Come to Katharine's house for Easter brunch and you may just have to spend the day enjoying her hospitality and beautiful home. Residing in Ladue, Katharine, and her two children live in a stunning traditional home off McKnight Road. A seasoned entertainer, she gives all the credit to her mother, who adores antiques, and her uncle, a renowned special event designer in Chicago.
"My parents have given me so much through the years. If it isn't an heirloom piece passed down for generations, it's a beautiful antique they picked up during their travels. I've had to buy very little on my own," says Katharine. These meaningful gifts have taken center stage in her home from bedroom to dining room. But it's during the beautiful parties she designs that most of her family treasures are taken out of the cupboards, unwrapped, and truly enjoyed.
However, having a plethora of decorative items can also pose a challenge. Making sure that the pieces used in the tablescape correlate with each other and are not only beautiful but purposeful is not always an easy task. Being able to "edit" your tablescape, keeping an open mind about which items will stay and which will go, is the key for any hostess who wants to avoid a cluttered look.
The Easter brunch pictured here is a great example of choosing your decorative items carefully. Bringing spring inside can be a challenge, especially when it doesn't seem like spring outside. One tried and true technique is draping the house with floral designs, both silk and fresh. Here, silk dogwood was added to the antique blue and white vases flanking the dining room mirror. Silk wreaths adorned the bay window in Katharine's dining room. Fresh tulips were beautifully yet simply arranged on the main dinner table in an antique porcelain bowl.
For the place settings, each guest had a sterling cup, typically used for eggs, but this time filled with a floral arrangement. A custom-designed table place card adorned with a jewel reflected the beautiful invitation that each guest received.
The children's table is always a special place during Easter. A large bunny centerpiece with dyed Easter eggs took center stage while at each seat bunny figurines rested happily on Beatrix Potter books — a collection that has been passed down for generations in Katharine's family and which the children enjoy reading to one another.
