Celebration of Spring

Spring buzz is in the air.

It’s not only the great feeling that I get being outside but also as I walk to work on these busy New York streets; I can sense a change of attitude in my fellow New Yorkers. They have a smile where there is normally tension.

At my gym, The Chelsea Piers, I see everyone with a new resolve to tone up their bodies. There has been such a lack of hope with all the bad news on T.V, it’s all beginning to have a power over us. The beauty of Spring is the promise of hope that we need during these times.

In my table setting “Celebrating Spring,” I wanted to capture the blossom of nature and there was no other flower that represents Spring more than the Daffodil.

I created a centerpiece featuring two swirling blocks of boxwood with an explosion of bright yellow daffodils and bursts of orange spread throughout the design. Complimenting the boxwoods are tall glasses overflowing with more yellow daffodils emitting light like soft spring sunshine.

In harmony with the theme of spring are placemats made with a feathery light bed of leaves, and a ball of foliage placed on the backs of chairs; which add a whimsical presence to the table setting.

Such subtle touches of spring are a simple and attractive way to celebrate a season that for me includes some of life’s most important themes: nature, beauty, and warmth.

Forever Inspired,

Preston

Those of you who know me well already know that my friend Vicente Wolf was the person who inspired me to start my business way back when. By bringing me in on his beautiful home installations, I discovered my flair for styling and his confidence in me was the final push I needed to establish Preston Bailey Designs. Vicente’s sense of style and his charm has always made for great times together and I’ve often brought him along on my major jobs all over the world to help me install. There’s something about our friendship over the past forty years (am I giving my age away here?) that has always been inspiring to me. Vicente is a most curious traveler and the times where the two of us have traveled the globe together have always been incredibly enlightening to me. It is thus with great joy that I’d like to tell you how you too can share in these inspirational travel experiences!

Vicente has launched a new initiative that will take ten guests with him to discover the beauty and inspiration of Thailand in October 2009. You have the chance to go to Bangkok and Chiang Mai with Vicente and visit the traders that he always visits to buy one-off pieces for his luxury Manhattan showroom, VW Home. Vicente’s play of composition, scale, color, contrast and light has made him a master of his trade over the past 30 years and he will take his ten guests to his favorite antique stores and restaurants, the tailor where he gets his stylish outfits made and guests will even have the opportunity to visit his shoemaker for a pair of perfect heels!

But it’s about more than just traveling to an exotic destination with one of the world’s favorite designers. What makes this experience really special is that Vicente is offering a full-circle opportunity that starts with the option of an in-home consultation prior to the trip for him to analyze the space and ascertain what opportunities can be found in the travels. With this visit setting the stage for what’s to come, Wolf will guide his travel companions, once abroad, to shop the wonderful markets with expert input to ensure that they bring the world into their home – on a personal basis. Once the goods arrive, Vicente will make a second trip to the guest’s home to assist in their placement so that the items can fully represent their education.

The cost of traveling with Vicente is $15,000 per person, which includes one-on-one time with one of my best friends, but excludes the cost of travel for Vicente to visit each guest’s home and all travel accommodation and fees for guests. Travel arrangements will be handled by Sterling Brownell Travel and in Thailand, my favorite luxury tour operators Abercrombie and Kent will take care of guests. Vicente’s latest book, Crossing Boundaries, focuses on the inspiration he draws from his travels and how he translates what he sees in the far-off places he visits into the residences, hotels and restaurants he designs. For more on his work visit http://www.vicentewolf.com/

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact travel@vicentewolf.com or visit http://www.vicentewolftravel.com/.