Swede

Tablescape: Creating Olde World Romance

 

 

For this week's tablescape, I am showing  an olde world look. About 20 years ago, I purchased two Point de Venice or perhaps Point de France lace tablecloths which I believe were made in Brussels, Belgium around the turn of the century. There is a possibility that one is Italian but I am not sure.  I bought one from a dealer's shop in La Conner, WA who said she got it from a Massachussets estate. The other one I purchased at an antique show in San Francisco. I am not sure when the craze for oriental things took place and I have not researched this in a lace book but I do have Anne Kraatz's Lace History and Fashion book to look through when I get the time.  One of the tablecloths has ovals of Geisha girls and Lotus flowers.

 

This photo is of a close up of the Geisha girl.

 

This photo shows the ovals surrounding a central panel. You can also see the very fine spider web threads that hold the panels together.

 

Here you can see the Lotus flowers in the central panel. I have no expertise in lace making, but I do believe these are mostly machine made since machines were technical enough in the 1800's to do this work.

 

Since neither of the two tablecloths is large enough to cover my table and drape to the floor, I have used one lenghwise and one crosswise.

 

You can see the edges at the corners of one laying on top of the other. Underneath both is a beige solid color cloth. You can also see I still am using my French aubuson flat-weave rug in the dining room. These are now out of style and you don't see them in decor magazines like you used to a few years ago.  I have not switched mine out to something else yet and I do think it goes with the olde world look.

The tablecloth on the bottom is done with a heavier thread than the top one and it is done in a different style. It is long enough to go to the floor on both ends of the table but it is not very wide.

 

This one came with 11 napkins.

 

There were originally 12 napkins but one was stolen from the shop. The shop owner said that it was not young kids taking things, it was women between the ages of 65-80 who took odd things and walked out of the shop with them. I found this very peculiar as she was in that age range herself but had been a dealer for many years so she should know. Her shop was in a Victorian house not a mall.

 

Starting the tablescape, I am using a charger from JL Coquet in the Hemisphere Matte Gold pattern. I use this charger alot because of its large diameter.

For the service plates, I am using these courting couples plates. I think they add the note of romance. This table setting would be good for a party celebrating the wedding of an older couple, perhaps a second marriage.

 

Here is a wider view of the service plates on the table.

 

There are four different scenes in the center on the 16 plates to the set. They are Czechoslovokian and each has the couple in a different pose.

 

I am continuing the lace look with the dinner plates which have a central medallian that has that look.  

 

These are made in Limoges, France.  Nathan Straus & Sons is written on the back. He had a store at 119 Fifth Avenue in New York City and was a co-owner of Macy's in 1896.  All of the plates are in mint condition so probably were never used by the family that owned them.

 

 

To create the centerpiece, I looked around the house to see what I could find that had that Euro look.

 

I used a large oval brass edged mirrored tray and put an antique dressing mirror, opera glasses, a statue of Marie Antoinette and a pair of gold and crystal candlesticks on the tray. The opera glasses were a gift from my sister and the candlesticks my husband inherited from his mother.

 

The sterling pattern I've chosen to use for this table is Durgin's Chrysanthemum. 

 

I think the intricate pattern introduced in 1893 fits well with this olde world look. The knife is an English bone handled one. I don't have Chrysanthemum pattern knives as the blades were silver plated which wore out so few survived over the years.  

 

The backside of the sterling pieces is even more wonderful than the front side.  The salad forks are monogrammed with the date of 1908 probably when they were given as a gift.

I am using three pieces of stemware. 

 

From left to right: Rick Strini in Iron Gold Bella which is mouth blown. Strini's shop was in Santa Monica until he moved his business to Hawaii. Strini Art Glass is now best known for Rick's chandeliers.  Look at his website.  Next is an antique Venetian stem in a very pale green with "lace" gold design. I presume someone visiting Venice brought the set back home with them. On the right is a Tiffin stem wine. I don't know the pattern name. My husband inherited a couple from his Mom and then I added to them.

For dessert plates, I am using a vintage English Wedgwood plate.  The pattern has a lace look to coordinate with the lace tablecloth.

 

Here is a wider view of them on the table.

 

The olde world look can get a bit "heavy" looking, so I try to update it with a mix of newer pieces such as modern stemware and chargers.

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 Wednesday evening, go here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photos: Swede

Showing Some Green for Lá Fhéile Pádraig

 

That's St.Patrick's Day in Irish. To celebrate the life of St. Patrick [387 to 461 AD] gosh that is a really, really long time ago, I set our table with green this week.  Did you know the official color used to be blue???

The only items I own officially made in Ireland are stemware from Waterford and a couple Belleek pieces.  I will use English Coalport china for this tablescape for his place of birth - Britain. [He was kidnapped and taken to Ireland].

One thing I want to mention here and perhaps this is a good time to discuss it is that my style of tablescaping is to suggest the theme. For example, here I want to suggest St. Patrick's Day without the use of novelty items such as green clover shaped dishes, Shamrock plants, leprechauns that shout the theme. For me, I have found it better to hint or suggest.  Same thing for other holidays as well.  That's just what pleases my eye. Everyone should do what pleases their own taste and be true to it.  I also like to get the most versatility out of my china. This green china can be used at any time of the year for any meal not just one occasion.

 

These batwing-style plates are part of a dessert service that I purchased in Canada.  The service, in addition to the plates, had four flat cake plates instead of the pedestal ones you usually see.  The green porcelain is kind of an acid-y green or Granny Smith apple green.

 

The dinner plates are Simply Anna by Anna Weatherley, chargers are Hemisphere Matte Gold by JL Coquet.

 

Oval scalloped placemats are made of green capiz shells backed with cork. I purchased them at a china shop five years ago but I have seen them in beige and white more recently other places such as Neiman-Marcus but not in green.  Damask napkins by French maker Le Jacquard Francaise and the napkin rings are by an unknown maker sold at Dillard's.

 

Stemware is Tall Colleen by Waterford, a white wine and an over-sized wine. These were purchased in 1980 when I lived in San Diego and when Waterford was all made in Ireland. Now it is made in other countries. The tumbler has a green flash around the top and was a Dillard's purchase about five years ago.  

