WELCOME to Nest by Tamara blog

WELCOME to Nest by Tamara blog
Hi- It's Tamara. I'm happy you've stopped by, and since 2010 I've been sharing my passion for interior design, history, art, entertaining, travel & fashion. I am an interior designer, textile designer and writer living and working in New York City and East Hampton, Long Island. My musings have taken me to international design, art, antique and epicurean events and I have lots to share. I'm grateful to have been listed as the #1 top design blog, blogs to watch, top design blogs and named and awarded Rising Star of Design by the IFDA NY industry organization. Please feel free to reach out to our team for an interior design consultation at NestbyTamara.com -Tamara

Take A Look At A Table Design for Hope Lodge's Annual Holiday Bash at the Harmonie Club in New York City

Our plans for a decorated table 
inspired by The Netherlands 
for the Hope Lodge Holiday Bash 
at the Harmonie Club
on December 8 in New York City!
Sneak Peeks...
We will decorate a table at the annual Holiday Bash for Hope Lodge on Tuesday, December 8.  This fundraiser and gala will be held at the swanky Harmonie Club in New York City, and in their beautiful, historic ballroom.  A group of us interior designers have been chosen and invited to decorate a table, each honoring a different country and to be designed inspired by that part of the world.  Together with my business partner  Susan Young, (we co-own textile and home wares company Root Cellar Designs), we chose to depict The Netherlands, tapping into the beautiful antique plate pattern Blue Willow.  This pattern shows Chinoiserie scenes and made in an all blue and white color pattern, so with that in mind, we custom created a trio of fabric patterns for the tablecloth, dinner napkins and seat covers to inundate guests with a wonderful experience. Inspired by the many dish patterns that came out of historic Holland factories, we created a Chinoiserie toile pattern in a vivid orange and pale blue and white color way.  The orange shows the vibrancy of the Netherlands, their signature color.  If you cannot make this wonderfully philanthropic event, but want to support the cause, please stop back to take a look at our recap of the event.  

for items like this visit our POP UP SHOP 
Root Cellar Designs fabrics for our table
we'll don the table with our Blue Willow plate collection 
When we think of the Netherlands, we are reminded of antique windmills, 
blue willow plates and vibrant orange so we combine all this together with custom made pinwheels (showing our fabric designs), pinecones and a cornucopia for vintage and modern wares.
Blue Willow plates were made in historic holland factories hundreds of years ago telling the story of a young Chinese couple's tragic love.  At first glance the pattern looks Chinese, but the design was first created in England, later in The Netherlands where some of the finest collections of Blue Willow were produced in factories.   The blue design stands out against the ecru colored plate, telling a tragic love story, a classic “forbidden fruit” tale between a young boy Chang and Kwang-se (Chang worked for her wealthy father).  They fell in love, eloped, and the Gods turned them into birds (depicted on the plate) to save them from Kwang-se’s father killing them. 
Hope Lodge on Facebook
This annual gala benefits Hope Lodge, and learn more about Hope Lodge below:
Hope Lodge via Cancer.org:
"There are 32 Hope Lodge locations throughout the United States offering cancer patients and their caregivers a free place to stay when their best hope for effective treatment may be in another city. Not having to worry about where to stay or how to pay for lodging allows guests to focus on getting well. Hope Lodge provides a nurturing, home-like environment where guests can retreat to private rooms or connect with others. Every Hope Lodge also offers a variety of resources and information about cancer and how best to fight the disease.  If there is not a Hope Lodge in your area, please call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 for more information. You may also enter your treatment center's zip code on cancer.org's Find Local Resources page".
About The New York City Hope Lodge"For many, treatment at New York City's medical centers provides the greatest hope, but requires that they are far from home, adding the additional burden of travel and lodging expenses. That is why the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Jerome L. Greene Family Center offers lodging at no cost for cancer patients being treated in Manhattan. The Hope Lodge main floor is a peaceful communal space where guests can relax, read a book, or spend time with other guests and visitors.  The main floor offers many thoughtful amenities including."
For years, my son Miles performed in an annual piano recital at Hope Lodge and performed to the guests during the holiday season.  It is a homey, well-lit spacious home with 60 private guest rooms.  Each floor has a community kitchen and dining are with a quiet lounge and even a laundry room.  
our table design: 

pieces we found to use on our table depicting historic Holland

blue and white with windmill designs
we will arrange ilex orange berry branches, delphiniums, blue thistle and blue hydrangea on our table.  A special thank you to Dawn Melanie Designs for their generous donation of flowers to our table
Happy Nesting
XO Tamara

we made a collection of cocktail coasters to give as small parting gifts to the guests
a practice run creating our table with custom made paper windmills (showing our fabric designs), table linens, antique plates and more
Please stop by our POP UP SHOP over at Root Cellar Designs to pick up
table linens and pillows for the holidays! 
more Root Cellar Designs wares:
 


Please stop back after the gala for a recap of this special evening and event
follow hashtag #HopeLodgeBash2015 on social media 
to keep up with our musings!