I first met Carolina Irving when I had the opportunity to include her Paris apartment in my book Travel Home. We spent the day photographing her spellbinding universe. You could immediately see that for Carolina, there are many diverse interests and passions – from botany to the early adventurers in travel, when she has a passion, she goes deeply into learning everything about it. As a result, her passions have often turned into creations. From textiles to ceramics, Carolina sets the bar for her patterns and layered approach to decorating.
One of her more recent endeavors has been her new line of textiles and ceramics for the home she has created with her two daughters who have seemingly inherited Carolina’s wisdom in layering a home with texture, pattern, and color.
For the holidays, I have put together a tabletop using items from the Carolina Irving & Daughters line. With the help of Jordan Shaw, who recently joined my design team, we set the table in a barn on her family property in Sebastopol. As many of us are meeting in much smaller groups and outside to stay safe, this was the perfect setting.
The quality of the items Carolina Irving & Daughters create are unsurpassed. In this table we used their Poppy Glasses – they are handmade and etched in a stunning poppy pattern. They worked beautifully with the Anna Plate in green. These plates are hand painted and also have a quality glaze that you don’t often find in ceramics. We combined them with linens from Les Indiennes (Mary Mulcahy, founder of Les Indiennes, was also in Travel Home).
Our gatherings this year may be smaller, but maybe it’s the year we try to make them a little bit more special. That’s something I’ve been taking note of with our family - take the time to create memories with each other even though our extended family and friends can’t be with us. And the items from Carolina Irving & Daughters will surely elevate any gathering.
Photos by Caitlin Flemming and Jordan Shaw