 

 

 

 Sterling is Grande Baroque by Wallace, bread and butter plates are vintage by Royal Doulton and glass candlesticks, rings and candles from Pottery Barn.

 

For the centerpiece, I decided not to buy anything and instead looked around the house for what I could find in green.  The tall vase holding dried Hydrangeas from my yard is an import from a gift shop. I placed English orange Primrose pots on two stacks of old books from the 1800's, found my green porcelain lettuce and green porcelain asparagus bunches. The vegetables my husband gave me while attending the Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville, TN a few years ago.   I really don't like covering the entire center of the table with stuff and this one is pretty crowded - more than to my liking.

 

For dessert I will use these green plates from Portugal only because they are green.

 

 

 

 Plate of frosted and decorated cookies.

 

 

 

Hope you all have a fun St. Patrick's Day.

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

 

Tablescape: Fishing with a French Accent

 

 

Today's tablescape speaks a little French.  At an antique show several years ago, I found a set of French Limoges fish plates sold in Paris. The shop's address is on the reverse at 94 Avenue de la Opera, Paris. I loved the border color which is a melon -- a cross between pink and coral.  All 12 plates have the fish swimming in a different direction.

 

Items used in this tablescape include placemats made by Copperworx of Clinton, MS. I believe they are available in two finishes, mine are the patina selection that looks like aged copper but does not have the verdigris or green patina like copper aged outdoors. Photos do not do justice to these placemats. You have to see them in person. They are made with a thin sheet of copper attached to cork so they don't scratch your table. The animal spotted tumblers are by Slant available through Dillard's.

 

Here is a closer look at the copper placemat.  It has a lot of character from the aged finish.

  

This charger also speaks French. It is Jaune de Chrome's pattern Flamenco.  The reflective color of the glaze changes as light hits it.  If you are a tablescaper who has not yet discovered this French porcelain maker, you are in for a real treat.  Their glaze finishes are unlike anything on the planet. I don't know how to even describe them to you. It is just something you have to see in person.  After I purchased the copper placemats, I realized I was going to have a challenging time finding just the right plates to use with them.  I did not want to go to wood chargers or a more casual look.  Jaune de Chrome was the perfect answer.  You can see the unusual texture and coloration in the glaze.

 

For the dinner plate, I am using 1960's vintage Ripple pattern by English maker Royal Worcester.  When RW made this, they were way ahead of their time for unusual gold textured surfaces on porcelain.  This is the type of porcelain you are now seeing from the French manufacturers.

 
I purchased a silver two-piece fish service for 8 about 18 years ago at an antique mall north of Seattle that I have never been able to identify. As you can see, there are hallmarks on the knife blade but I cannot find them in a book. I can't even figure out what country they are from. I know they are not English or French. I think they are 800 continental Europe silver not 925 sterling or plate. 

The silver fish set will just be used for appetizers and the fork will remain on the table for dessert.  I do not own French sterling [hint, hint Santa Claus].  

 

For the remainder of the meal, Gorham's St.Cloud pattern will be used.  Notice I do not show teaspoons. Unless they come with a grouping of silver I am buying, I do not purchase them separately.  I prefer the larger oval soup spoons.  Teaspoons to me are too small to be very useful.  The larger spoons work well for both soup and dessert.  Also notice in this photo that you can see more clearly what I was talking about with the finish on the dinner plates being so unusual for 1960. 

 

The napkins are Martha Stewart Collection thru Macy's in melon. I also love this color. It works well when I am in my coral mood. The napkin rings are Reba in a metal lattice Stratford pattern. They are from country singer Reba McEntire's home collection from Dillard's.  I got these to spray paint another color but haven't done that yet.

 

For dessert plates, I am using another French Elite Limoges specialty plate imported for retailer Higgins & Seiter of New York.  These all have hand painted birds on them which are identified on the reverse of the plate. I love the gold ruffle rim.  These are good to serve cake.  I have not been showing food in my tablescapes.  These bird plates and fish plates are what I really enjoy working with because they add such an unique look to the table.  As you must have figured out by reading my blog, I don't like using everything in the same pattern -- salad, dinner, soup, bread, etc.  Very seldom will I purchase more than two pieces of a pattern unless I am getting an antique or vintage china set in bulk.  If that is the case, I feel all the china should be kept together and not sold off separately. They have spent their lives together up until that point and I feel they should remain so.

 

This dessert plate has a Quail couple on it. The coral napkin brings out the coral coloration around the Quail.  The charger and placemat bring out the browns on the birds.

 

For additional glassware, I am using this tumbler which is American pressed glass from 1907. I believe the pattern name is Wedding Band.

A cake for dessert will be served with this French sterling handled cake server sold in a store in Lyon, France.  The functional end is gold plated.

 

I am very lucky to have the original box the server came in.

 

I love French tableware, but I must admit that I don't speak a word of French.

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

To see all the entries, go here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

    

Tablescape: Chocolate and White -- Diner's Delight

 

 

 

White coral still delights me. Decor magazines may not be showing it as much as they did the past two years, but for me it is here to stay. Today I have used many of my natural coral pieces as the centerpiece. I do like using objects in the center of the table versus flowers especially when I can find something that fits the scheme.

 

I purchased two cachepots from the garden section of Home Depot. These are just the perfect size for potted floral plants that you buy. They slip down inside to hide the pot.  I believe these are a fiberglass type material made to look aged. I filled them with bubblewrap and put the coral piece on top.

 

 

 

The goblet is the Stratton pattern of Simon Pearce. The tumbler is by Slant.  

 

 

 

 

I wasn't a fan of the color brown, even though my husband loves it [don't most men?] until I walked into a china store and was smitten by this chocolate glazed Jaune de Chrome Paris encrusted charger.  It just glowed and stood out on the shelf amongst all the other plates. It was the most incredible china I had ever seen, and as a china addict, I've seen a few.  I guess it called to me from across the room and said "trust me, you will love me".  This is the Tortoise pattern in the encrusted version.  They make it in two versions.  Tortoise has now won a place in my heart and I could almost say it is my favorite of all my china. I say almost because each  pattern is wonderful in its own right. But, this was a looker. Jaune de Chrome makes very unusual glazes. When held in the light other colors come out such as a shimmer of lilac.  In the past, I have not liked using black dinnerware or even dark browns. I made an exception to the rule with Tortoise.

