Cathy Graham’s Second Bloom

I first learned of artist Cathy Graham when her beautiful Nantucket home was featured in the July/August 2017 issue of Veranda magazine. She also happens to be one of New York’s legendary Upper East Side hostesses. Very quickly I fell in love with her classic yet whimsical style, and I started to follow her on Instagram. Needless to say, I was thrilled when her first book Second Bloom: Cathy Graham’s Art of the Table was released this fall.

Graham studied floral arranging in London with Jane Packer, worked with the late event planner Robert Isabell, and studied fashion illustration at Parsons. Recently single, she decided to return to illustrating and embark upon a second chance career. In Second Bloom Graham shares her secrets for gracious living and memorable get-togethers, covering the essential elements for memorable events — flowers, paper components, table setting, and food presentation.  Whether it’s a seaside gathering, a casual cocktail party, or a lively dinner in honor of a friend, Graham shows how to create truly special occasions. She demonstrates how to arrange flowers and create original touches with a sense of whimsy, such as hand-drawn one-of-a-kind invitations or her practice of scattering eBay-sourced miniatures on her dinner tables… all of which can be pulled off with ease.

Second Bloom also provides a glimpse inside her gorgeous homes, which were both designed by the brilliant William Hodgins. He designed her New York townhouse 20 years ago and 16 years ago on Nantucket. “I never change anything in the decor,” she told me. “Just the flowers.” A true testament to the timelessness of classic style. Below are some of my favorite images from Second Bloom with photography by Quentin Bacon and Andrew Ingalls,  and I will also share some additional glimpses into Graham’s exquisite homes via Instagram.

 

And below are a few snippets from Graham’s Instagram account… I think I watched the following two videos at least 10 times! Click on the arrow inside the image to view… So beautiful!

Tommy Graham my brilliant videographer

A post shared by Cathy Graham (@cathybgraham) on Aug 13, 2017 at 5:01pm PDT

Working today with @fretteofficial Video @quentinbaconphoto

A post shared by Cathy Graham (@cathybgraham) on Aug 10, 2017 at 3:21pm PDT

I am truly inspired! Second Bloom: Cathy Graham’s Art of the Table is available via Amazon, and for daily inspiration, follow @cathybgraham via Instagram.