Yearly Archives: 2025

……………………….After I removed my Christmas decor which included my CHRISTMAS TABLE SETTING…..I had to decide what was to come next!?…All I knew was I wanted something FRESH and CLEAN…….After the ornate table with the tartan plaid table cloth, napkins and tartan place settings…the ornate beaded napkin rings, the gold vases and all the greens and red berries in each vase….the nutcrackers at each place setting and the gold forks knives and spoons…the green and gold candles in gold candle sticks and the fancy gold star lighting…..I craved for something a little more stark…..less color….yes….something cleaner and something that looked simpler, a cleansing of the pallet so to speak….but still with my signature details…….It always starts for me with the color scheme which determines the place setting. I wanted something opposite of the RED, GREEN, WHITE and GOLD, and all of the ornate accents……..I started with a more neutral dark brown table cloth with a shorter white one on top which I thought would make a good backdrop for anything I wanted to add….Next came the STRAW SQUARE place mates with round brown and taupe “marled” place mates on top, and on top of those….SILVER CHARGERS…..That may seem excessive, but the mixture of textures, colors and sheens looks wonderful…..Next my BROWN and WHITE speckled dinner plates, salad plates and white round desert plates on top……On top of those came my brown and white BUFFALO CHECK napkins and HORN NAPKIN RINGS….each ring with a different geometric design……Next the SILVER FORKS, KNIVES and SPOONS….all with ribbed handles…..Once the basics were established the decorating begins….I chose SILVER vases of different shapes and sizes, and matte white sand blasted vases of different shapes and sizes….each white vase with hand tied raffia cords around the throats of the vases to coordinate with the straw mats….it’s all in the details….Some details are very subtle, but it takes a keen eye to notice…..There are lucite and silver salt and pepper shakers…and for my glass ware…my favorite Simon Pierce wine glasses with a swirl of glass encapsulated into the stems of the glass…Unfortunately, this pattern is no longer in production so I’m very careful with them…They always get hand washed…by ME!….With the wine glasses a simple tall water tumbler….I chose SILVER, and Simon Pierce GLASS candle sticks with silver and white 10 inch tapered candles. Additional lighting consists of my two CYLINDER lights that go on with a touch of the finger at the base….my new WHITE STAR LED LIGHTS from Nest, and my DANDELION/STARBURST LED lights also from NEST….Also, scattered around the table are white votive candles in fluted glass votive holders…………For fun there is a little wooden brown and white “COW” ornament that rocks, and its’ head, tail and body sections swing freely….I’ve had this little character for years….Jac bought him, and he usually “lives” in the kitchen where I can see him all the time….There are also some pieces of interesting drift wood….Jac and I picked them up somewhere on our travels? The drift wood’s only purpose is to decorate the table and create conversation pieces……..The flowers are all WHITE…adding the fresh and clean look I wanted. This time they are all faux…..BABY’S BREATH……and white DELPHINUM with green delicate stems of fine leaves….They look so real, and I didn’t want the expense of fresh flowers every week…..The over all look is CALM and REFINED, which is exactly what I wanted…..Something I can live with until Spring….when it all gets redone with a new colorful fantasy setting!

………………For me designing a table setting is so much more than a table cloth, plates, glasses, knives, forks and spoons…….It’s all about creating an exciting atmosphere….a fantasy world for dining…..The vases and flowers chosen can create an entire  look and feeling. The accent metal color will create a warm or cool environment and mood……Lighting is always key, and changes the surroundings from day time lunches with natural light reflecting off everything on the table…to night time dining…..when special lighting creates a whole different feeling…it casts a spell……a FANTASY!……Decorative items like the pieces of drift wood….lower left photo…or a funny little cow ornament have no special purpose other that to add texture and conversation……Gracious dining takes thought and planning, and it’s always more than just the food being served……You always want your guests to enjoy the entire experience….. to feel something special!

……………….Choosing flowers is very important to every table setting……I wanted all WHITE FLOWERS…….but instead of real flowers that will only last a week at best….I decided on all Faux. I chose white BABIES BREATH, and WHITE DELPHINIUM with lots of delicate green sprigs added in…They all look REAL!!…..I used SILVER METAL and WHITE CERAMIC vases that have a sand blasted finish. I also tied a raffia cord around the necks of the white vases to coordinate with the straw place mats….The over all feeling is that of calm, softness and elegance.

………….I think the BROWN and WHITE color scheme, for me, is the perfect transition from the ornate Christmas decor to a more colorful Spring table setting later in the year…..There is something relaxing when color is kept to a minimum, and WHITE is a main accent…..Also, the simple change from GOLD to SILVER also adds a sense of coolness and calm.