The Harvest Pheasant, The Progress of a Dinner I

Thanksgiving
First Course
Feast or Pheasant?
(Making The Plan)

Andrew Carmellini’s Thanksgiving Feast featured in New York Magazine
Find the bird.
I DO love a bird on the table!

Have you made the plan for your Thanksgiving feast?



What an inspiring fall setting. 
Don't you love her jaunty cape and pheasant feather fascinator?


I am thinking foul, pheasant specifically, and well, of course turkey,
 for Thanksgiving. 

I think I will pass on this

"Galantine of Pheasants" and

 the "Roasted Pheasant with Apples",
 but I will use the galantine drawing for
my menu card and placecards.

I do love the colors in this roasted pheasant with apples though!

All fall I have been thinking

 of my table scheme for Thanksgiving, and I have been stuck on

"The Harvest Pheasant."

Have a lovely glass of Autumn Punch with me, and let's chat about how I plan my table decor for Thanksgiving.

And the same glorious colors are here in my Autumn Punch. 
The recipe for the gloriously colored punch is at the end of the blog.

For Thanksgiving or any holiday or celebration, I usually start with a single idea.  It can really be anything that is appealing.  Somehow this time I am fixated on pheasants.  

 As you may know, I LOVE birds, and the colors in the pheasant feathers are to me the perfect backdrop for the panoply

of fall colors that I love, like the ones in the roasted pheasant and the

 autumn punch above and
these lovely fall colors below. 

And that is kind of the point, inspiration is everywhere, even in a photo of a recipe I have no intention of making for Thanksgiving.

If something really appeals to you, file it away and refer to it later when you are looking for ideas.  You don't even have to know why you like it, just that you do.

Don't limit or categorize your imagination.
LET IT ROAM FREELY,
kind of like a freerange Thanksgiving foul.

So now, I have my idea, pheasants, and my glorious fall color scheme leaning toward the reds and burgundies with a pop of orange.



Benjamin Moore color chips for my Thanksgiving color scheme

And, I happen to have a stuffed pheasant,

that is my father's.  

It is that one over-the-top

antique/vintage "thing"  or inspiration piece
that will make my table really special.






And I keep roaming.

 I search for inspiration everywhere.

Holland and Sherry English Pheasant

Pheasant Chair from Horchow

Kravet Fabric



Pair of Antique Pheasant Prints, Nozeman, ca 1800
Nozeman's skill with wildlife prints is ranked with Audubon



Twigs Pheasant Wallpaper from John Rosselli, here and below.
I am dying to put this behind shelves.



Royal Crown Derby Red Aves is one of my china patterns and
 will be perfect for Thanksgiving this year.

 

 Instead of immediately making a to do list or starting to gather decorative items,
 I let my idea  "lie fallow" as my fabulous and inspiring eighth grade English teacher
 Suzanne Henley taught us to do
 when we were writing papers. 

Ideas will turn out ever so much better when they have a chance to mature and ripen
like a delicious cheese or the perfect wine. 

Both things I WILL plan to include in my
Thanksgiving Harvest Pheasant Feast.

Bries and Blues!  My favorites.  What are yours?



Always released exactly one week before Thanksgiving (yesterday) and sometimes panned by wine connoisseurs because it is NOT aged, Beaujolais Nouveau is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. 
I can never resist trying a few bottles for my Thanksgiving bar. 
This year is supposed to be fairly good, and the labels are always interesting.

So, for now, all that I am cooking is an idea . . . 

These kaleidoscope photos reminded me of pheasant feathers and provide further inspiration!

 TO BE CONTINUED 


What is inspiring your Thanksgiving celebration?

Do you have every detail planned?

Recipe
Autumn Punch

2 teaspoons whole cloves

1/2 of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 64 ounce bottle apple-cranberry juice

4 medium purple and/or green plums, pitted and sliced

1 750 milliliter bottle Gewurztraminer, or other fruity white wine*

   Ice cubes

1. Place cloves and vanilla bean in center of a double-thick 6-inch square of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth. Bring corners of cloth together; tie closed with clean string. Pour apple-cranberry juice into a large container or pitcher. Add plums and spice bag. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.

