A table for la Fête nationale

I've been fascinated with French history and culture since I was a teenager. Six years of French language and literature classes turned me into a bit of a Francophile. I horribly mangle French when I speak it, but I used to be able to understand half of what I heard. I was better at reading French, and loved Molière and Rimbaud.

One day I'll make it to France, but in the meantime I thought I'd celebrate July 14th with them by creating a table for la Fête nationale. (Known as Bastille Day by English speakers.)

The French Tricolor flag is bleu, blanc et rouge, which are the colors of the table with a bit of gold added.

I started with these marvelous salad plates depicting la tour Eiffel, the instantly recognizable emblem of Paris, and by extension, France. I love the line drawing in black and white. What a find at the antique mall!

The tower plates were placed on top of blue dinner plates which have an allover trellis design, evoking the beautiful jardins blooming with flowers throughout the cities and the countryside. These in turn are set on gold chargers whose curves remind me of fine French furniture.

The fleur-de-lis pattern on the flatware is an ancient symbol that was adopted by French royalty in the late Middle Ages. Linen napkins bring a deep navy to the table.

 A bottle of wine, croissants and cheese represent the casual elegance of French cuisine.

I added strawberries for their bright red color, placing them on a hand-crafted wood board. I love the shape it has and the various woods used.

Generous wine glasses allude to the red in the flag. White carnations and lavender, which always makes me think of the south of France, were placed in a ceramic container found on another treasure jaunt.

I wanted a thoughtful table setting for la Fête nationale that subtly reads françoise. I think this succeeded.

 

And I think it can be used whenever a bit of French flair is wanted!

   

Thank you for coming to dinner!  

Resources  

Salad plates | Mikasa 'Parisian Scenes'
Dinner plates | Block 'Blue Skies'
Bread plates | Hazel-Atlas 'Newport'
Flatware | Oneida 'Juilliard'
Stemware | Marquis by Waterford 'Vintage'