Introducing Roses in the Garden
"In medieval Europe, flowers were strewn on tables, especially during feasts and banquets, not only to decorate but to fend off the fusty air of castles and manor houses. As time went on and domestic architecture and sanitation improved, embroidered flowers on tablecloths and napkins replaced actual flowers on the table. I wanted these placemats to recall the historical origin of the custom of having flowers on the table. They are the 21st-century iteration of this practice."
Ngoc Minh Ngo
About the Edition
Created with photographer and author Ngoc Minh Ngo, Roses in the Garden brings vibrant blooms to the table, all year round. Each easy-to-clean woven placemat in the set of four features a unique image from Ngo's latest book, Roses in the Garden (Rizzoli), a dazzling tour of the beauty and history of the rose through her stunning photography of famous gardens around the world, from England and Italy to Morocco and Japan.
"Roses have been in cultivation for millennia, and their history is inextricably entwined with our human history," says Ngo. "No other genus, with the possible exception of orchids, has greater variety. And they are simply beautiful, in whatever form they take." Pictured on the placemats are a selection of old heritage roses, modern hybrid tea roses, and English shrub roses from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Connoisseurs may recognize rose varieties that include Complicata, New Dawn, Quietness, Whisky Mac, and Wife of Bath.
In New York for NYCxDESIGN? Join us on the evening of Wednesday, May 21 for a garden party at the Chilewich Store, where Ngo will be present to sign books—and placemats, if you're so inclined.