 

For the service and appetizer plate, I am using William-Sonoma's Ocean shell plate. It is also made in France.

 

 

 

My husband asked for chocolate kisses with strawberries.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

This is Tiffany's English King pattern first introduced in 1885 and still in production today.  I am using it because of the shells on the ends of the handles which I think goes well with a coral theme. I would love to have acrylic handled tortoise flatware but have not found any I loved in my price range.

 

The bread and butter plate is from Williams-Sonoma. I believe they called it a biscotti plate.  I can't afford the b/b plates in Tortoise at $203 each, so this is an example of hi-low as they were on sale for $1.25 each. Butter spreaders with mother of pearl handles are Jean Dubost France.

 

 

 

 

The tablecloth is quilted white with a scallop hem. Napkins are Le Jacquard Francais 100% linen damask in their Primrose Bordier Tivoli pattern in Moka color that I had monogrammed in metallic gold thread.

For salad, I am using rim soups in the Jaune de Chrome Tortoise pattern.  I have mentioned before how I like to get triple duty out of rim soup bowls -- soup, salad and dessert. Due to the cost, I only purchased chargers and rim soups in this pattern.  It is also my general rule not to buy all pieces of one pattern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dinner plates, I am using Richard Ginori's Coquille pattern.

 

There are some browns on the plate in the fish's fins and body that pull out when placed with the charger.  

 

 

 

 

The dessert plates are Jaune de Chrome's Jungle Amber pattern in a rimless coupe shape. They, too have a unique glaze.  I am using these for their color instead of a patterned plate.

 

 

 

I'm sure it won't come as a surprise to know I am serving a chocolate dessert.  And, grilled Halibut on the fish plates.

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

 

Tablescape to Honor A Man in Your Life

 

This week's tablescape is an example of a table created to honor a man. Perhaps you need to create a table setting for a birthday or Father's Day or some other family celebration. I find creating a tablescape for the male species is not as easy as for a woman. Not all men hunt, fish or golf or like race cars. Generally, if I am hosting a lunch or dinner for someone, I like to relate the event to the person in some way, perhaps their hobby, interest, occupation or event in their life such as a retirement, promotion, graduate degree, etc.  This tablescape is for a birthday brunch for a man who restores old homes.  It does have fish and birds in it, but the theme is carried out by the architectural salvage fragments in the centerpiece.  I like to use objects that have unique interest instead of flowers if I can, although a floral centerpiece can be designed to be masculine.  I am also using a canvas tablecloth for a more rough texture. And, I have chosen brown and aqua for the colors.

 

The service plates have bird pairs on them. Each hand painted French Avenir Limoges plate is different.

 

This is a wider view of the table with the service plates. Below are a few photos of the other designs on the plates.

 

And another one.

 

It would be hard for me to choose a favorite in my game plates, but these are right at the top. Beautiful quality and mint condition with well executed painting.

 

These must be Pheasants.

 

The chargers are from Jaune de Chrome, my favorite French porcelain maker for new china.  If you follow my blog, you've heard me rave about them.

 
The pattern name is English Rose on Song in Ivory.  Even though they are floral, I am using them for a man because the colorway is chocolate and they don't shout floral like pink roses would.  You probably wouldn't know they were roses.  

 

For the centerpiece, I went around the house and gathered architectural salvage pieces I purchased in antique shops.  They are in their originial grimey condition with pealing paint.  My favorite is what I call the onion top. I've also included two newer finials because of their coloration.

 

The napkins I selected because they had both brown and aqua in the pattern.

 

The napkins are from Yves Delorme Paris in the Recevior Verone pattern. My nice husband gave them to me for Valentine's Day together with the etched tumblers you will see below. Napkin rings are Reba McEntire Home collection for Dillard's in the Stratford Woven pattern.  

 

For some reason I use three pieces of glassware on my tables. Left to right, the tall goblet pattern is unknown. I got a bulk of 14 of them and the seller didn't know the maker or pattern. Next is an aqua vintage  tumbler by St. Clair in the Holly Panel pattern made around 1967 by Joe St. Clair who used to work for Northwood known for making carnival glass.  On the right is my new gift of oversize double old fashioned engraved on clear glass by Zodax in the Normandy pattern.  These are hefty and feel great in your hand. Thank you, Mr. M.

 

The sterling for this occasion is Tiffany's Japanese pattern from 1871.  I chose it because of the birds on the handle to go with the bird plates.  This pattern was reintroduced by Tiffany in 1956 with some changes to the handle as the Audubon pattern which I believe is still in production today.  I've also seen knock offs of it in stainless steel.

The tablecloth is industrial canvas.

 

This canvas is one of my best kept secrets.  You can get it 12 feet wide at companies who sell canvas for awnings and boat covers.  A piece 15 feet long cost me around $32.  So now you know my secret.  These work wonderfully outdoors on picnic tables. You can wash them in the extra size washers. They will become your go-to item. I think they work well with Swedish and Belgian looks indoors as well as for a beach theme since the canvas looks like grainey sand.

Here are a couple shots of the left and right table ends before we move on to the salad plates.

 

 

For the salad plates, I am using aqua rimmed plates where the fish this time are around the rim.

 

These are English Royal Worcester with a date mark on the reverse of 1912. The hand painted fish around the rim vary in color and species.

 

This is the wider view of the salad plates.

I only have two aqua dinner plates, so I am using the Royal Worcester one even though it is not especially manly.

 

I don't know the pattern name, but I believe they were made around 1950, so they are vintage not antique.

 

I am bringing out another fish plate to serve dessert.

 

I think these coordinate well due to their aqua watercolor tones.
These fish plates are Limoges and made by E. Alluaud & Co. I like the unusual shape.

