Virginia Robinson Gardens’ Fundraiser
De Colores: More than a Garden Tour
Thanks to our very dynamic, enthusiastic and talented co-chairs Nicole Antoine, Kathy Choi, Diane Jenkins, and Dana Reston Lyons, and our dedicated Garden Tour Committee, the Virginia Robinson Garden Tour this year was an outstanding and fabulous event. It was a day of incomparable beauty, elegance and fun, with the “De Colores – The Art of Botanical Seduction” Latin theme reflected in the beautiful floral displays at the Robinson Gardens Estate and the delicious luncheon served. To see all the photos from the event, click here.
Showcasing this Mediterranean theme, the private gardens were truly spectacular this year. The fabled Harold Lloyd Estate enchanted with its beautiful Mediterranean Revival architecture, romantic rose garden and antique children’s carousel. A peaceful, bucolic retreat, Granja Crescenda boasted a small organic farm filled with vegetables, herbs, fruits, and edible flowers, and a welcoming multi-purpose barn for entertaining and jam-making! Casa Azul with French Accents was a fabulous garden, filled with pots and urns, brimming with flowers, along with marvelous outbuildings along the lawn, consisting of an amazing blue-tiled dining pavilion and charming greenhouse/kitchen. El Sueno, a romantic Spanish Revival home and garden overlooking the Riviera Country Club, echoed Andalusian Spain and delighted with its Moorish-style pools, fountains, bougainvillea, and roses in full bloom – a mini-paradise. With beautiful sculptures of antique Grecian goddesses and other garden ornaments decorating the bonus garden, La Arboleda de la Torre was a fragrant, exquisite, and elegant space. Along with shrubs and trees lushly planted on the slopes of the property, abundant plantings of jasmine perfumed the air. All the gardens were truly an inspiration and a beautiful vision, never to be forgotten.
Back at the Virginia Robinson Gardens estate, a colorful and delicious luncheon by The Kitchen for Exploring Foods was served on the Great Lawn. Blue corn cheddar muffins, grilled skirt steak with chimichurri relish, grilled achiote rubbed chicken breasts with mango salsa, and strawberry nasturtium cucumber salad were among the delectables created.
The concierge level ticket-holders were seated at their own table, gloriously decorated by Florist Brad Austin. A lush cornucopia of fruits, and orange and yellow flowers with accents of fuschia daisies rested on a blue and pink tablecloth. Decorative elements of photographed embroidered flowers formed a canopy above the table. The overall effect was breathtaking!
Our co-chairs gave welcoming speeches and introduced our Grand Marshal, world-renowned interior designer Suzanne Rheinstein, who then talked about her passion for gardens, and the fact that much of her work is botanically inspired. She also thanked us for the honor and “the women of Virginia Robinson Gardens for putting out this amazing effort that it takes to get this event done and also gathering all those wonderful gardens that we’ve seen this year and all the other years. So, I say, onward and upward into the garden!” Suzanne signed her beautiful books in the Library, where she was also the designer.
The guests were then treated to a lively and chic fashion show by the French fashion house IRO. Models wearing iconic leather jackets and lovely dresses twirled on the runway.
Upon entering the house, under a floral archway, sat an authentically dressed “Frida Kahlo,” greeting the guests. We are grateful to the very talented florists and interior designers who totally transformed the rooms at the house. Lush, opulent floral displays complemented creative and beautiful interior designs that were truly a feast for the eyes!
The Pool Pavilion was colorfully decorated with gorgeous yellow, orange, pink and dark green large paper flowers where guests could buy clothing by IRO, taste sweets by Sugarfina and gelato by Amarino and buy perfumes by Jo Malone. The latter even gave hand and arm massages!
Homeboy Bakery was selling delicious cinnamon bread, among other treats, in the kitchen alongside Heather Taylor who displayed her popular linens for the home.
Guests also enjoyed fabulous shopping at the De Colores Fiesta Boutique where thirty one vendors displayed designer handbags, clothes, jewelry, unique gifts, and elegant antiques.
And last but not least, some of the silent auction items and opportunity drawing prizes that were won were: the latest Tiffany silver locket bracelet, a wine tasting in Napa, a night’s stay at the
Beverly Hills Hotel, a Lladro figurine, a Christofle silver ice bucket and crystal glassware, and a rose gold and diamond necklace from Kazanjian Jewelers!
We are also very grateful to Maralee Beck and Jeanne Anderson who discovered these private, magnificent gardens for us to enjoy! We especially want to thank the owners who so generously shared their gardens with us. All for a worthy cause – preserving Virginia Robinson Gardens, the oldest estate in Beverly Hills, and the Children’s Program where children are educated and inspired by the beauty and the splendor of the gardens.
Post by Linda Meadows
Friends of Robinson Gardens member
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