There's no time like New Year's Eve to have us dreaming of what the future may hold—and that's been especially appealing lately. But Birmingham-based designer Andrew Brown has teamed up with Colonial Williamsburg to create a New Year's party scene that looks like it could belong in 1722 or 2022. The designer says as a creative who often references history and incorporates the past in projects, it was fun to create a table with the WILLIAMSBURG brand of housewares to celebrate what lies ahead.
"There is a quote by Maya Angelou that says, 'You can’t really know where you are going until you know where you have been,' and I think this quote is especially relevant around the New Year, as everyone is looking to the future and setting goals," says Brown. "Looking to the past, understanding history, learning from those who have come before you, and learning from the past year is very helpful when looking towards and planning for 2022. And what better way to reflect this than with a New Year's Eve table that references the past while celebrating the future."
Brown loves to ring in the new year by hosting an intimate dinner party at his home. Guests arrive to caviar and champagne (Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is his favorite) and this year, he will feature a champagne tasting as well with Dom Pérignon, Ruinart, Moët & Chandon, and Henriot.
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The dinner menu usually involves a favorite recipe from Julia Child's iconic tome, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Brown loves to whip up Child's Sauté de Boeuf à la Parisienne accompanied by small potatoes cooked in butter, peas, and dinner rolls. And like a good Birmingham native, the designer loves to serve a vanilla buttercream cake with vanilla buttercream frosting from Olexa's, a beloved local bakery and cafe, for the grand finale. Such an impressive menu deserves an equally elegant and thoughtful tablescape.
"I love blue and white tablescapes and, for the holidays, the addition of red, green, and gold accents are a subtle way to allude to the season, without getting too 'theme-y,'" Brown says. But these colors aren't just beautiful, they carry significance for the new year. Brown says that blue represents serenity and peace; white, a new beginning, red, good luck; green, renewal and growth; and gold represents prosperity.
The designer says he wanted classic patterns and shapes for his tablescape design and was immediately drawn to the Imperial Blue plates by Mottahedeh that are based on a Chinese export pattern from the 18th century as well as the Beaufort Ginger Jars by Global Views that were inspired by finials on the bed in the Governor's Palace at Colonial Williamsburg.
Brown's New Year's Eve table can be summed up with the phrase: surround yourself with what you love. This notion has become paramount in light of the pandemic if it wasn't before, and we can't think of a better way to ring in the new year with beautiful pieces for the table that honor one's passions, an elegant yet comforting menu of favorite recipes, plenty of the best champagne, and the ones we love most.
Lauren Wicks is a Birmingham-based writer covering design trends, must-have products, travel inspiration, and entertaining. She’s obsessed with globally inspired textiles, hosting dinner parties, and French cocktails.