 

 

The other two aqua low cake plates on the table are Royal Crown Derby from the early 1800's and are Derby before the company became Royal Crown Derby.  I am using them because of their color.

It is a good idea to keep an inventory notebook of the tablesettings you have done along with comments on who attended, some photos and other details. I find it very handy to refresh my memory of what plate combinations worked well together.

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

 

Tablescape: Purple, Amethyst, Lilac and Lavender

 

This week's tablescape is done in the purple range. I am using the tablecloth I made of lavender taffeta and repeating the same stemware, sterling pattern, crystal knife rests and votive cups that I have used in a past tablescape. I am attempting to show how switching out the table elements with mix and match can extend your entertaining choices. This is very desirable when you have guests that are staying more than one day or when you are doing back-to-back dinner parties.  As I have mentioned in prior posts, my style leans more toward Euro design, particularly Swedish where there is "less" rather than "more" on the table surface. You will see here that I am only using a floral arrangement in the center and four amethyst votive cups surrounding it.  I am really opposed to using objects that cover the entire table top -- it is just too much stuff. I also find that guests are very uncomfortable with a lot of stuff on the table top.  I would rather go to the minimalist side. I also find it difficult to create constantly something different for the center of the table.  I have some floral training so doing a structured floral arrangement is not difficult for me. For the most part, though, I like large groups of all of the same kind of flower in a vase arrangement.  Structured floral arrangements made in Oasis don't seem to last for more than a few days.  What I personally enjoy seeing is an object other than flowers in the center of the table, such as an unusual antique with a lot of character like a statue or architectural fragment. However, I cannot accomplish that week after week.  My goal is to find interesting things, but too often I fall back on using flowers.

 

Here I have used blue Hyacinths that I cut from my potted bulbs, lilac colored Stock, amethyst colored Tulips, lavender and purple Status, and Rice Flowers.  Let me warn you about using Rice Flowers. This the lilac colored flower above that looks like Yarrow but has been dyed by the wholesale florist in different colors. You can get it in red, pink, yellow, green, dark purple, etc.  Be very careful when handling these flowers as the dye they use gets on everything and the stains in fabric are very hard to get out.  I just laid them out on my countertop while clipping the bottoms and the dye stained my countertop.  Fortunately, SoftScrub took most of it out. I am not purchasing this flower again as I cannot risk permanent stains on things.

This scape starts with the Anna Weatherley chargers in their violet colorway.  In some light they look more blue but they are really violet. This particular style has been discontinued and they now have a flatter less bowl-shape style with a different edge and in different colorways.

 

For the initial presentation place setting, I am using antique French Limoges fish plates again, this one hand painted by Muville in deeper murkier tones. All 12 plates are done in different colored fish.

 

I also use these for a light appetizer that won't scratch the hand painted scenes.

 

For the salad course,  I am using some old turn of the century German lunch plates which are actually more magenta than purple but I like them and try to fit them in as often as I can. I think the gold trim is very  unusual and the edges are ruffled.  They are marked on the bottom "RS" but I don't think it is RS Prussia as the form is just like Richard Klemm's Dresden pattern, so they must have been made close to there. There is a Boston retailer mark also. I find that salad plates that come with china now at 8.0" or 8.5" are just too small for a nice sized salad. The old lunch plates that are no longer made in today's patterns seem to be a better size at over 9 inches. 

 

The napkins are from Williams-Sonoma and are made of 100% hemp.  I find them interesting to use and not too hard to care for.

 

Here is another view.

 

In a past post I talked about the first china pattern that I purchased in 1977 as a youngster, Wedgwood's Cuckoo, that I have emotionally moved on from.  Here is an opportunity to give it another chance in this purple grouping. I still like the little bird but am not crazy about the flowers anymore. Wedgwood reproduced this pattern for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation where a broken one was found in an ash heap during excavation. Most likely the original was made in China and brought over to America on the clipper ships that traded in the Orient.

 

These chargers update the dinner plates.

 

And here is another view.

 

For the dessert plate, instead of using the Wedgwood Cuckoo, I am going to switch over to Royal Crown Derby's Olde Avesbury which has some purples in it.  This, again, is a pattern that has been around many years and needs to mix with modern pieces to give it new life.

 
These have more magenta in the bird's tail than they do lavender in the flowers. I mix these plates and cups/saucers with themes of green, magenta and gold as well as purple.

 

I still try to work all the purples in.

 

Hope you have enjoyed the purple tour.

I am in the process of writing up an outline to answer a viewer's questions about how I go about the process of creating tablescapes and how and why I purchase china.  I will post that shortly.

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

To see all the entries, go here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

 

Tablescapes: In Love With the Color Orchid

 

This is my Valentine's Day tablescape submission. I do not like red in general in interiors so I won't be doing a tablescape this week in red. I don't think I have any decor in my house that is red.  I do like red outside in my flower garden, though. Camelias, Roses, Zinnias, Geraniums, etc.  A Valentine tablescape can be any color actually to set a romantic environment. Also, in this month's issue of House Beautiful on the color topic of pink, they mention on page 73 the color orchid and show an orchid painted room.  In a room with the right light, that could be very pretty indeed.

I am more than in love with the color orchid right now, I'm over the moon with it.  I go through phases of color love and right now it is orchid. Maybe it is because I am anticipating spring, but I love this color in the spring.  Right after this, I go into my Robin's egg blue phase, then the coral phase, etc. My dream interior is an all white Swedish home so I can switch out the drapes, artwork, pillows and china on a whim and no other color will be competing with it.  Someday!!

 

The basis for this tablescape is the orchid linen tablecloth.

 

I like to sew my own so I can get a width of 108" which is impossible to buy. I love this linen because of the embellishment of the embroidered paisley motifs. Sewing two panels 58" wide will give me 108 after hems and the joinder seam down the middle.  If I want a table for six, I buy eight yards, table for ten, I buy nine yards so I can put one 22" leaf in the table. There are three leaves, so 11yards is needed to cover all three leaves. Sometimes vendors only wrap 8 yards on a bolt, so I need cuttings from two bolts to make it work for the bigger tablecloths.  My wrestling that big of piece on the ironing board and my portable sewing machine would make a good comedy video.  I try to catch the fabric on sale.  This linen is from the fashion section of Hancock's and was $112 to make.

