Add Calm to a Busy Tablescape

Thrifting WonderlandTablescapes16 Comments on Add Calm to a Busy Tablescape

Welcome to the Blog today, Friends. I’m going to share with you a couple of tricks for calming down a table setting that is filled with color and pattern…so much so it might make your head spin just a little. LOL.

First a short announcement. Fall is here and I’m back teaching and taking classes so my days have fewer free hours. So this week I’ll be posting blogs on Monday and Friday. Starting next week I’ll be following an autumn and winter schedule of publishing blogs twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. Your presence is so important to me and I want to be sure what I’m posting is filled with great tips for you. Cutting back to twice a week will help ensure that the blog posts stay relevant and fun for all of you.

You can see in the picture above that I started with a tablecloth with beautiful copper vining embroidered over a neutral background. I chose a beautiful glass charger with the same copper flowers carved into the rim. It is backed by silver foil and you can see that the flowers and vines are in silver relief around the edge of the charger. Then I used a Wedgewood dinner plate and salad/dessert plate in golds and bronzes with multi-colored florals around the edges. Each patterned piece is unique and “busy”. How do we help each piece to stand out and give the eye a place to rest as it takes in all the patterning?

I started by placing a dark placemat made of tightly bound sticks between the table cloth and the charger. You can see that the solid background in a darker tone makes the charger stand out from the tablecloth and gives the eye a bit of a rest.

Next the dinner plate is added. It is still pretty busy so we need to break it up a bit.

A beautiful embroidered cut cloth napkin is added to the mix. It is centered in the dinner plate and drapes over the bottom of the plate so the design can show. The color doesn’t match any of the others but is a bit lighter allowing the eye to relax while blending with all the colors on the table.

When the dessert plate is added you now have two resting places for the eye. The first is the placemat and the second is the napkin. These two solids create an oasis of calm amidst all the busy patterning while allowing the beautiful design of the plate to shine.

A simple two-toned flatware design adds to the calming effect. The gold and silver blends in nicely but the design, itself, is quite simple and doesn’t pull for attention.

Two serene crystal patterns were chosen. The wine glass is “Stephanie” by Mikasa and the water goblet is “Troy Gold” by Noritake. the Noritake pattern is rimmed in gold which works well with the flatware. The designs of both these crystal choices are simple and serene. They don’t attract attention and allow the plate stack to be at the center of the place setting.

A very tall flower arrangement was chosen as the centerpiece. It draws attention upwards with its beautiful autumn colors. the flowers are held in a simple cut crystal vase. The bronzes and yellows of the flowers are reflected in the pattern of the Wedgewood plates.

When you look into the Morning room your eye is drawn up and out to the natural elements in the garden outside the window. The restful elements that break up the busy patterning of the plates, tablecloth and charger lead to the overall feel of beauty and serenity. The predominant colors are all in the same color family and create an overall neutral background.

I’m also showing you my labeling system in this picture. One glass from each pattern has a label tied around it that indicates the number of pieces and what the pieces are, an approximate retail cost for each piece, the name of the pattern and what I paid for it. That information is then transferred to a computer spreadsheet. Having the pattern name handy is really helpful for the Blog. The tags are removed for the table setting and then reattached after the glasses are washed and dried. Everything shown on the Blog today was thrifted. You really can put together a lovely table with thrifted finds.

Thanks for joining me here today. I love it when you visit. I also really enjoy reading your comments and replying back so let me know what you think. Have a great week!