Close-up of a tablescape featuring hand-lettered place cards, floral napkin rings, and layered tableware in rich greens and burgundy. — *The details tell the story: hand-lettered place cards, herbs and flowers tucked into napkin rings, and a color palette drawn entirely from Hamilton's Bamburgh Forest fabric.*

Each year, Little Hands Virginia's Annual Virginia Tablescapes fundraiser brings together some of Richmond's most creative design minds to transform a simple table setting into a work of art. The event supports Little Hands Virginia's mission of ensuring children in Central Virginia have the essentials they need to improve outcomes for life, and this year's gathering was a remarkable one. Over 700 guests joined on March 27th and 28th, and through their generosity, Virginia Tablescapes 2026 raised nearly $300,000 for the organization.

This year's theme, Design Through the Ages, invited designers to celebrate creativity, beauty, and history through the lens of a different design era. It also offered a moment of reflection on the many ages of Little Hands Virginia itself, and the community of support that has made its growth and impact possible. We were honored to be among the designers chosen to participate.

The Concept

When the theme was announced, the possibilities felt wide open. Rather than anchor the design to a specific era, Curated Furnishings Store Manager Barbara Dykes and Merchandiser Will Chambers wanted to create something that felt simultaneously timeless and fresh. "We wanted to create something timeless, classic, fresh and contemporary with a nod to the past," Will recalls. From there, a single phrase took hold: medieval modern. It would go on to define every decision that followed.

The concept they landed on was A Garden Beyond Time, an enchanted garden scene designed to feel like a place of discovery. "Something timeless, a feeling of whimsy," Will describes. "The thought of walking through an enchanting garden and discovering little trinkets and surprises along the way." Barb envisioned it similarly: a space that made guests feel like travelers in a magical garden that only held wonders.

The Fabric That Started It All

With the concept established, the search for the right fabric began. They needed something that felt like an updated tapestry, rich in color and texture, with a sense of history. Hamilton's Bamburgh Forest was the answer. "It gave us all the colors and style we needed," Will says, describing it as the perfect base and jumping-off point for the entire design.

From there, every element was built outward from the fabric's palette and mood.

Close-up of a fabric chair pennant with tassel fringe detail in varying shades of green, fabricated by U-Fab Interiors. — The chair pennants, fabricated by U-Fab Interiors, were inspired by the flag pennants carried by Robin Hood and his Merry Men through Sherwood Forest. Every shade of green was pulled directly from the Hamilton tapestry fabric.

Bringing the Table to Life

The table linens and chair pennants were fabricated by U-Fab Interiors, and their design was rooted in a specific visual. "The chair pennants originated from an image of Robin Hood and his Merry Men walking through Sherwood Forest carrying traditional flag pendants," Will explains. The varying shades of green used throughout the linens were pulled directly from the Hamilton tapestry fabric, creating a cohesive, layered foundation for the full tablescape.

All tableware and accessories came from Curated Furnishings, selected to complement the medieval modern aesthetic. From place settings and glassware to candlesticks and the centerpiece itself, Will notes that the team pulled from their core collection and supplemented it with pieces discovered at market.

No detail was overlooked: clusters of fresh grapes tucked into the arrangement nodded to the medieval inspiration, brass animals elicited a sense of whimsy, and moss spilled from the centerpiece as though the garden itself couldn't be contained.

Close-up of a lush floral centerpiece featuring roses, berries, greenery, curly willow, and phalaenopsis orchids in a rich, layered arrangement. — Designed by Barb Dykes, the centerpiece combined lime and heart roses, peach stock, hypericum berries, burgundy mini carnations, curly willow, and fresh greenery with phalaenopsis orchids and Spanish moss from Curated Furnishings' floral collection.

The Centerpiece

At the heart of the table sat Barb's centerpiece, where her background as a professional florist came fully into play. Having devoted much of her career to expressing her clients' emotions through floral design, this project gave her the opportunity to bring that craft back in a meaningful way. "It was rewarding to experience that again," she reflects.

Working from the colors and textures of the Bamburgh Forest fabric, Barb built the arrangement intuitively. She worked with lime and heart roses, peach stock, cream hypericum berries, burgundy mini carnations, fresh greenery, and curly willow. Elegant phalaenopsis orchids and soft Spanish moss from Curated Furnishings' floral collection served as the arrangement's only everlasting elements, lending a lush, timeless finish to Barb's design.

A True Collaboration

What makes this tablescape meaningful is what it represents beyond the table itself. Every layer of the design reflects the combined capabilities of U-Fab Interiors and Curated Furnishings, from custom fabric and fabrication to furniture, accessories, and one-of-a-kind finds. Together, the two brands offer a truly end-to-end design experience, one that A Garden Beyond Time was a natural expression of. "All the details are what make this a great collaboration," Will says. "From the tassel fringe on the back of the chair pennants to hand-lettered place cards, herbs and flowers tucked into napkin rings, hand-stitched leather utensil holders, and small clusters of grapes in the centerpiece. No detail was left out."

We are so grateful to Little Hands Virginia for the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful event, and to everyone who joined us at Virginia Tablescapes this year. Seeing the creative efforts of so many talented local designers under one roof was truly inspiring, and a wonderful reminder of the depth of design talent right here in our community.

To explore the full event recap and see all of this year's tables, visit the Virginia Tablescapes 2026 recap at virginiatablescapes.com/2026-recap. And to learn more about Little Hands Virginia and the work they do for children across Central Virginia, visit littlehandsvirginia.org. We hope A Garden Beyond Time offered a moment of wonder, and perhaps a glimpse of what's possible when two creative teams work as one.