The floral centerpiece this time was easy as pie.  Just get two florist bunches of lilac Stock and one of lavender Statice. I used my cachepot made by Guerin before 1934 that has hand painted Pansies on it. It is 12" high so it is good to hold the tall Stock stems.

 

I found the Guerin cachepot at an estate sale in mint condition.  I was late getting there so all the wonderful things were already sold. I spied this piece on the fireplace mantle with a very ugly dried arrangement in it.  Nobody had noticed the container.  I found it in Mary Gaston's Limoges resource book for $1,000-1,200 estimate.  I don't think anyone would pay that for it, though, at least not me. Lucky score. Also in the table's center are two pieces of natural sea coral and two 4" pots of white Cyclamen.

 

This would be a great time to use orchid colored stemware. Unfortuately, I don't own any so I used clear stems, the Stratton pattern by Simon-Pearce and the Colleen pattern by Waterford. I'm also using gold monogrammed Limoges bread and butter plates.

 

 

If you have been following my blog, you will recognize this service plate. I'm in love with this German plate also.  The raised gold enamel "cloud" design around the edges makes my heart flutter. It looks like a Richard Klemm piece to me but I have not been able to verify the maker. It was imported for a store in Boston before 1916. The floral sprays are really a magenta color but I have pushed it to the orchid side for this tablescape.  Before, I pushed the color to the lavender side in another tablescape.  The color it reads is the color you put it against. This is a foundation of color principle. The color will "read" what you compare it to. Another example is the color shell.  It will read pink until you put it next to pink and then it reads peach.

 

 

To start the plate layering, I used a gold charger by Raynaud in the Horizon Granite gold pattern.

 

I don't usually do this, but this time I am using the same pattern for both the dinner plate and the rim soup to serve either soup or salad. This is Richard Ginori's Torino pattern.

 

The sterling this week is Durgin Iris.  Since Iris flowers can be this orchid shade, I thought that pattern would be perfect.  William Durgin had fabulous talent but died early as did his son of an illness.  I can only imagine what fabulous patterns they could have made if their lives had not been cut short. The originality, quality and weight of their flatware is just marvelous.  I am also using crystal knife rests that my sister gave me and 29" lapkins with a family monogram purchased in France.

 

Dessert is served on these Coronet Limoges fish plates hand painted by Barin. There is just enough orchid in the flower on the side and on part of the fish to make this work. Since I don't serve a separate fish course for the meal, I use fish, bird and game plates in other ways to give great interest to the tablescape.

 

 

You may have also noticed the gold initial monogrammed Limoges gravy boat and covered serving dishes.  I think they are fitting for this scheme. I find many of these pieces as well as platters in mint condition where they have been in a home's china cabinet for decades, being saved for "good company" events that never happened. I am thrilled to be their new caretaker.

I tried to stay away from making this look like an Easter table. If I wanted to go that direction, orchid is a color that can instantly take you there with the addition of some white Lilies for a centerpiece and clear glass bunny containers at the placesettings.

I hope you have enjoyed joining me for my orchid color lovefest.

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

To see all the entries, go here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photos: Swede

    

Tablescape in Honey Gold and Lavender Taffeta

 

 

My tablescape this week is a pairing of honey golden tones and lavender shades.  I made the tablecloth from 8 yards of acetate heavy taffeta which is lavender on one side and mauve on the opposite side created by the weaving method.  I can also see this fabric used as side panels for drapery on a guest room window.  I like the taffeta sheen for drapes that make them look like ballgowns. When planning a tablescape, I cruise the fashion side of the fabric store for washable fabrics until one just takes my eye. I cruise on the fashion side because drycleaning table linens made from decor fabrics is not my cup of tea. I also find I get many more hue choices by using fabrics intended for clothing. I then create a table around it and find china in my collection that work with it.  I like the initial presentation of the tablecloth to puddle on the floor with a ballgown appearance. At $4 a yard, this taffeta produces a dramatic look for $32 plus tax.  But for the dinner, I find that men particularly don't like dealing with the fabric near their knees.  It is easy to fold the fabric and pin it up in swags. This also makes getting the dining chairs pulled in and out easier during the course of the meal and any extended converstation afterwards with people lingering around the table.

 

For the first presentation service plates, I am using an antique set of fish plates.

 

These French Limoges plates are hand painted and signed by Puvis. Each of the 12 plates has a different fish.

They also serve as appetizer plates at the beginning of the meal. I don't serve anything on them where a utensil would scratch the hand painting. For the most part, I feel I am the current caretaker of these antique pieces until they are moved on to another caretaker, as I purchased them from someone who cherished them before me for the past 100 years. I want them out to be enjoyed but protected from damage.

 

 

For the salad course, I am using rim soup plates which I often use to do double duty. These are Anna Weatherley made in Hungary in the Morning Glory collection.

 

After I made the tablecloth, I discovered that I had placemats in the exact shade of lavender.  I wanted this scape to be simple and easy to put together. The centerpiece is five 10-stem bunches of Rumba spray roses from the grocery store in a clear Pottery Barn chunky glass vase called Bosphorus. This is an easy look for $25 worth of roses.  I also had some lavender mercury glass votive holders from Target that I used.  Nothing complicated here.

 

For the stemware, the only purple-toned glass I have are two stems, one is a wine glass I got at Marshall's a few years ago, and the other one is cone shaped Royal Scot from London called Society Amethyst sold in the US by Home, James! of East Hampton, NY.  Even though they are too dark purple for this lighter lavender arrangement, I am using them anyway.  I don't have amber colored crystal.

 

I am also using chargers in the color Honey by Anna Weatherley made in Hungary. Then I am mixing several different plates from my stash.

