Dining in Style

Beautiful linens, china, and more adorned a variety of tables that represented clever themes ranging from “Sugar Buzz” to “Brunch in the Secret Garden” to “Anchors Aweigh!” at a Saugatuck Douglas Garden Club event.

Sara Scott Cullen, a longtime Birmingham-area designer who now lives on the west side of the state and chaired the Table Tops gala, set her gold-and-blue “Anchors Aweigh!” table (above) with 100–year-old Flow blue plates  (with gold overlays) that were an engagement present from her grandmother. “Those plates were actually my grandmother’s engagement gift from her mother. They are very dear to me,” Cullen says.

Held at the Saugatuck Yacht Club overlooking the pretty Kalamazoo River, the event helped raise funds for college scholarships that are awarded to two local students. The Garden Club works to promote, encourage, and support the use of flora to enrich and beautify the towns of Saugatuck and Douglas, as well as surrounding areas; to encourage the protection of existing flora, including endangered species; and to further horticulture education, conservation, and landscape design through gift scholarships and community projects.


LEFT: THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE
Designers: Jane R. Harrison and Margo Bultman, Harbour Bay Furniture, Holland, harbourbayfurniture.com
Inspiration: With a feel that’s reminiscent of Sir Edward Burne-Jones and the Pre- Raphaelites, this table sets the mood knights may have experienced as they enjoyed their last meal before embarking on a quest.

RIGHT: SUGAR BUZZ
Designer: Gwen DeBruyn, Bayberry Cottage, South Haven, bayberrycottage.com
Inspiration: DeBruyn’s mission was to be fresh, fruity, sassy, delicious, and colorful! She used lots of candy and bright, cheerful dishware.


LEFT: ARTFUL DINING
Designer: Steve Teich, The Teich Group, Royal Oak, theteichgroup.com
Inspiration:  Giving a nod to the art and artists of the coastlines of the Great Lakes area, this table was a playful ode to great painters from the Saugatuck area.
RIGHT: BRUNCH IN THE SECRET GARDEN
Designer: Josephine Berault, J. Berault Design Inc., Grand Rapids
Inspiration:  In homage to the book The Secret Garden, this design is evidence that beautiful tabletops have the power to enchant and transform. Miniature garden tools were clever stand-ins for silverware, while moss adornments and elegant Daum crystal rounded out the display.


LEFT: ANCHORS AWEIGH!
Designer: Sara Scott Cullen, Saugatuck
Inspiration: Cullen took her cue from the Saugatuck Yacht Club and the surrounding waters of Lake Michigan. Blues, whites, and golds create a nautical feel. Velvet fabrics and treasured heirloom china add intriguing appeal.
CENTER: TABLE FOR TWO
Designer: John Newland, Roan & Black Home Collection, Saugatuck, roanandblack.com
Inspiration: Charcoal hues and linen make for elegant, intimate, artful dining. The stark, modern table in beige and black with green glass beads added a lovely touch.
RIGHT: SAVOIR VIVRE
Designer: Alyce Greeson, Interiors on 8th, Holland, interiorson8th.com
Inspiration: Going straight to the heart, this tablescape celebrated love and marriage by featuring silver and gray shades, framed photos, and stunning white flowers as a centerpiece.


ABOVE: LE PETIT JARDIN
Designer: Shelly Engel, Grand Haven
Inspiration: Engel’s magical collage of blue checks and alluring bits of nature evoked a walk through a French miniature garden in the woods.


LEFT: MODERN ORGANIC
Designer: Mary Collins, Douglas Home Furnishings LLC, Douglas, douglashomefurnishingsllc.com
Inspiration: Attendees became one with nature as they eyed this splendid glass-topped setup with a tree as a centerpiece, swan napkins, and a fish swimming below the glass!
RIGHT: AN ELEGANT AFTERNOON FOR A SPOT OF TEA
Designer: Kimberly Zolper, Douglas
Inspiration: All are welcome at this sweet haven, where an afternoon chat is the order of the day. Pretty pink dishware, a silver tea service, and a pink-iced cake enchanted.