Bunnies in the Garden — A Springtime Table

Spring is the season for experiencing warming temps and lengthening days, and for an explosion of new growth in our gardens and in nature all around us. To bring the season indoors we brighten our interiors and replace winter's deep colors with all the shades of new blossoms and the verdant colors of new grass.

 

I'm welcoming the season with a springtime table starring a beautiful jacquard table runner and napkins in a shade that can only be described as spring green! It's patterned with varieties of blooming flowers including tulips, daffodils and lily of the valley. The linens are a deeper colorway than those I used in my first springtime table of the season which was a study in pastels.

   

The runner is laid against the bare wood of the table, which heightens the contrast of the colors just as new grass stands out against the garden's mulch.

   

Vibrant tulips in pink, fuchsia, yellow and white are joined by greenish hydrangeas, all faux this time around. I placed them in a deep green vintage glass vase for an effortless centerpiece that has a lot of impact.

For the plate stack I used one of my favorite patterns of blue china that has a trellis design on the lip. (See Thoughts of Pansies for a Spring Table for another setting with this dinnerware.) 

 

I placed salad plates featuring four designs of bunnies in the garden on top of the blue dinner plate. The bunnies sit in spring grass surrounded by flowers in blue and the hues of the centerpiece. Both plates are rimmed in gold which catches the light.

 

  

Two of the place settings sit at either end of the table runner and two sit on silver-plated trays used as chargers. Vintage and recent silver trays are readily found at antique malls and thrift stores in a number of sizes and shapes and at reasonable prices. They are often listed below what new charger plates of often inferior quality typically sell for in stores. I have a number of these trays which are particularly useful for serving at large gatherings and for providing a base for seasonal vignettes. These are perfectly sized for chargers.

This charger is slightly larger than the other and has a more pronounced rim.

  

All the bunnies on the plates seem to be curious about the flowers and butterflies!

I've added two sets of bunny salt and pepper shakers to the table. I think they're adorable! They remind me of the bunnies I've seen in our yard that are nesting somewhere in the front garden. I don't find those quite as cute, since they have nibbled all my hyacinths and tulips 😒.

  

I'm glad I chose colorful tulips for the centerpiece instead of the monochromatic white flowers I had considered originally. I like the energy they bring! This photo better displays the flowers woven in the linens.

   

New (to me) this spring are cast aluminum bunny napkin rings that add another layer of cuteness. I found them while idly searching online for napkin holders I had seen in a magazine. They have a nice weight and easily stand upright.

A variety of textures make tablescapes more inherently interesting. The rope-like rim of the charger plates, the angular design of the flatware, the implied dimensions of the trellis on the plates, the weave of the table linens, the shine of the china all create a sensory tapestry that delights our sight as well as touch.

  

To echo the gold rims of the plates I added my sixties barware, swirled in gold and black. I used the glasses most recently in Celtic Heritage Table Style. They are remarkably versatile and I love seeing how easily they fit with disparate themes.

 

Clear vintage goblets with a modern etched design that I use as wine glasses are understated and do not compete with the spring colors on the table. Over the last century the size of wine glasses (both in terms of height and bowl volumes) has increased. So when I buy vintage or antique patterns I tend to purchase stems intended as water goblets because their scale works better with the size of contemporary dinnerware.

   

Through the French doors you can see the beginnings of spring in the back garden around the koi pond. Though we're solidly in mid-spring now in my area, I set this table prior to my foot surgery since I knew it would be several weeks before I could carry tableware safely. Late last week I graduated out of crutches, but still have two weeks to go in the walking boot. Sigh . . .

  

I like to style the buffet to reflect the table setting. Here I've simply added two hurricanes in a pattern reminiscent of tree branches alongside another set of bunnies sitting on a cabbage leaf. Bringing the garden in!

  

I hope you've enjoyed all the bunnies in the garden!

Happy Springtime!

Table details

Table linens | Williams Sonoma 'Primavera'

Dinner plates | Block 'Blue Skies'

Salad plates | Williams Sonoma 'Floral Meadow'

Salt & pepper shakers | Fitz and Floyd

Stemware | Fostoria 'Holly Clear'

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