  

I don't know why it is in that collection since it doesn't have a Morning Glory on it.  This golden flower looks good with the charger.  Some butternut squash and Granny Smith apple pureed soup would be good or even a rich cream base clam chowder if you didn't want to serve salad. Of course, this rim soup can also be used for dessert. As I have mentioned before, I like to get three uses out of this one piece of china so I don't have to purchase so many pieces.

 

The golden napkins I have had for 25 years and they seem to work here.  Sterling is Tiffany St. James which was only made for 14 years starting in 1898.  I can't imagine why they stopped making it as I think it was one of their greatest patterns. The piece on the far left is a "spork" a combination of spoon and fork. These are very rare to find, so I was absolutely thrilled when I found them with some other pieces of this pattern. The bread and butter plates are Coalport Hazelton yellow. My sister gave me the crystal knife rests for Christmas last year.  The tablecloth brings out the lavender in the Dragonfly and the flower stem and bud.

Next, the dinner plates.

 

These are Anna Weatherley in the Seascape Waterlily collection. The waterlily flower and bud is very faint lavenderish blue as well as part of the fly which I am trying to bring out with the tablecloth.

 

There is just a tiny touch of honey color on the plates.

 

Then, for dessert plates, I am using green majolica leaf and vine plates from Portugal.

 

 

 

In keeping with the purple theme, how about a slice of Boysenberry pie.

 

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

To see all the entries, go here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

 

Tablescape: Dinner for Two in Aqua

 

Today's tablescape is a dinner for two in the living room for a quiet evening meal.  The scheme is aqua tones with a simple centerpiece of potted white miniature four inch Cyclamen to keep the arrangement low to enhance conversation. The center plant is in a cherub planter of matte glazed jasperware similar to Wedgwood in a green toned aqua.

 

The aqua toned elements include the tablecloth in aqua and gold silk that has a sort of hand-painted effect. Many times I will make a tablecloth so I can get the exact color I want and the right size since I find them very hard to purchase right off the shelf in the look and measurements I need.  I scout fabric stores for the sale aisle and select 54" width washable fabric. I cut two four-yard pieces and sew them together lengthwise and then hem the edges. Very simple and fast.  I like the seam going down the length of the table instead of crosswise as I find it less noticeable that way when the china is on the table. This is the easiest way I can get a tablecloth to cover the table and fall on all sides to the floor.  I am not a fan of tablecloths that hang over the edges all around a few inches or even up to 12-14".  I would rather see it go to the floor and cover up the legs of the table.

 

To build the layers, I started with a Kim Seybert capiz shell round placemat in light aqua in the center and blue/green around the outside edge.

 

The napkins are 22" pale aqua hemstitched fine handkerchief linen from Martha Stewart Collection paired with large cuff bracelet size napkin rings having aqua stones and small silver beads from Kim Seybert.  The heart-shaped aqua stones sealed the deal. When visiting Jackson, MS one day, I was smitten with the Kim Seybert items on a table of interior design retail store Annelle Primos [beautiful store] and just had to have them.  I have a very soft spot for aquas.

 

Here is the Royal Worcester dinner plate above and the Dresden service plate below.

 

 

The chargers I have had over 15 years. They are Mikasa Spectrum Sage. The dinner Royal Worcester English plates have a date mark of W which I believe is 1950, and I don't know the pattern name. I just loved the color which I thought was popular about that time.

 

 

The service plates for the beginning of the meal are these turquoise monogrammed Dresden plates which I found at an estate sale. They have romantic couples in the cartouches alternating with flowers. I am attracted to china with monograms, particularly if the monogram is so ornate you can't figure out what it is. I do like to have at least one of the initials mine but if the quality is outstanding, I will purchase them with a mixture of unknown initials for my family. There is one initial I am not allowed to bring into the house [inside family joke]. Just in case my husband is reading this [smile].

 

 

 

For appetizers or salads, I will use this aqua toned Limoges shell-shaped dish.  I found these in a rainbow of colors in San Francisco about 20 years ago at an antique show -- blue, aqua, pink and yellow. I love the gold trim on these as well.

 

For bread and butter plates and dessert, I sometimes use these Royal Crown Derby Darley Abbey pattern plates. I was thrilled when RCD came out with this unusual color in 2004.  My husband and I were watching the movie Emma when I spotted the family dinner table was set with this English pattern.  I started yelling, "There's my china. Look, quick."

 

My favorite love of all are these antique Hammersley fish plates which are in such delicate condition that I only use them for service plates and remove them or for a light dessert such as a cake.  I do not use them for fish service as they are now too fragile for that.  I love the stunning gold edges. Stemware is Waterford Colleen pattern.

 

Each of the 12 fish plates has a different species on it.  

 

Here are a couple French Limoges platters with aqua to serve the dinner that I just adore. The first one is Haviland and the second one Guerin.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed this week's aqua theme.

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

You can view the other entries here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best to you,

Summer

Photo credit: Swede

Pink Tablescapes Continued

 

 

Last week for Tablescape Thursday, I showed a pink theme tablescape as a nod to the 2011 Pantone color of the year, Honeysuckle.  In looking through my cupboards, I found more china with pink colorways.

With the flowers from that posting, I have substituted French Alberto Pinto service plates for variety should you do two dinners back to back with the same flowers. If I have guests staying at the house for several days, I like to mix up the china but keep the same flower arrangements. In the six styles of these service plates or chargers, three of them have bright pink in the design as shown below.

 

Here are a few photos of the individual plates.

 

 You just gotta dig those fancy tailfeathers!

 

 

 

 

 

Also in my stash, below, are these pink luster W.T.Copeland plates from the 1860's. They are a lighter color pink and I haven't used them since I found them in 1992 in San Diego when I went to a thrift shop with a friend. I will work them in as a dinner plate.

 

 

I also have some pale pink Limoges shell shaped plates which I have used to serve appetizers or sometimes cake for dessert. I found a dozen of these at an antique show in San Franciso around 1994.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have china that you have lost your passion for?  Perhaps some that is now discontinued and seems outdated?  I bought this Wedgwood Cuckoo bird pattern in 1977, and it falls into that category. Do you look for a way to update your lost love?  Perhaps that plate will fit into this pink scheme.

