtis will round out the fall. Lenten rose or hellebores will be ready for your vase in February.
To add interest and height to your arrangements, use cut branches and greens from the garden. A vase full of apple blossom stems is fragrant and inspiring.
A few marbles at the bottom of the vase will help to hold stems in place.
Red twig dogwood, evergreens, nandina and ilex winterberry with its bright red berries welcome winter. They will be bright and cheery when you are ready to dress up for the holidays.
For greens and fillers, try hosta, callicarpa, magnolia, ornamental grasses, lilac, hydrangea, ninebark and curly willow (all are among my favorites). The variety of colors, textures and leaf forms are ready to unleash your creativity.
Woody Cut Stems for Growers and Florists by Lane Greer and John M. Doe (Timber Press) is a complete resource for growing, preparing and using shrubs and small trees in arrangements.
SOURCESWishes Entertaining & Event Design, presented by Boscov’s4500 Perkiomen Ave., Reading 610.370.4811wishesevents.boscovs.com Decorating Den Interiors610.777.3313yvonne.decoratingden.com Stephanie Rado Taormina Interiors & Art504 S. Park Rd., Wyomissing 610.207.7048stephanieradotaormina.com Pretty Dirty Ladies Inc.1.877.944.2211prettydirtyladies.com
by Marcia Weidner-Sutphen | photos by John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
