Vintage plates and dessert goblets combine with new hydrangea design bowls, violet flatware, deep aubergine placemats and napkins, whimsical asparagus ceramic napkin rings, beautiful flowers snipped from the garden, and a lovely day to create an inviting setting for food and fun and an intimate outdoor dinner.
Lime green and purple are just made to be together, in my view. Any one of these elements, by itself — the vintage plates, the bowls, the glasses — would be nice. Put them together, however, and magic is made. In the picture above, I hadn’t yet added the bowls. They were the final touch that completed the look. (Mind you, it would do no good to have the bowls if we weren’t planning to serve something appropriate in them. You must always keep in mind what you’re serving and what kind of containers you need when choosing the components of your tablescape.)
Low, long floral arrangements were put together by my friend Shirley. We deliberately made them as low as possible so as not to hamper eye contact and clever conversation. Hydrangea leaves snipped from my bushes concealed most of the containers used for the flowers.
Plan the food first, then the table. Or plan the table, then the food. But always, always connect the two in the planning process! The color of the placemats and napkins echoes colors in the hydrangea bowl. The flowers echo all the colors. The asparagus napkin rings pull together the lime green glass of the vintage dessert goblets, as well as the interior green of the hydrangea bowls. The net effect makes me so happy, and that sets the stage for a successful evening.
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