Tonight, in the middle of winter, comes the first new moon, signaling the beginning of a new lunar year whose zodiac sign is the Fire Horse. The lunar year cycle repeats every twelve years, with each year represented by its animal sign. Unlike a regular horse year, 2026 is a year of the Fire Horse, which only occurs every 60 years. Combining the Fire element with the Horse's energy is thought to bring transformative change and creativity.
In that spirit I've set a table to celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse!
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Fittingly, I began with a ceramic Tang Dynasty-style horse statue that I've had for quite a while. I particularly love this style — the body shape of the horses is distinctive and they are usually depicted in dramatic poses. This statue generally graces the chest in the foyer, as seen in Autumn Vignettes.
The horse stands on vivid satin fabric in blue and reds that simulate a table runner. I like the simplicity of the centerpiece. The table itself is left bare.
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The table is set for six; the four place settings on the side consist of mottled gold chargers bordered with beads and dinner plates edged in gold with marbled rims in blue. Two sets of salad plates were chosen, one of each per side. The first pair has stylized foo dogs and oranges;
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the second pair boasts a striking rooster and fantastical flowers. The dinner plates are my wedding china that I use often. I bought the salad plates over ten years ago at the outlet mall.
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New this year are the napkins which depict the scenes from the salad plates. I thought it was interesting that they would sell napkins that coordinate with plates that were discontinued. So of course I couldn't resist them!
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I love the interplay of vivid colors and striking patterns!
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I like that the wooden chopsticks are unadorned and don't compete with the patterned plates and napkins. But what I really love are the French silver knife rests in the shape of galloping Art Deco horses. They work just as well as chopstick rests even though they're more conventionally used on formal tables, such as A Romantic Dinner with Stunning Flowers, Elegant Dishes and Sparkling Glassware.
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The place settings at the ends of the table are slightly different, substituting solid navy napkins for their colorful counterparts and using larger luncheon plates set on the dinner plates. This shows a blue pheasant gliding among red lanterns on a navy background,
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while on this one, a fearsome dragon appears to menace a pagoda against a scarlet background.
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At either end of the 'table runner' are small- and medium-sized platters with matching designs. Their rectangular shapes contrast with the round dinnerware and the fluid fabric, and are perfect for serving an assortment of dim sum or other small plates.
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The glassware I chose has simple, elegant lines with a geometric teardrop stem in a lovely shade of pale blue.
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For fun I placed several take-out containers with golden horses on the buffet.
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I liked that they bring a shot of red to an area that I didn't otherwise decorate!
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If you've visited Dinner at Eight before, you might have noticed that I have a small obsession with decorating with horse statues and artwork in a number of different styles and mediums.
A contemporary abstract horse sits on a chest in the family room. It seems to be alert to something just out of sight.
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A large ceramic horse appears to be from some long-forgotten horse-riding culture (but isn't).
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Another Tang Dynasty-style horse in bronze currently sits in front of the window, but has moved throughout the house, as shown by The Greens of March.
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The ancient Greeks created very unmistakable horse statues exemplified by this bronze reproduction that suggests he's prancing.
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So you can imagine how excited I am to be celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse!
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Thank you for stopping by! You might like to see other lunar new year tablescapes at Year of the Dog, Lunar New Year or February Decor.
Table details
Dinner plates | Mikasa 'Imperial Lapis'
Salad plates, napkins | Williams-Sonoma 'New Moon'
Luncheon plates, platters | Williams-Sonoma 'Lunar'
Glasses | Schott-Zwiesel 'Conte Sapphire'
* Table details are provided for identification/information only. Dinner at Eight does not receive any type of compensation.
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