November 5, 2025
Photography: John Gruen
Styling: Robin Klein
Flower Styling + Story: Romane Recalde
“Romane, do you want to do another collaboration?”
Usually, I’m suspicious of the word collaboration, but when it comes from Dana Brandwein of DBO Home and John Gruen, I only have one answer: When!?
Last year, we had a playful session in Dana’s pottery studio, and those images still live on my site (yes, homepage stuff). So when Robin Klein, an interior designer, reached out about her Harvest Table idea, I couldn’t resist.
Robin had just finished building a beautiful little shed, truly the stuff of Upstate dreams. I got to chat with her about how this day came to be.
“This barn is such a dreamy little world in itself, how did it come to be? What’s the story behind it?”
“Buying a house upstate always meant having a barn, what would a country house be without one? And this property had this gorgeous old barn. The catch: we bought the place in the winter, in the middle of a snowstorm. When the snow melted, we discovered that the barn…had an entire side missing.
A fresh space that still carries the soul of the original, its warmth, its purpose, its sense of gathering, just reimagined for this new chapter.
Inspired by the abundance of gourds, squashes, and fall vegetables from her local CSA, Robin knew she wanted to incorporate the Nonna Collection from DBO Home. The dark plates set the perfect moody tone we were after, their hand-finished edges adding that artisanal touch that made the whole table feel like a living Dutch Masters painting.
The goal was to capture the feeling of the season, the abundance, the fields spilling over with pumpkins, forests brimming with mushrooms, trees draped in bittersweet. Warmth, coziness, and that instinct to gather, especially heading into the holidays, were the emotions Robin hoped to evoke. And I’d say she succeeded beautifully.
When I arrived, the table was already overflowing with goodness, a real-life painting that immediately drew you in. Beets were delicately wrapped in twine, giving them an almost gift-like quality (which, in a way, they are).
As I took in all the thoughtfully placed details, one thing stopped me: a white cantaloupe. “I’ve never seen it this color, how strange and mesmerizing,” I said.
“Oh yes, that’s bronze,” Robin casually replied.
Bronze! Like metal bronze? I couldn’t fathom how anyone could sculpt something so lifelike, yet there it was, gleaming beside a half-open squash, both somehow equally real. Robin pointed out a few more otherworldly pieces by Katie Ridley Murphy, each one blurring the line between nature and art.
Honestly, I thought it looked perfect as it was. But twist my arm…I’ll add flowers.
Just like me, Robin is endlessly inspired by nature.
Take any room and it’s lifeless until you put something organic in it. It’s all about bringing the outside in, add twigs and branches and watch the space transform.”
When I asked what surprised her most about the day, Robin said: “I spent the weekend pulling produce, pairing colors, what looks best next to deep purple beets, how to tie it all together. But when Romane intertwined porcelain vines between each vegetable, that’s when it really came together and took my breath away.”
To which I say: when in doubt, vine it up.
There’s something magical that happens when creative worlds overlap. When a potter, a designer, a photographer, and a florist sit at the same table and build something simply for the love of it. Collaboration can be tricky, but when it’s rooted in trust and shared wonder, it becomes play. And that’s exactly what this was a celebration of season, of craft, of what happens when we create just to see what beauty might appear.
A cozy, earthy mix of folk, acoustic, and mellow indie tracks curated to complement golden light, warm meals, and crisp autumn air.
Playlist by John Gruen
John Gruen, an interiors, still life, and travel photographer, studied film during college in Washington DC, and photography at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His work, featured in numerous books and magazines, is intimate, serene, and honest. He recently moved to the Hudson valley in Upstate NY.
Robin Klein began her creative journey in the fashion industry as a buyer for the iconic original Henri Bendel. With her foundation in fashion coupled with her passion for beautiful design she has been successfully working in the interior design field for over twenty five years. Robin is a tastemaker who has a keen eye for detail and an ability to "mix things up." Robins approach to design is a process and a collaboration between the client and the designer. In all of Robin's projects the final result is a design that feels livable and appropriate.
Romane found herself in the world of flowers shortly after making the move from New York City to Upstate NY. There, she started growing a potager at first, which quickly turned into a whole field of blooms. Wanting to learn more about the design aspect of floristry, she learned from idols all over the world. From Mexico to London, Belgium and more... She is passionate about using her skills to make spectacular, uplifting creations, whether it be for a wedding or a modest house arrangement.
