Who designed the head table at the New York Botanical Garden's Orchid Dinner?

Cindy Rinfret and her good friend, Priscilla Schaefer of Glorimundi Floral, designed the head table for the New York Botanical Garden's Orchid Dinner at The Mandarin Oriental on February 9th.

The theme of this elegant dinner was Cuba in Flowers, but the table designers were encouraged to do whatever their creative hearts desired to make their tables sing. Cindy and Priscilla were in the good company of other notable designers, including David Easton, Tiffany & Co., and Stephen Elrod for Lee Jofa.

The head table, which Cindy and Priscilla had the honor of decorating, was the talk of the event.

You can see why, with place settings like this!

Yes, those placemats are made from PEACOCK feathers!

For more photos of the tables and all the glamorous people (including Cindy, who was wearing a deep blue shimmery dress, which all us Rinfret ladies are lining up to borrow) check out these links:

http://www.keithlew.com/gallery/11200015_Z435U/1/785971126_E9HEG?c=1#785971126_E9HEG-A-LB

http://manhattan.smugmug.com/2010-Most-Recent-Event/The-New-York-Botanical-Gardens/11206602_xhZh8/3#786060328_YysLq

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/1781723

Local Love

Cindy Rinfret is definitely a Greenwich girl at heart (in case you couldn't tell by the title of her book, Classic Greenwich Style) and this past week has made all of us at Rinfret, Ltd. love Greenwich even more.

Cindy and her Rinfret Home & Garden team went to the Byram Library last week for the 17th Annual Greenwich Green & Clean Beautification Awards. Deborah Higgins, their vivacious treasurer, is a loyal customer at Rinfret Home & Garden and she has always complimented us on our holiday decorations and our festive flowerbed on Greenwich Avenue (we have McArdle's to thank for making that green patch so beautiful). Even so, we were happily surprised to learn that Rinfret Home & Garden had won the Albert E. Betteridge Beautification Award for Sterling Service.
The Betteridge Award is so meaningful to us, as it is in memory of Albert E. Betteridge, who, as his grandson told us, was dedicated to keeping Greenwich clean and beautiful -- to the point of embarrassing his grandchildren by walking down Greenwich Avenue picking up trash in his hands as he went! Greenwich Avenue is one of the most beautiful shopping destinations in this country and the well-tended flower patches and hanging flower baskets help to make it so. Greenwich Green & Clean works to make all of this possible.


Rinfret Home & Garden was awarded with a stunning silver bowl from Betteridge (currently being inscribed with our name). Wish I had thought to take a photo of it at the time because it really is quite chic -- although we do admit to being just a tad bit jealous of the champagne bucket. We also received a gorgeous book called Gates of Greenwich, which showcases all of the remarkable gates, fences, and ancient stone walls that make Greenwich so uniquely beautiful and enchanting. Soon the shop will sell this delightful book, with all proceeds going to Greenwich Green & Clean.

Here's a sneak peek of the book:
If you recognize the stone wall on the left, you are a true Greenwich local!

In addition to the Greenwich Green & Clean Beautification Award, Cindy Rinfret also got some pretty great praise from Greenwich Time last week. Here is a copy of the article, which was on the front page of the Business Section:

Thanks for all the support, Greenwich -- we love you too!

Happy New Year! Happy Sale Shopping!

Here at Rinfret, Ltd. we all have high hopes for 2010 -- lots of exciting projects that we can't wait to share with you as they unfold. More immediately though, we have some retail therapy to send your way. Rinfret Home & Garden is having a massive sale with almost everything discounted 25% percent!

After months of shopping for others it's time to spoil yourself (and without guilt since the prices are as low as they get). Check out the goods:

We LOVE this chic bar with game table. Doesn't this piece just conjure up images of cozy nights at home with friends tucked away from the bitter cold?

There are so many goodies on this bar that I just had to peek in to show you. What could be a more perfect Valentine's Day gift than this red croc barware set? Pair it with The Bubbly Cocktails book and Greek Key tumblers and we'll bet you'll be luckier in love than Cupid himself.

Gorgeous lamps, stunning art, splashes of red and Cindy's absolute favorite hand-painted urns (they are in her own living room) create an elegant yet warm vignette. Have I mentioned yet that all this stuff is on sale?
There is so much to love here. Ultra chic mirrored and gilt tray, stylish throw pillows, and grand pillar holders that look as if they could have been found in a European market.

It's just the beginning of Winter and it looks to be a cold one, so why not liven up the landscape with some popping green urns and a little Hollywood glam, care of Joan Crawford.

As with most good things, this sale won't last forever. So come in and visit us, get your design fix, and find the perfect excuse to treat yourself.

