Bugsy Drake caused quite a stir on Below Deck Mediterranean, but the spotlight is on her elaborate tablescapes these days. The reality alum released The Art of Tablescaping, an instructive how-to book filled with creative ideas and examples for the aspiring tablescaper, and plans to expand into her own business soon. The Queen of Theme will curate take-home tablescaping kits to suit various holidays, all ready to try out at home. “It’s a really fun project,” says Drake, “but it’s also a lot of work.” We spoke to the tablescaping talent to learn more.
Tell me about your journey into yachting and ultimately onto Below Deck Mediterranean.
Yachting was not something I knew much about. One of my really good friends worked in yachting, and she said, “This is something you have to do. Even if it’s for six months, you’ve got to try it out.” I landed my first job within two weeks of being in France, which was quite a lucky thing, and I never really looked back. It’s an adventure, a good way to see the world, and that’s also where I learned my love for tablescaping and entertaining.
About four or five years into my career, I was approached by a director from Below Deck who asked if I’d like to try out for the show. I wasn’t sure if it was something I wanted to do, but life’s all about opportunities presenting themselves and grabbing everything with both hands. I sent them a quick video and two weeks later I was flying out to Croatia to do season two of Below Deck Mediterranean.
How does tablescaping work on a yacht?
Everything was extremely structured. I was amazed every meal time, the theme of the table would change completely—from breakfast to lunch to dinner. And you could never use the same placemats or napkins or color palettes. It opened my eyes to how much creativity you needed to work within the space because there’s such limited storage, as well.
What inspired you to pursue tablescaping?
It was something I was immediately passionate about. I thought it was amazing to create these adventures, and I like seeing guests’ expressions when they come out and see something beautiful on the table.
I was a junior stewardess and my chief stewardess let me set the table one day. I went with gold and purple, which I thought was quite spectacular, for the dinner setup. She came out and said, “No, no, this is not the style at all. I don’t know what eye you have for this, but this isn’t going to work.” And said something like, “I think maybe step back from this for a while until you learn how to set a table.”
I was quite down about it. I’ve always kind of considered myself to be quite creative. But she said it wasn’t that great, so I kind of made it my thing to excel at, because I felt like I’d failed. I will never forget that. It’s quite funny because when there’s something you really love doing or want to try your hand at and someone says, “No, I don’t think this is for you,” you just have to say, “Well, I’m going to do everything I can to make that something I’m good at.”
What are some of the favorite tables you’ve done?
I spent quite a lot of time in the Bahamas, which are just absolutely beautiful. It’s like crystal clear blue waters—another world altogether. I spent quite a lot of time on a charter yacht in the Exumas, and we used to take our guests to see the crash site of Pablo Escobar’s plane, which is half submerged in the water. I’d do a Pablo Escobar tablescape, recreating almost exactly what the guests saw that day. That theme was quite amazing, especially being anchored right off the plane.
What sparked the idea to write The Art of Tablescaping?
During COVID, I realized how much we were all missing being together. Because we couldn’t all socialize, people were getting very creative at home with whoever they were quarantining with. I thought a book for people to recreate their own would be the perfect way to channel all my ideas. I found it quite a challenge in the beginning, to translate what I do into writing. I always say there are no rules when it comes to tablescaping, but I came up with a formula—height, color, and texture. Those are the three things I think are vital to tablescaping and something you can work from.
I absolutely loved doing it, and I got a great response when it came out. People have shared pictures of tables they’ve recreated, either from the book or just from following what I do. It’s really inspiring to see people use their creativity.
Enter to win tickets to a Bugsy Drake meet-and-greet here.