For this week's tablescape, I am using the colors of gold and magenta. Instead of using objects in the center of the table this week, I decided to do a fresh floral arrangement. Godetia flowers are nearly a perfect match to my antique china.
I purchased five packages of Godetia from my local grocery store to make the centerpiece. The tag says they were grown in Colombia.
I am cutting greenery and pink Fairy roses from shrubs in my yard. I need two bricks of wet oasis. So for a total of $34, this is what I made.
I will show you how I put the centerpiece together further in this post.
I also made the gold shimmery tablecloth with nine yards of Monace satin from Hancock's Fabrics. Since it is metallic, there is a reflection in the photos. It is washable and just happened to be on sale for 30% off the day I was there, so I made it for about $61. It will fit the table with two of the 22" leaves in it so I can seat 10 people.
Below is the china I will be using today.
Napkins are 100% hemp from Williams-Sonoma in a magenta colorway. I know you are not supposed to place the flatware on the dinner napkin, but sometimes I break the rules when I don't have much space to work with.
Charger is JL Coquet's Hemisphere Matte Gold. It is heavy and very wide.
Dinner plate is German Royal York. Magenta with lots of gold.
The salad plate is probably English. It is only marked on the reverse with the retailer's store name with the words B. Nathan, San Francisco. I purchased these plates with the lidded tureen used for the floral arrangement at an estate sale in the Gold Coast of Alameda, CA around 1995. Those estate sales in the old Victorian homes were always amazing and I miss going to them. All the pieces are hand painted with different flowers on each plate. This one looks like a Rhododendron or Camellia.
Here is the Iris. There are also Roses, Pansies, etc. I got them all for $8. Yes, you read that correctly. I would have gladly paid $80 or more. They just wanted to clear everything out. I got to the sale late and found these in a cardboard box underneath a table so most people missed them. One good find keeps me going to more estate sales.
Dessert plates are antique Spode Copeland hand painted and signed by R. Wood.
I'm using two pieces of stemware. On the left is Varga's Imperial in raspberry and on the right is a ruby flash stem from Pottery Barn in bubble glass. I guess you would call this hi-low decorating at $325/$11. I don't care much about the cost of the item but care more about quality, how it looks and the colors. The same for the plates. They can come from Tiffany's or Goodwill as nobody will know but you.
For flatware, I am using William Durgin's Chrysanthemum pattern from 1893. It is as detailed on the reverse side as it is on the front and maybe more.
This is the overall table with the salad plates.
A wide view of the dinner plates.
And the dessert plates.
Dessert is a vanilla cheesecake with strawberries.
The cake plate is a Spode/Copeland service plate from a larger set that, unfortunately, has only a few pieces remaining.
Lastly, I said I would talk about putting the centerpiece together.
Starting with the five packages of Godetia, I cut greens from the yard.
After soaking the oasis, I cut it with a butcher knife to fit the container.
I just walk around the yard and find different kinds of greenery that please me.
I have seven of these Fairy rose bushes in the yard, so I clipped some stems that are close to the pink on the inside of the Godetia blooms.
This is the container I am going to use. It is the bottom of the lidded tureen that matches the salad plates. The metal frame I purchased this spring at Texas Marburger Farm antique show. The brass, crystal and marble candlesticks were inherited by my husband from his mother.
Notice I placed the oasis so it sticks up above the rim of the dish. That way I can grip the oasis on an angle and have my stems drape over the container sides.
On my kitchen counter, I put the greens in first. Then place the flowers in with numerous triangles until I am satisfied with the spacing.
As the Godetia ages, it will unfurl so the blooms will be closer together in the arrangement.
I hope you are having an enjoyable week.
I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.
To see all the entries, after 9:00PM Eastern on Wednesday, go here:
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
All the best to you,
Summer
Photos: Swede
