What world-renowned artist and designer Anna Weatherley has brought to connoisseurs of fine porcelain, she now shares in the most personal, elegant setting to very lucky brides-to-be in the Washington, DC area.
With quite the colorful resume, Anna was once commissioned to design a pair of 18th-century-style hand painted cachepots as a gift from Vogue editor Anna Wintour to Princess Diana. She has also partnered with the White House Historical Association, and in 2015 she was thrilled to design a special collection of hand painted porcelain decorative objects based on flowers planted in Jackie Kennedy's Rose Garden. In conjunction with the historical association she also created the official White House Easter Egg for 2017, reflecting the lovely wisteria of the White House gardens. Purchases of association productions - including the Anna Weatherley Easter Egg and White House Gardens Collection -- support the non-profit organization's non-partisan mission to preserve, protect, and provide public access to the rich history of America's executive mansion.
From her Hungarian-born roots she relocated to Australia with her family (her father was a silk importer) and from her extensive world travels she was smitten with the artistic influences of India, Afghanistan, and the Far East. Today, she still maintains a devoted team of talented artisans in Hungary who work tirelessly to create her unique designs.
"My life experiences do make my work more colorful," tells Anna.
Since landing in the Washington area with her husband in the late 1960s, Anna charmed clients as a fashion designer in the 1970s and 1980s - including Lady Bird Johnson and Elizabeth Taylor -- and eventually discovered yet another niche, designing porcelain.
Now, from her private studio tucked away in a charming three-story house in Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia, the delightful Anna welcomes newly engaged couples to explore her fabulous collections and enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience putting together their own tablescapes. Brides immediately love that her porcelain treasures are simply longing to be mixed and matched to create a personalized table look their families can enjoy and celebrate for many years to come.
"Brides can come for tea and create their own table and personal look, using their favorite colors and favorite flowers, something you can't do anywhere else," says Anna, who also incorporates contemporary design into her collection for those engaged couples looking for something more modern. She also says grooms tend to favor her designs for their less frilly and not totally feminine feel.
Her current trio of studios - Arlington, Budapest, and New York City - all showcase her most exquisite works, known for featuring flowers, birds, and butterflies, as well as "couture" insects. (Anna notes that no one wants to dine from a plate adorned with anything less than a very beautiful bug!)
In addition, her much-loved patterns are sold at around 400 luxury, high-end exclusive retailers including Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney's, and Bloomingdale's, along with luxury retailers in London and Tokyo. Since 2014 Anna has also enjoyed collaborating with the Neue Galerie in New York, designing unique collections for display in the popular museum of early 20th-century German and Austrian art.
Despite her large body of work in botanicals, Anna admits to not having a particularly green thumb and, in fact, has created a new collection of just greens - her personal tribute to the beauty of nature's "weeds." Her most recent trip back to Hungary also inspired a new meadow collection.
"To paint even one leaf takes nearly three hours," explains Anna, of the detail and dedication she puts in to each and every piece, along with an incredible amount of love.
To reach Anna Weatherley to schedule a bridal appointment at her private studio, email averonika@msn.com.
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