 

 

 

I think remixing the china with newer pieces creates a new look for these plates or casts them in a new role.

 

I didn't realize how many plates I had with pink in them. Here is a Limoges  dessert plate with pink Carnations. I bought this set of a dozen from a seller on eBay who raved about them. Of course, when I got them, I discovered that was all sales pitch. But I kept them to use "someday".

 

I found a small number of these pink lunch plates, below, in Missouri around 1985. That was when I was very much into the Victoria magazine look.  They are unmarked but I think they are English Coalport or Copeland. They now live in an English pine plate rack in one of the guest rooms.

 

To get more variety, I could also choose green dinner plates to tone down so much pink. Also, for those who asked, the color of the wall in my dining room is a peachy color that goes with the silk plaid drapes and is not really pink. It is Martha Stewart's Nasturtium.

 

Are you willing to give Pantone's Honeysuckle or any bright pink a spot in your decor for 2011?

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

You can view the other entries here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best,

Summer

Photos: Swede  

Creating Beauty: Pink Tablescape

 

When Pantone announced in December the color of the year for 2011 was Honeysuckle, I started thinking about what I already owned in pink. Not exactly Honeysuckle in hue, but bright pink which is similar.  Being a self-confessed plate addict who cannot pass by a beautiful stack of plates for sale, I do have some pink plates in my stash.  Truthfully, doing a table in all pink is not really something I have a passion for but due to the selection of Honeysuckle, we will all be seeing a lot more pink in 2011.  So I decided to let the pink plates have their day. I started to build the tablescape around my garden statue Lucy who you have seen in several past posts. 

 

 

 

I am not a fan of totally cluttered table tops where some object occupies every square inch. Some of these plants, especially the scented Hyacinths, would be removed prior to the meal. I think this tablescape would look just fine with just the statue and the Primroses at each place setting.  I only want just enough objects to make it intriguing to my guests and interesting enough to start light conversation.

For the flowers, I already had the pink English Primroses, so I went to the grocery store and purchased two pink Hydrangeas and two pink Hyacinths. The Primroses are inside lion-head soup bowls from Williams-Sonoma and the other potted plants are placed on top of pedestal cake plates. The pink china in this tablescape is: 1) an antique Royal Worcester dessert service from around 1877 which has five cake stands and 14 plates; 2) hand-painted service plates by artist A. Rhodes, date unknown, set of 12 all with different painted scenes; and 3) a set of 10 dinner plates by English maker Cauldon and sold in Tiffany's New York store sometime between 1920 and 1930. 

First let me show you the overall tablescape with each of the three services and then I will show more detailed photos.

 

Starting the meal with the service plates, each of these has a garden scene painted in exquisite detail.  I don't know who A. Rhodes was, of course, but she was extremely talented. I always wonder who had the china before me and what they were like.  These would be wonderful for a small bridal shower in a garden or a lunch for a group of garden club members.

 

Here we have the Cauldon for Tiffany dinner plates with cartouches and leaves around the edge in a very bright pink border.

 

And the last service is the dessert plate by Royal Worcester.

 

Now for the details of the build-out. I first started with a bright pink linen tablecloth from Williams-Sonoma but it looked awful.  Too much pink. So I went to white and put on a cutwork tablecloth I purchased from Canada in a crosswise position over top of a white quilt.  I am not really a tablecloth fan because it seems they never are made the right size and I don't like just 9" hanging down the sides. But I am okay with layering different cloths on an angle.

 

 

I started with my largest gold charger Hemisphere by Jl Coquet below.

 

The flatware is antique 1898 St.James by Tiffany. I used two sizes of stemware, a water and a wine, with a pink flash stem and bubble clear top from Pottery Barn.  My husband inherited from his mother two wine stems  in cranberry glass which I believe are Moser Cabochon and then I added more glasses to his set. 

 

Here is a close up of the dinner plate. You can see the lion-head soup bowls as well. They have a gold rim around the top.

 

Below is a close up of the Royal Worcester dessert plate with a hand-painted floral grouping in the center.

 

And with some cookies.  Honey if you are reading this they will be all gone by the time you get home.

 

I also want to show you a few of the hand painted service plates.

 

All are outdoor garden scenes. This one is of a garden staircase.

 

Roses on an arbor.

 

A pathway through two columns. 

 

This one has a sundial on a pedestal.

 

This one has an archway.

Here is the backside of the tablesetting showing how the cake pedestals give height to the flowers. I always like vertical height in my tablescapes.

 

 

The remainder of photos in this post are miscellaneous ones you might enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next week I will show the remainder of pink plates in my collection.

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

 

You can view the other entries here:

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

I hope this inspires you to put a little pink in your life during 2011.

All the best,

Summer

Photo credits: Swede

 

Using Tree Ornaments in Your Tablescapes

 

Before we are into New Year's posts, I wanted to do one last Christmas post to show you some tablesettings I've done where I used Christmas tree ornaments to bring in a desired color. Ornaments at each place setting can be given to the guest as a favor at the end of the meal if you wish to do that.

 

This magenta and white theme on a marble table uses a jeweled ornament from Target to bring out the magenta of the bird on the charger by French maker Alberto Pinto. The magenta napkin is 100% hemp from Williams-Sonoma. It really is magenta [not red or cranberry] as the camera distorted the color.  Magenta flash stem goblet from Pottery Barn. Antique sterling is Tiffany's 1898 St. James pattern. Also bringing in more magenta is the cup and saucer in Haviland's Malmaison purple fishing scene. 

 

I used the same magenta ornament here with the Malmaison plates but added the Jungle Leaf placemat by Rose Tree [Dillard's] to update this vintage discontinued china with some punch for the holidays. I have to say that this jungle look is way out of my comfort zone, but it does update tired china patterns. The magenta runner is also hemp from Williams-Sonoma. I am a sucker for romance and loved this pattern because of the husband fishing while the wife sitting on the rocks holds the baby and watches nearby. So French.

