Serendipity: Flavor of India!

"India weaves a spell that inspires the imagination and enriches the perceptions..."
-Golden Days in Asia Tours

Serendipity - a propensity for making fortunate discoveries while looking for something unrelated.

We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that "this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word." Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of "a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of…"

I was recently contacted by two artists for whom I have great admiration and respect. April Cornell (through a member of her staff) and Komali Nunna, who frequently participates in Tablescape Thursdays with Susan of Between Naps on the Porch, asked me to review their products for readers of Affordable Accoutrements. I selected a Genevieve Teal tablecloth from April Cornell’s gorgeous Fall 2010 collection, along with a Cornucopia Spruce table runner and napkins.

It's always a very happy day when a package arrives from April Cornell!



Where does serendipity come in? As I read about these talented women, I noted interesting similarities. April Cornell, a Canadian (who now makes her home in Vermont), was strongly influenced by her travels through India. Many of her designs have an Indian sensibility, and her beautiful fabrics are produced there.

Selected quotes regarding April Cornell:

"She's an artist whose skilled eye and painter's brush create her signature brightly colored bedding, table linens, and clothing. (The book is) as much biography as design tome, and both aspects are inspiring to anyone who delights in Cornell's expressive colour choices and exuberant attitude." - Bedroom & Bath Magazine; "A self-described flower child in the 70s, April Cornell has spread the bright blossoms of her distinctive home linens and clothing all across North America." - Victoria Magazine

Using nature's colors, lines, forms and shapes as her guides, April Cornell's designs are an inspiration to make an occasion of every day. All April Cornell linens are printed in India where skilled craftsmen combine age-old practices with the modern techniques to create beautiful, vibrant, rich fabrics for your home and furnishings. April Cornell linens are all individually screened, dyed and embroidered by hand: no two pieces are quite the same.

April has many philanthropic passions including caring for the people in the company's core production region in India. She actively supports the Concern India Foundation and is a trustee of the Giving World Foundation.

Komali sent me a copy of her stunningly beautiful book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen. I found it interesting that it arrived the same day as a package from April Cornell.

A chemist by profession, Komali Nunna grew up in India and has spent her adult life living and entertaining beautifully in the United States (in California). Komali’s book offers readers an education in using vibrant fabrics and aromatic Indian cuisine to create memorable experiences for entertaining family and friends. Her unique, eclectic style is a fusion of Eastern philosophy and Western style.

Books that are personalized and signed by an author are among the possessions I treasure most. Thank you, Komali.

From an interview with Komali:

“This book not only has divine recipes but it gives the guidelines on entertaining as well. Note that the common denominator is the Indian cuisine and each chapter is supported by a different theme with different table setting ideas and how to create a memorable ambiance each time you entertain.

My cookbook provides the recipes from India and entertaining ideas along with wine pairing (as you know, pairing Indian food with wine is not an easy task). This book, rather than concentrating on a specific geographic region of India like many other cookbooks, is a compilation of recipes from regions all over India. In addition, I have menus from both Indian holidays and American holidays. The American recipes are given an Indian flair.

This is a cookbook, entertaining book, and coffee table book, all in one. “
320-pages, hardbound, with over 260 luscious photographs.

As I unwrapped the beautiful April Cornell table linens and flipped through pages of Komali Nunna's richly evocative book, I began to envision a table setting unlike any I'd done before. I wanted it to have an exotic appearance and a feeling of ancient cultures merging in a harmonious way.

Here's the result:

Very little in the room is truly Indian (other than some home accent items from India via the local Hobby Lobby store). The vintage bird of paradise plates are Czech (the birds themselves are mostly found in New Guinea), and the birdhouses are Tunisian.

The approach I took went beyond setting a pretty table; it became an effort to stage the room for an overall effect. I brought in furniture, rugs, artwork, and accessories from other rooms in the house. I layered fabrics, covered the windows with sheer curtain panels (on spring tension rods), brought in a fern from outside, and kept Komali's book close at hand for inspiration.

April Cornell's designs are utterly timeless, somehow at once soothing and bursting with exuberance!

I mixed and matched the silverplated chargers and the gold-rimmed glassware.

The gold-plated flatware is by International Silver. I've had it for several years, but I've only used it once. Most of the pieces were still in the original plastic wrappers. Somehow it seemed right for today's table. I wanted variety (throughout the room) in terms of color, shape, texture, and style.

Rather than doing large floral arrangements, I used tiny vases to hold hardy chrysanthemums from the garden and plumes of ornamental grasses. A bowl of fresh fruit always adds life and energy to a table setting.