2. Remove and discard cheesecloth bag. Stir in Gewurztraminer. Serve beverage and plum slices over ice. (Or omit the ice and heat the juice mixture and wine in a 4-quart Dutch oven until hot. Serve in heatproof mugs.)

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Variation *Nonalcoholic Option:Substitute two 12-ounce cans chilled ginger ale for the Gewurztraminer, and serve over icee


photo credits: New York Magazine, Marilyn Storey, Holland and Sherry, Horchow, Kravet, House Beautiful, Twigs at John Rosselli

John Lyle and My Trip to New York, It's a Black and White THING

It's a Black and White THING --

John Lyle

and

My Trip to New York

I have been missing you my friends. 

Mary Douglas Drysdale Black and White

Friday

Early, I mean really, really early, at a quarter until 3 in the AM, on Friday, October 28th I hopped, well actually dragged myself out of bed, to catch a flight to New York.  My good friend and client Pam was already there waiting for me to arrive.

At the airport, I picked up a copy of the November Elle Decor for the plane ride. 

 I am a total magazine hound,

as you might surmise.

Thumbing through it, I was very pleased to make the acquaintance of

Frederik,

a chair designed by John Lyle.

What a coincidence!

I was looking forward to a visit

with John in New York.

I connected in Charlotte and arrived at Laguardia around noon.  I had arranged for my car to take me by Pam's where I could run UPSTAIRS to drop off my bags and pick her up, and we could head straight to the D and D Building where we would only have a few hours to visit our long list of must visit showrooms.



The D and D (Decoration and Design) Building in New York
Sorry about the construction!



Elevator doors on one of the upper floors of
New York's D and D Building

Kravet and Lee Jofa were on our list of stops. 

I found a great black and white rug and lots of black and white

 fabrics, which I have sprinkled

 throughout this blog.

Kravet Rug

Lee Jofa Meander in Granite 

Pam and I enjoyed all the black and white at Ralph Lauren too.

Ralph Lauren's new One Fifth Collection



David Hicks for Lee Jofa Fiorentina in Domino





Ralph Lauren Showroom





Ralph Lauren Showroom

But of course, the piece de resistance of our visit to to the D and D building was

the Holly Hunt showroom

where my friend from high school the very

artistic, outspoken, slightly irreverent

(well a bit more than slightly!),

designer John Lyle is represented.

His andirons and fireplace equipment are the best I have ever seen.

John Lyle's Starburst fireplace screen is a showstopper!

Making an andiron decision is too hard.  We loved them all. 
 I do think I am just a bit partial to the Gates ones on top.

Pam and I looked, discussed, and planned until time was running short on our

abbreviated business day.

We had just enough time to grab a quick glass of champagne before it was time to hail a ride to our next stop in a yellow,

 NOT a black and white cab.

I would have given anything to show up at John's studio in a black and white

 VW THING just like the one John and his brother Bobby drove when I first met them.  The car was cute and one-of-a kind

and so were they!

John Lyle

As John would say,

 "How can you be content to

blend in with the crowd?"

I say, "Exactly!"

Of course, the Frederik chair greeted me in person as soon as I walked in the studio. 
 John was a bit surprised that we already knew each other.

John's studio, just across the river from the city with absolutely spectacular views of the city, was a breath of black and white fresh air. 

John and his precious, bubbly assistant Heather showered us with southern hospitality New York style and served us more bubbly and showed us around. 

John's associate Heather Moran and John in front of John's custom cabinet





In addition to all the perfect andirons and fireplace equipment at Holly Hunt, John also designs lots of great furniture, lighting, mirrors, and outdoor pieces that are

STRIKING

MODERN

CLEVER

PROVOCATIVE

Just like John!

   His Inox New York line of stainless steel furniture is at Donghia in

 the D and D building.

John's Tobey desk with inlaid black and white marble

John's Edward Table

John's Michael Bench

My client Pam Walton and John
We have used black and white in her home.






