Thursday, April 19, 2018

Setting a Spring Table for Lunch

With yet another freeze warning looming, I decided to set a spring table for lunch, using flowers from the garden.


What could be better than hand-painted pansies to accompany the fresh flowers? These lovely dessert plates were a present from Miss J. Their soft pastels are a reflection of the tenuous nature of the early days of spring. One day it's warm and sunny, the next cold and blustery! 

I chose a tablecloth hand-blocked in gold as the base. The center square of the cloth is filled with stylized flowers. Borrowed gold flatware gleams.

For a centerpiece, dogwood, Solomon's seal and two types of azaleas are casually set in a cut glass vase. On either side are two of the boxes we've collected over the years.

The George Tabor azaleas came through the light freeze with aplomb, unlike most of the others. You can see them in the garden in Covered in Blooms: the April Garden.

Greg bought this intricately inlaid box in Jerusalem's Old City,

and this beautifully patterned box in Nazareth on his last trip to Israel. They are both hand-crafted, and seemed to be comfortable paired with the cloth printed in India.

I like to use square cloths on round tables. It's unexpected and the corner drape highlights the edge design.

Oversized napkins are rolled, then held by contemporary gold spray rings . I love their exuberance! 

I also used these fabulous 1960's glasses, which debuted in Silver and Gold.

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The scrolling lines of brown, taupe and aqua on the plates complement the floral antique dessert plates.



The vibrant pinks punch up a fairly monochromatic table! I couldn't resist bringing them indoors.





The dessert plates have a Hutschenreuther Selb Bavaria mark used between 1857 and 1920. Due to their excellent condition I'm assuming they date from the early 1900's. A wonderful surprise from Miss J that I couldn't wait to use!

I love to mix table elements, from antique to contemporary, traditional designs with ethnic sensibilities, colors with neutrals.


For a spring table, or for any season!

 

Table resources
Plates | Noritake 'Esteem'
Dessert plates | Hutschenreuther Selb, pattern unknown
Napkins | Pottery Barn
    

 



22 comments:

  1. It's all beautiful, but I do love the pansy plates.

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  2. Beautiful table. Love the flowers in your centerpiece.

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    1. Thanks, Judy! My spring flowers have been especially pretty this year!

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  3. Such a pretty table- love the azaleas! Love that tablecloth and the dishes are beautiful. We’re still in meltdown mode from the extra snow we received- hoping to see some signs of growth coming from the ground soon!

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    1. Thanks so much, Liz! Once you get some warm weather I bet you'll see a growth explosion! My flowers seem to be opening at double speed this spring.

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  4. The pansy plates and that gorgeous tablecloth have me swooning. Your table is beautiful and thanks for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story. I hope your week is going great.

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    1. Thanks so much! I hadn't used the tablecloth before, but when I saw the plate stack, I had an ah-ha! moment.

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  5. So pretty! Thanks for sharing at Thursday Favorite Things!

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    1. Thank you, Amber! I'm happy to join the party.

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  6. Wow!Sweet and darling!Love those pansy plates,so dainty and pretty!

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    1. Thanks! I was so touched when my daughter gave me these plates out of the blue! College students are usually tight on funds so this was a complete surprise.

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  7. Beautiful tablescape. The pretty pansy plates and flowers on top of the no less lovely table topper makes it such a perfect setting for Spring. Love it !
    Fabby

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    1. Thanks, Fabby! Putting it together felt like such a breath of fresh air. A definite Spring feeling!

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  8. Very pretty! Thanks so much for linking up at the Spring Tea Party!

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    1. Thank you, Amber! It's a treat to join so many creative bloggers!

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  9. Love the pretty pansies on the china. Don't you love when you can gather flowers from your garden? Love Azaleas, but they don't do well here. My Solomon Seal just finished blooming. Thanks for sharing with SYC and the spring tea link party.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Thanks, Jann! I'm blessed with pretty bouquets from the garden all spring long.

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  10. Your spring table setting is lovely.

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