Style matters: The inaugural Come to the Table united some of Charlotte’s top designers to create curated tablescapes — while raising money for a noble cause.
by Cathy Martin | photographs by Amy Kolo
With our hectic lives and busy schedules, families nowadays rarely find time to gather around the dinner table — let alone, invite others into our homes to share a meal.
“When I grew up, my mother fixed dinner for us every single night of the week,” says Lynn Pitts, one of the event co-chairs for Come to the Table. “And I thought, we have gone so far from that.”
The Maximalist Mix, Bronwyn Ford of Pursley Dixon Ford Interior Design, Sarah Fisher of Matters of Style Design, Catherine M. Austin Interior Design
That sentiment helped inspire Come to the Table, a sold-out luncheon at Quail Hollow Club on Feb. 6. More than a dozen A-list interior designers were invited to create jaw-dropping tablescapes, which were on view before and after the luncheon. Additional Queen City floral designers contributed petal-perfect masterpieces.
“Because of Covid, we couldn’t entertain at home, so now we’re just trying to get women to get back and invite people to your table,” says Pitts. The event raised $80,000 for Beds for Kids, a local nonprofit that provides beds and essential furniture to children and their families in need.
Last year, Beds for Kids served more than 1,400 Charlotte families and provided almost 4,000 beds, according to Executive Director Lauren Evans.
Whitney Sturge Interiors, Hadley Quisenberry of West Trade Interiors, Kate Newman of K. Interiors
“Those are honestly bittersweet numbers,” Evans told the crowd of nearly 300 guests at Quail Hollow. “I wish it was zero. I wish we didn’t have this problem. I wish that everyone in this city had a bed to sleep on and had furniture in their home.” Beds for Kids is one of several local nonprofits working to end “furniture poverty” in Charlotte.
When event organizers were reviewing potential nonprofit partners, Pitts was moved when she learned that Bed for Kids’ work extends beyond beds. “It incorporated families and kitchen tables, places for them to sit and eat,” Pitts says, making the organization a natural fit.
Faith was another crucial component for Pitts and co-chair DeeDee Dalrymple, and was central to guest speaker Ruth McKeaney’s message to the crowd. McKeaney, a former assistant attorney general for the state of Virginia, is the author of Hungry for Home. The book chronicles her family of five’s journey of restoring a 1717 farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania and the life they’ve built there. Filled with hundreds of beautiful photographs, the book includes family recipes and traditions, with an emphasis on what McKeaney calls “intentional homemaking.”
Ashley Shaw Interior Design, Blair Farris Designs, Barrie Benson Interior Design, Whitney Sturge Interiors
McKeaney described the serendipitous circumstances that led her to write her book. “I chose to write it on what I know to be true and what I’m passionate about, and that’s how to bless people in and through your home — how to welcome them to the table.”
While the dreamy tables on view at Come to the Table brought a certain wow factor, the event co-chairs hope guests also left with a worthwhile message about forming and deepening connections with others. The table is simply the place where it happens.
“It became clear that I needed to think more about the table other than a piece of wood sitting there where we gathered,” says Pitts, who has a local table-styling business.
Jane Schwab Interiors, Ruth Runberg of R. Runberg Curiosities, The Table by Lynn Pitts
In her speech, McKeaney relayed a sentiment someone once shared with her: “Hosting is not about performance or perfection — it’s about loving people well.” She encouraged guests to worry less about whether your home is too messy or your cooking skills aren’t up to snuff.
Pitts echoes a similar view: “It’s not about the perfection at the table but the people that you’re with at the table.”
Presenting sponsors for the event included Abode Home, Ashley Furniture, Elizabeth Bruns and Williams Auto Group. Pitts and Dalrymple hope Come to the Table will become an annual tradition, even if the gathering takes on a different look as it eventually evolves under new leadership.
DeeDee Dalrymple, Ruth McKeaney and Lynn Pitts
“I would like to see this event as the city’s heart-and-soul event to inspire the gift of gathering,” Dalrymple says.
“We are busy, and sometimes ‘going out’ seems easier, but nothing creates intimacy and memories like gatherings in our home,” she adds. “As our mission statement says, the table is where life unfolds, friendships flourish, ideas and conversations take flight, and families are forged. It’s where we are seen, known and loved … [this] truly captures everything we want this event to be for young and old — for every age and generation.” SP
See more photos from the event in SWIRL.