John's Icon II Mirror

Matthew Desk in onyx shagreen with bone trim



Lee Jofa Palmavera Silk in Noir



John's Butler Console, Parchment with Ebony Trim



John's Christofi Outdoor Bench



John's Scroll Table

At the end of our studio visit and a great dinner, John agreed to meet us for a Sunday outing.

Saturday

Pam and I wasted no time on our trip!  We were up early and ensconced at

ABC Carpet and Home when it opened Saturday morning.



Just a bit of the tons of great industrial elements on the
 first floor of ABC Carpet and Home.



One of the very delicious courses that Pam and I devoured was the Roasted carrot and avocado salad with seeds.
This salad is highly recommended by Martha Stewart.
And I highly recommend the cookbook "Home Cooking with Jean-Georges."




While we were having a truly delicious, organic, several course lunch at the James Beard award winning ABCkitchen there, I received a text from John
asking how we liked the snow. 
SNOW? 
It had just been drizzling rain when we arrived. 

 Luckily we had our umbrellas for the blizzard when we finally struck out

 for the Metropolitan Museum.

Steps of the Metropolitan Museum during the Saturday snow

Pam and  I loved seeing Georgia O'Keefe's "Black Iris"
 in the ongoing Stieglitz exhibit.
We have used an art print of this painting and
several other O'Keefe's in Pam's Media Room.

I loved "Odalisque in Grisaille" by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ca 1824-34

 

Sunday

Up bright and early, AGAIN!  I am NOT a morning person!

But I am determined, with Pam's help,

to make the most of every minute in New York.

We head off to meet John, and for the first time my Facebook friends

Connie Lee of Doris Leslie Blau

and Kevin McLaughlin of

Mae Downs & Company at the special

Fortuny event at Bergdorf's

that I blogged about several weeks ago.

It was fun and very exciting to meet Connie Coco and Kevin Tru for the first time. 

 John arrived in Halloween attire,

Andy Warhol OR was it Carol Channing?



John Lyle, Kevin McLaughlin, Connie Lee. Marilyn Storey, and Pam Walton at Bergdorf's



 Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa Groundworks Flair in Noir

I also checked out Kelly Wearstler's accessories while we were there. 



Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa Groundworks Sea Urchin in Noir



Like me, I think Kelly also has a hand fetish.

Then we were all off across the street for brunch/tea at the Plaza's Palm Court. 

 It was rather surreal and fabulous.

Lee Jofa Felci Linen in Black
Could any fabric be more frondily appropriate for our visit to the Plaza's famed Palm Court?



Andy/Carol aka John Lyle at the Plaza's Palm Court



Of course tea included black and white cookies!

Lee Jofa Mulberry Family Silver Linen in Black and Creme
Well, just perhaps this one, since several of us had High Tea Service at the Palm Court.

Then, alas it was time for me to jump in another

NOT black and white cab

 and head back to the airport,

but not before we all said our goodbyes and promised to make it an annual and

 expanded design event!

Won't you join us next time?

Perhaps we shall make it a

 black and white ball . . .

But then again, we ALWAYS have a ball!

I have been loving all these black and white rooms since I got home . . .

And I can't wait to pour over Celerie Kemble's new book that is just out since my trip 

"Black and White, (and a bit in between)"

When I got home from New York, I had to complete an unscheduled but very exciting project that kept we away all last week.  I can't wait for a blog show and tell very soon. . . 

In the meantime, I am getting ready for a Thanksgiving Harvest Feast,

or should I say

 Thanksgiving Harvest Pheasant?

Tell me what you think of black and white design.  Do you like just graphic black and white, or do you like to soften it a bit by adding a few pops of another color(s)?

The first two photos are rooms designed by John Lyle in Jackson, MS.

Interior Design by John Lyle
I DO love the yellow!



Interior Design by John Lyle





This one if for you Coco!



 See you soon, John, my friend!

SEE more of John Lyle Design at

www.johnlyledesign.com

Photo Credits:   Mary Douglas Drysdale, Marilyn Storey, Kravet/Lee Jofa, Ralph Lauren, John Lyle, Metropolitan Home, Kelly Wearstler, Elle Decor