Welcome to the Blog today, Friends. I’ve been trying for awhile to find a good day to set a dinner on the screened-in porch without success. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s still in the 90’s here every day and I just don’t want to be outside in that kind of heat. The cooler mornings have been giving me some time to get the garden back in shape but by 9:00 a.m. I’m back inside. Today, I just decided to do it anyway.
I chose a tablecloth as inspiration for the table setting. I wanted something soft and comfortable. This red, white, and grey tablecloth is perfect. The soft colors invite a casual dinner and pair well with some grey china and my favorite bird plates.
Here’s a closer look. The bird plates depict different species but most have the grey and brown plumage of woodland birds. I love the leaf border that circles the edge of the plate. The birds reflect the grey in the dinner plate which picks-up the grey in the tablecloth. The dinner plates sit on a white porcelain charger emphasizing the white in the tablecloth.
I chose a simple white linen runner to go down the center of the table. Then added some herbs and flowers in a variety of containers to keep the look less formal.
Bread and butter plates are set to the side of the china as I didn’t want to hide the beautiful birds.
A set of twig spreaders accompanies the dark grey bread and butter plates with a white and grey or a solid grey napkin at each place. Love those twig spreaders. I know they used to sell complete dinner sets in this type of pattern but I haven’t been able to find any.
Fiddlehead flatware from Pottery Barn is used with the twig flatware. It’s all “organic” so fits together. The Fiddlehead is one of my everyday sets of flatware and I use it all the time. It is quite hefty. Pottery Barn, in later years, sourced this flatware from a different company and it was much lighter in weight. I prefer the original heftier set. This flatware has held up extremely well over the many years since I purchased it.
Another small nosegay at one end of there table resides in a favorite pottery rooster jar.
The view of the garden behind the table is always a favorite. You can see birds feeding, Hummingbirds storing up food for their long migration, and lots of flowering plants.
Mikasa’s Kensington crystal is used in both the white and the red wine glasses. These are a recent find from my local thrift Store. They are a great option for a more casual dinner.
Here’s an overhead shot of the table. The fan is turned on high and the water fountain is burbling. A pleasant setting for dinner outdoors.