Holiday Entertaining & Decorating

Cindy Rinfret is a master at throwing together a holiday party. When she mentioned in passing last week that she was hosting over forty people for Thanksgiving at her home we thought she had lost her mind. But then we remembered who we were talking to and that Cindy can pull off the most magnificent affair without so much as breaking a sweat. After all, last year she hosted a midnight "open house" for Christmas Eve.

So when we saw the party photos we were not surprised to see that she had pulled it off again. Check it out:Cindy in her element.

Cindy put together a gorgeous autumnal flower arrangement in her front entry -- a beautiful welcome to guests.

A turkey, fall leaves, candles and flowers in warm colors create a gorgeous Thanksgiving ambiance.

Believe it or not, but this green leaf plate was purchased from Walmart for $2.00!! It's all about the mix of high and low!


More Thanksgiving birds for the table!


Whimsical custom cookies are great for any holiday party. For really special cookies check out Sweet Lisa's in Cos Cob, Galaxy Cookies in Norwalk and Aux Delices in Greenwich/Riverside.


The large living room at Cindy's house, Laurel Hill, was cleared of all furniture to make room for the long tables.

Even though this event was for Thanksgiving, many of the same concepts can be translated to a Christmas holiday party. Here are some great items we currently have in stock at Rinfret Home & Garden that should inspire you to decorate for your next holiday fete...

Silver ornaments are the chicest look for a Christmas tree. Pair them with our silver pine cones and you'll have yourself a Winter Wonderland.

An adorable bear butler is sure to start conversations at your party and mini Santa's and Christmas-scented candles create the perfect holiday mood.


Elegant reindeer and cheery wreathes are festive additions to any home...and we can't resist these red velvet throw pillows and faux fur throw to cozy up the party.


Here's a closeup of the wreath. We love the red cardinals, which clip off so you can put them in unexpected places. Sure to amuse guests.

Now get off your computer and go decorate for your next party!

Inspiration in India

The Rinfret blog has been on hiatus as we have been so busy here with lots of fabulous project installations (we promise to show you photos in an upcoming blog) and work, work, work -- but our real excuse is that we have been holding out for Cindy Rinfret to return from her trip to India, as we knew no other blog post could compare to whatever adventures Cindy had in India.

The colors, sights and sounds of India are stimulating, exhausting, but most of all inspiring. As they say, a picture tells 1,000 words, so we'll leave it to the images to tell the story...

Cindy and her group from Private Journeys in front of the iconic Taj Mahal.

Striking poses at the Taj Mahal is a requisite for any trip to India!


Cindy speaking with the Dalai Lama (well, maybe not THE Dalai Lama, but his right hand man).

Adorable and curious schoolchildren.Amazing architecture.


Some of the gorgeous rooms that Cindy and her travel companions from Private Journeys enjoyed:


This is a TENT! India definitely knows how to "rough it" in style.

Incredible design inspiration abounds in India...


More breathtaking interiors in the Taj Mahal.

Even the animals in India are decorated!

Cindy brought a piece of India back with her with beautiful pashminas, boxes, accessories -- some of which we have for sale at Rinfret Home & Garden.

Cindy Rinfret is on to her next project...!

Cindy Rinfret has her eyes on her next project -- and it's a big one -- a new home for her herself and her family!

Laurel Hill, the beautiful home that Cindy had built with the architect Jack Arnold (see his blog on her house at http://www.jackarnoldblog.com/) is now officially on the market. The house has been featured in numerous publications and will soon have a spread in Traditional Home.

Here is a shot of the exterior of Laurel Hill:

As much as Cindy loves Laurel Hill, she has been there four years and has a new project in mind. And with the children on their way to college soon it is the right time to move.

So where will Cindy go next? As we all know, Cindy is a total Greenwich Girl and has her eye on a few special houses in town. Maybe something on the water as she has always dreamed of having a waterfront home (who hasn't!?).

We can't wait to see where she goes next and more importantly, how she will transform it!

Andrew Martin Interior Design Review and our New Website!

This has been a very exciting week at Rinfret, Ltd.

To start, Cindy Rinfret made the elite list of the World's Leading Interior Designers in Andrew Martin's Interior Design Review, Volume 13. The New York Times heralds the Interior Design Review as the "Oscars of the interior design world."

One of only a handful of American designers to make the cut, Cindy is featured in the book with a gorgeous spread and fun, insider info on her favorite things in life. See photos of this impressive, coffee table worthy book:


Here is the "bible" to the interior design world.



Gorgeous Spread!




Come to the shop and check out the book to see the fab photos AND to learn things you never knew about Cindy -- like what is the worst and best advice she has ever been given, what is the secret to life, her favorite scent and most memorable meal...

Soon Rinfret Home & Garden will have copies to sell, but only in limited supply!

Last but not least, the other exciting news of the week is our newly re-designed website. Check it out at www.rinfretltd.com and be sure to let us know what you think.

We hope everyone enjoys the first Fall Weekend!