 

On this table I've remixed again swapping out the Tiffany silver to the English King pattern, selected another Alberto Pinto charger [there are six bird scenes] and added the antique English magenta [really, it is NOT red] plate by Spode-Copeland handpainted by R. Wood.

 

This next remix brings in more of the acid green from the placemat with the French Jacquard Francais napkin, French Raynaud's Festivities dinner plate and a switch out to Gorham's antique St. Cloud silver.

 

This antique green plate from an English Coalport dessert service is fun to use at Christmas time. Charger is Anna Weatherley Simply Anna and dinner plate is vintage Royal Worcester Ripple, a pattern from the 1960's in a gold glittery glaze finish, which was way ahead of its time.  You are seeing this type of finish now from French porcelain makers. 

 

And this green setting is using another antique Copeland/Spode scenic batwing pattern called Compagna. I'm getting tired of that zebra print, aren't you?

Ah, yes, we were talking about ornaments. Back to discussing ornaments.

 

This is one of my most favorite settings using chocolate and white. Brown beaded ball ornament from Hobby Lobby. Metallic gold thread oversize monogrammed napkin is French maker Jacquard Francais. All china is Anna Weatherley's Simply Anna [made in Hungary] except for the cup and saucer from Italian maker Richard Ginori in the Fiesole pattern.  I think the white natural coral and white quilt on the table create a simple elegance.

 

This ornament, also from Target, fills the entire rim soup and is made of chocolate brown thin round glass with a metallic gold damask pattern stenciled on the glass. Sorry for the bad flash that distorted the ornament's finish.

 

Here the large beaded ball ornament is used with a brown embroidered placemat by Noble Excellence [Dillard's] atop an antique French marble table, Wildlife Leopard highball tumblers by Slant [Dillard's] and the charger from Paris, France, my all-time favorite porcelain maker Jaune de Chrome.  Their glazes are indescribably out of this world.  This is the Tortoise Encrusted pattern [they offer it in two gold rim finishes], which when held in the light shows a lilac cast.  Fabulous, fabulous maker.  I can't say enough about this company's creativity and excellence in making their product. Rim soup is Italian maker Richard Ginori's Fiesole. Irish Waterford Colleen stem and Tiffany St. James silver.

 

For some reason I like putting ornaments inside the rim soup bowls. Here is a purple blown glass peacock ornament from Marshalls [unknown Chinese maker].  This photo shows the more true color of the Jaune de Chrome china glaze. Stemware is Home James Society amethyst on the left and an unknown maker purple wine glass from Marshall's on the right. I could have also switched out the napkin to a purple one.  I'm sure there is another tablescape coming where I will do that.

 

A simple glitter ball ornament joins natural clam seashells in this rim soup. Usually the ornament appears to have fallen into the plate from the centerpiece where more of the same ornaments are grouped. The china, bottom to top, is JL Coquet Hemisphere Matte Gold charger, Royal Worcester vintage Ripple dinner plate, Richard Ginori Torino rim soup, Chas. Field Haviland Arizona bread plate, Limoges monogrammed side plate and Royal Crown Derby Gold Aves cup/saucer. Waterford Colleen and Simon Pearce Stratton stems.

 

In this black and white theme with the Anna Weatherley Simply Anna china, we have an ornament from Target that is a black glitter encrusted box in an egg shape. Toile napkin is from Williams-Sonoma. Antique Tiffany 1871 Japanese silver.

 

This magenta and gold ornament from Target coordinates with the hemp napkin. Salad plate is English Royal Worcester Contrast, dinner plate is Paris maker Jaune de Chrome's Feuille d' Or and charger is by Raynaud in the Horizon Granite Gold pattern.

 

In this violet and green theme, I've used Anna Weatherley chargers in violet with an antique Minton dinner plate with gold embossed on green. Antique silver is Gorham's St. Cloud. The purple twinkly object on the upper left is a cone-shaped Christmas tree out of view.

 

This glittery white ornament in Royal Crown Derby's Gold Aves cup is joined by an unmarked English dessert plate from a dessert service in a wonderful shade of green with a scalloped gold edge. Charger is JL Coquet Hemisphere Matte Gold.

I really enjoy doing the mixes of antique, vintage and new to keep it interesting.

   

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch. Go here to see all the entries.

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best,

Summer

Photo Credits: Swede

 

  

 

Holiday Tablescape in White and Gold

 

 

 

This tablescape of dinner for six in white and gold incorporates seashells and clear glass. I like to mix various patterns of china, crystal and silver in the place settings as I think it is more interesting than all one pattern.  I particularly like mixing antique, vintage and new pieces together.  In this setting, I am using Raynaud Horizon Granite Gold chargers, Chas. Field Haviland Arizona dinner plates and Richard Ginori Torino rim soups. I very seldom buy salad plates, soups and dessert plates, but purchase a rim soup plate to do all three tasks.  Here I have used a mix of antique silver from Tiffany and Durgin.

 

I love white and gold anytime of the year.

 

The tablecloth is a white scalloped-edge quilt. A white orchid is under a huge glass dome which sits atop a white pedestal cake plate.

 

I am usually not a tablecloth person and prefer placemats, but in this case, I wanted to cover the entire table in white. The quilt has a very French boutis look.

 

The stemware is also a mix of Simon Pierce's air twist Stratton pattern, Waterford's Colleen pattern and an unknown pattern stem with a swag pattern that I found on eBay.

 

The glass canisters are placed in the center of the table and hold various types of seashells.  Some of these would be removed to the side when dinner is served due to their size.

 

 

 

Williams-Sonoma footed dessert dishes hold mercury glass ball ornaments.  

 

This huge glass cloche sits on a mirrored brass plateau.  

 

 

 

 

 

The antique linen monogramed napkins from France unfold to 27" square so are officially "lapkins".  I love how the French are able to fold them up into such a small size.  

 

 

 

The dining room is currently under "restructure". The dining room and living room recently were switched. There is much still to be done.  

 

 

 

Would anyone like a serving of seashell casserole?

Hope you are all having fun decorating your tables.

 

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch. Go here to see all the entries.

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

All the best,

Summer

Photo Credits: Swede