Celebrate Spring's Arrival with a Pastel Tablesetting

Spring officially begins tonight at 11:06 pm, but no one has told my garden which had slowly begun to awaken in mid-February with the yellows, whites, and purples of crocuses and daffodils. So I'm more than ready to celebrate Spring's arrival today!

   

I chose a lovely light blue jacquard tablecloth striped with green and yellow as the base for my spring tablescape. I think the pastel shades perfectly embody the first stirrings of color in the season. You can just discern the flowers and a few animals in white on the cloth.

I'm especially delighted today to be joining a group of stylists for a wonderful blog hop organized by Rita of Panoply. Please join me in visiting the other stylists' tablescapes linked at the bottom of this post for a variety of ways to welcome Spring!

The place settings begin with my favorite chargers in a pretty green. Made of glass, they have a cross-hatch pattern on their undersides. I've used them lots of times, most recently in my Valentine's table.  Deeper green glass bowls hold faux eggs.

Directly on top sit vintage dinner plates with delicate scrolls of brown and turquoise on their edges. Then come the stunning luncheon plates that are unabashedly spring heralds, with nesting birds against the bluest sky! The green design on the edge of the napkins expands on the pattern of the chargers.

 

The morning sun emphasizes the colors and patterns of the plates and makes the silverware shine! Note that the luncheon plate is shallow rather than flat.

 

Exuberant flowers and berries (all faux) are blooming in a silver-plated pitcher, one of two. I love flowers, I love to decorate with flowers, and I will gladly use cut or potted flowers, well-made faux flowers, or a mixture of the two. Regardless of their form, flowers elevate any tablescape they're used on.

 
For a centerpiece I chose a beautiful tureen from the luncheon plate's pattern. I think the three-dimensional bird, butterflies, flowers and leaves are exquisite! And the handles are branches.

Unlike the other silver pitcher, this one is not footed and is shorter and round. Flaring crystal candle holders seem to serve as exclamations.  Both bring height to the table. Do you see the leaf hanging over the edge of the tureen? That's the handle of the serving spoon.

  

I like to collect interesting serving pieces but haven't added salt and pepper shakers lately. Here these birds bring more spring attitude to the table. 

Both sets of glassware have clean lines and delight me with their colors  —  a light blue stem and a darker shade of green — that repeat or enhance the pastel hues already present.

  

They're joined by a second set of birds, in white this time, nestled within a wire nest. I like the interplay of textures on the table. Even though my guests may not consciously recognize them, they will notice the subtle interest that the variety of textures brings to the tablescape.

 

In contrast to the soft mix of blues and greens with a bit of white, the unexpected appearance of pink in the tulips, peonies and inner napkins creates energy. In counterpoint, deep cobalt lines the silver salt cellar. Without these vibrant colors, the table would not reflect the spark that is Spring.

  

Opposite the cobalt and silver salt cellar is one made of a natural shell edged in silver, bought at a local crafts market from the artisan. It has such a beautiful opalescence!

  

". . . it's Spring, and everyone's in love and flowers pick themselves”
― e.e. cummings

 

 

Birds flocked to the buffet, looking for places to nest.

  

I received the pretty glass vase as a gift. It has been in the living room for a while and still retains the flowers from winter.

 

 “It is so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the spring, 

to have loved, to have thought, to have done.”

— Matthew Arnold

 

 

   

 

Thanks, Rita, for organizing this blog hop. I'm sure you will find marvelous ideas for setting your Spring table in the tablescapes listed below! Which one will you find inspiration in?

                    Panoply - Spring / Easter Tablescape with Classic Blue & White

                    Hyacinths for the Soul - March into Spring

                    Home is Where the Boat Is - Easter Bunnies, Chicks, and Blooms

                    Pandora's Box - Easter Breakfast Table for 2

                    Life and Linda - Hippity Hoppity Tablescape

                    Everyday Living - Celebrating Spring's Arrival and Easter's Blessings

                    My Thrift Store Addiction - Birds and Blooms Spring Tea Party

                    The Cat's Whiskerz - Hello Spring

                    Belle Bleu Interiors - Bunnies and Blooms

                    Mantel and Table - Spring Garden Tablescape with a Beautiful Basket of Tulips

                    Thrifting Wonderland - Simple Bunny Table Setting

                    The Painted Apron - Bunnies in Bloom!

                    Dinner at Eight - Celebrate Spring's Arrival with a Pastel Tablescape   you are here!

                    Corner of Plaid and Paisley - Spring Sprouts New Life

                    Karin's Kottage - Charming Easter bunny table setting

                    Red Cottage Chronicles - Spring Fling Tablescape

                    The Bookish Dilettante - Spring Tablescape: Bookish Bunnies

                    Me and My Captain - Keepers of the Traveling Shamrock TableCloth

 

 

Table details

Tablecloth | Williams Sonoma

Dinner plate | Noritake 'Esteem'

Luncheon plate | Fitz & Floyd 'Toulouse'

Chargers | Villeroy & Boch 'Manoir'

 * Table details are provided for identification/information only. Dinner at Eight is not affiliated with nor compensated by any other entity.