F & B : TableTop
A weekend gathering at Camp Wandawega near Elkhorn , Wisconsin , brought together a diverse group at a custom-made antique barnwood table topped with 40 place settings of vintage china and thrift-store cutlery .
Vintage summer camp
Camp Wandawega near Elkhorn , Wisconsin , usually is the kind of camp that features bunkbeds and bonfires ( and mosquitoes ). The camp , founded in 1925 and variously the site of a speakeasy , brothel and tavern until the 1950s , doesn ’ t serve food . That is , it doesn ’ t except for an event in August 2013 , when it hosted a one-time community gathering of chefs , brewers and distillers from the Chicago area . The Tasty Nugget event brought 40 people together around a table custom-made of antique barnwood and covered with thrift-store silver and vintage plates from designer and food stylist Johanna Lowe .
Lowe ’ s collection was amassed over years from across the U . S . and her home in England . The plates themselves are mostly English , with some Austrian and German , ranging from early 19th century to the 1930s . “ I do not consider them everyday china ,” says the owner of Parchment Studio in Chicago , who says she uses them for photo shoots , special occasions and small dinners .
Lowe likens the mix-and-match trend to “ mend and make do ,” especially when there isn ’ t a lot of matching to begin with .
“ I look for patterns that can sit well aside each other . Sometimes that means looking at tones of blue and keeping a harmony going ,” Lowe says . “ Alternatively , it ’ s about looking for contrast between a blue and brown pattern , for instance . Paying attention to the different shapes of the plates , some scalloped edge , some oval or hexagonal , can create a visual dance along the table as they line together .”
What to avoid ? Not much — except for one detail , especially with older plates : “ Don ’ t put them through the dishwasher because the patterns will eventually disappear , and watch out for hairline cracks , as these can suddenly become a broken plate .”
38 HOTELS March 2016 www . hotelsmag . com