When it came time to build a fireplace, Roger Wells told his mason that he wanted a Rumford Fireplace — the single best fireplace design to come along in the last 200-plus years. Count Rumford, born Benjamin Thompson in 1753 in Woburn, Massachusetts, was a physicist and genius inventor, a Tory who fled Boston with […]
Polly Bannister
When Matthew and Jenny Mead entertain, they like their guests to have a sense of awe when they walk into a room. Awesome is this woven gingerbread harvest basket dressing up an antique sideboard and filled with autumn’s bounty. This project is edible, or you may save it from year to year. Make this gingerbread […]
In another bowl centerpiece, Matthew attains easy elegance with what he calls “drop and layer” style. Using no florals, fruits, or water, he simply nestles white and silver ornaments in a compote among glistening silver cake dragées and glass stones. He tops it off with an antique bell ornament and rhinestone brooches — inexpensive flea […]
Shades of silver, gray, and white echo winter and ice, while black reminds us that this is the time of year when nights are longest. Snowflakes made of paper, beads, and resin dangle in the air. Although this cozy living room has no fireplace, the shelf serves as a floating mantel and focal point. Warmth […]
Instructions to Make a Sparkly Winter Wreath 1. Wrap a Styrofoam wreath form with silver fabric ribbon. 2. Using a hot-glue gun, attach clear glass florist’s beads in rows, starting from the inside of the circle. 3. Tie on ribbon for hanging. 4. Embellish with objects that add sparkle: small ornaments, a rhine-stone brooch, little […]
Living
Ring It In!
Out with the old and in with the new: Matthew gives the year a clean start with a monochromatic color scheme. For example, this basic-white painted staircase receives a sparkling make-over with a garland of silk leaves, flowing beads, and glass teardrops that glimmer in the candlelight.
Living
Holiday Countdown
The Meads like to stretch the season by opening one gift apiece each day during the Twelve Days of Christmas. These merry packages are wrapped with such care that the family likes to display them at eye level, rather than lose them in a pile under the tree. They use kraft and scrapbook paper, colorful […]
Living
Tiny Trees
Nothing is more festive than a Christmas tree. Matthew buys small live trees, wraps colorful textured fabric around their bases, and decorates with different color themes (depending on where he’s placing the tree). He prefers no lights, while Jenny likes the multicolored ones, so they always have several “his and her” mini-trees scattered throughout the […]
Living
Classic Christmas Decorating
The Concord, New Hampshire, bungalow that Matthew and his wife, Jenny, call home is decked out for Christmas. The palette is traditional red and green with white accents. Linen napkins, iridescent cranberry glass, and bright apples grace the dining table. As to flowers, he recommends massing one type — it’s foolproof and often achieves a […]
Customize your holiday table with this simple place setting from Matthew Mead. Before setting the table, Matthew says the most important thing to do is choose a palette. Here, shades of autumn are reflected in amber glass, golden bamboo, Bakelite-handle silverware, and brown transferware with yellow and green pattern accents. (Spode makes a reproduction of […]
Find bottle gourds at Michael’s, The Arts & Crafts Store, or a local farm stand. (This is the type of gourd that is frequently made into a birdhouse.) Here, Matthew sets two gourds upright and one on its side, decorating around them with deep orange persimmons, votive candles, mini-gourds, fall foliage, and antique bottles. (You […]
Say good-bye to the stiff floral arrangements with these ideas for this year’s Thanksgiving table setting.