The block print was given to me by an artist of Mexican descent. She often depicts crows in her work and says her fascination with the birds stems from their near universality. Crows (and their kin) appear to have originated in central Asia and spread throughout Europe, North America, Africa, and Australia.

Are we still in West Tennessee?

I put a round, beaded placemat (made in India) in the center of the table to protect the runner and placed Lamb's Ear cuttings directly on the table. I liked the texture and the soft, silvery-green color.

From Wikipedia: Stachys byzantina (syn. S. lanata; Lamb's-ear or Lamb's Ear) is a species of Stachys, native to Turkey, Armenia, and Iran. It is cultivated over much of the temperate world as an ornamental plant, and is naturalised in some locations as an escape from gardens. Lamb's Ear is a commonly grown plant for children's gardens or used as an edging plant, in Brazil is also used as a edible herb, called Lambari, as they are easy to grow and the thick felt like leaves are fun to touch. It has sometimes been used as a medicinal plant.

I can hardly wait to try Komali's recipes. For now I'm enjoying the book as a visual feast, savoring the flavor of exotic India.

Just one example of the dazzling staging and photography:

The screen adds a feeling of intimacy to the space. I did the painting of (silk) flowers in a decorative clay pot several years ago. I removed the canvas panels and painted them on a flat surface (lying side-by-side). I sealed the surface first with acrylic gesso and used acrylic tube paints and large artist's brushes for the painting.

I think using vintage/antique artwork contributes to the feeling of a room that's evolved over time.

Time to switch on the chandelier and light the candles ...

In case you're wondering, I did set the plumes on fire (briefly) when I blew out the candles. Definitely not a centerpiece to be left unattended!

These Sidi Bou Said bird cages, named for the village in Tunisia where they're made, came from the estate sale of a local former US Congressman. The blue and white reflect the white walls of Sidi Bou Said buildings and the blue roofs and window trim/ornamental iron work. I sometimes burn small tealight candles in them, but even small candles generate heat. I wouldn't leave them unattended when they're lit.

After cutting, the Lamb's Ear seems to last several hours without being in water.

The teapot and daisies and the red and yellow rose were painted by a Tennessee artist, my friend Yvonne. She's definitely not one to shy away from dramatic depictions of her subject matter!

Perhaps the glasses need to be filled with something festive and colorful. Until we read Komali's book, I have no idea which wine to serve with Indian dishes! Do you?

This old coffee pot is one of my very favorites. The books came from a local estate sale ($3 for the set of four). Will I ever read them? I don't know, but they look great in a vignette, don't they?

I used the "silver trays as chargers" trick at the end place settings (along with a pair of chairs that don't match the side chairs) to add interest.

The china pattern reminds me of "Indian Tree," a classic pattern made for decades by a number of English potteries.

The centerpiece looks complicated, but couldn't be simpler. I just clustered small bouquets around a candleholder and added fullness with fresh cuttings of garden greenery. How easy is that?

So did I achieve my goal of creating an exotic-looking table setting using items collected over time and gathered from around the house?

One more look. I decided to leave the table set overnight and show you how it looked in morning light. The table linens seem closer to their true colors in this situation (I suppose that's why artists' studios often have windows that feature northern exposures).

Thank you for visiting today. I have a special offer to share with you. Read on ...

April Cornell's Social Media Coordinator asked me to share this with you:

"We’d be happy to offer an exclusive discount to your blog followers. Please feel free to share the following coupon code with your readers– ACTABLE

Any of your readers who use that code will receive 10% off their order."

Isn't that great? Ten percent off your order of beautiful April Cornell merchandise, just for being a follower of Affordable Accoutrements. Visit www.aprilcornell.com to see her latest collections.

I can also recommend without hesitation Komali Nunna's gorgeous coffee table, cooking, entertaining book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen. What a wonderful Christmas present/holiday gift it would make for a family member or friend who collects books on cooking, travel, tablescaping, etc.!

Visit www.komalinunna.com for details. The book is pre-priced by the publisher at $50 USA (and looks as if it should cost $100!). Komali is offering it now for only $35. I hope you'll place your orders soon -- one for yourself and one (or more) to give as unique holiday gifts.

Before you leave (I know this has been a long post), please take a few moments to watch this April Cornell short video. I'd admired her work previously, but I loved seeing this talented artist at work and sharing a lovely cottage setting. I guarantee you'll be charmed by her as well!

A nice cup of herbal tea would be the perfect accompaniment ... relax and enjoy:

Please join Susan and all her talented tablescaping participants at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. You'll be very glad you did!