Right after the holidays I start yearning for spring bulbs and plants. I look forward to English Primrose time -- the few weeks that stores sell the plants in January/February. This week's tablescape is to honor the Primrose.
The Primroses shipped to stores in our area are the intense pink, purple and yellow ones. Sometimes they are sold in small 4" pots, but this year I could only get them already planted four to a pot. So in the wire planter there are eight plants and on each side is a single artificial plant that I purchased several years ago at the Nashville Antique and Garden Show held in February. Wire metal planter with removable bottom tray was a Hobby Lobby purchase many years ago. I like putting potted plants in it.
I also like getting out my metal insects like this grasshopper.
Elements of the tablescape in a collage.
I am building the tablescape with these chargers by French maker Alberto Pinto in the Or des Airs pattern. There are six different birds in the series. I call this one Mr. Fancy Tail. The borders around the edges are also different with each pattern.
Here you can see some of the different birds. To go with the intense colors of the Primroses, I am using a linen hemstitched tablecloth in bright pink from Williams-Somoma. I don't have napkins that look good with this pink, so I am using antique white monogrammed lapkins.
I picked these chargers for this tablescape because of the color in the feathers of the cute little birds.
Next, the dinner plate which is antique English Cauldon with the Tiffany's New York retailer mark on the reverse. I am also using my gold flatware by Ricci since there are a lot of gold edges on the plates.
A stack of antique dessert/salad plates - can get a tablescaper's heart to pound at an estate sale. I had the dinner plates first and then found these salad plates about a year later from another dealer. I usually don't like a lot of matching plates but made an exception here.
View of the dessert plates.
The appetizer plates are from an antique English dessert service that consists of four pedestal cake servers and 14 plates only. These are made by Royal Worcester dated 1877. Each plate has a different hand painted floral grouping.
Mr. Swede brought the rose wine back from a trip to Paris. The coasters the wine bottles are in are Waterford that I purchased in 1980.
I enjoy seeing plate edges in how they relate to each other when made many decades apart.
Another collage. Bread plates with a golden yellow edge are Coalport's Hazelton pattern. Crystal knife rests are Shannon via Godinger, a gift from my sister.
Mr. Swede inherited two of the Moser stems on the right from his mother. I found more to add to the set. His Mom bought them when in her late 60's so they were not in the family when he was growing up.
I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch. To see all the entries, after 10:00AM Eastern on Thursdays, go here:
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Summer
Photos: Swede
