Welcome to the blog, today. I’ve been working on using thrifted items to create complete table settings. It’s fun to try to do that solely from Thrift Store finds. It gets my creative juices flowing and also ensures that I actually use the things I’ve purchased.
Today’s table setting started with the table runner. It’s by Cynthia Rowley of New York and I’m not sure if it was meant to be a scarf or a table runner. Sometimes they can be interchangeable. Anyway, I thought it would make a great table runner but I had some trouble finding enough items to go with the misx of colors…The darker blues are truly “blue” while the lighter color has a distinct element of green/turquoise.
I decided to use that same mix in my plate stack. It began with glass chargers that have a turquoise cast to them. This really picked up the lighter color in the table runner and tied the two together. I used Villeroy $ Boch round, white, patterned dinner and salad plates that were stacked one on top of the other. I wanted the smaller salad plate to act as a base for the soup bowl and matching soup plate combination.
The soup bowls are a recent find and after doing some research discovered that they are studio pottery from a potter, Lars Syberg, from Denmark. They date to the 1950’s and are relatively rare and sought after. You never know what you’re going to find. I loved the double handles and the colorful flowers. They are very appealing. It’s nice to discover the history surrounding the bowls and plates.
I added hand-thrown pottery wine glasses to the table and Mikasa, Park Lane water glasses. The flatware is Holmes and Edward’s Lovely Lady. It’s a nice, elegant pattern that goes well with the pottery and china.
The napkins are old linen with embroidered edges in keeping with the older pottery. They are a crisp white like the white china plates and are held in place by glass napkin rings filled with azalea flowers from the garden. They echo the flowers in the soup bowls.
Flowers in bright colors are arranged in a small hand thrown pottery container and crystal candlesticks with pink candles are placed on either side of the flower arrangement.
Everything seemed to come together in a way that accomplished my goal of integrating a thrift store runner into a table setting using items from the Thrift Store. Do you ever set yourself a challenge like this? Just setting a pretty table is a joy and enhances any eating experience….even a peanut butter and jam sandwich.