'K' is for Keebaugh!

WORDS:: Chyka Keebaugh

PHOTOS:: Lisa Atkinson

Everything is about monogramming at the moment. From clothes to phones, to cushions to tableware, letters and numbers are popping up all over the place. 

There is something special about having something that is made especially for you. Best of all, there will never be any confusion when putting away the washing if you initials are on your clothes! Or what could be nicer than being handed your 5 pm gin and tonic in a beautiful glass with your initial printed on it in gold?

It’s a great personal gift, something you can give to someone that is guaranteed to be all about them. I know growing up I could never find anything with my crazy name emblazoned on it, as hard as I searched, never a Chyka to be seen! So being able to get my initials on something still excites me. 

The monograms we see about today are usually a set of letters, mainly initials, which are combined into a decorative mark that is used to identify a particular person or family. It is one of the oldest forms of identification and is widely recognised throughout the world. Monograms first appeared on coins, using the first two letters of the city name this form of identification was then adopted by artists and craftsman to identify their works. They went on to become a symbol of status and luxury as monograms were adopted as a symbol of the monarchy. And as they say, the rest is history!

A fun twist on using a monogram is to introduce it onto your dinner table. I love for all of my guests to be able to leave with something (other than a full belly!) and using these monogrammed keychains was one way to make them feel pretty special. The table itself was clean, bright and straightforward. The aim was for the letters to pop out, shine and act as a colourful place setting for all my guests. This tablecloth from Nordic Design is fantastic enough on its own; it didn’t need any more fuss around it. Thus, all I simply added was ombre gold to silver cutlery, green glasses and bright yellow serviettes, and these green leather monogrammed key rings.

There is nothing more fun than adding your own little spin on a traditional idea to bring it back into fashion.