A French Blue and White Tablescape with Vintage Spode
There is something deeply soothing about gathering at a table dressed in different hues of blue and white. I am an avid gardener, and these vintage Spode plates remind me of a French garden, the kind of cool, layered blues you find in a bed of delphinium and forget-me-not.
Flowers always leave me a little more hopeful, a little more joyful. After a long holiday season, I needed the particular inspiration that only flowers can give.
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”
I paired the blue and white plates with a lovely charger from Juliska. I love layering a runner over an antique linen tablecloth; it brings a quiet splash of color to a table, whether formal or casual. This one carries a soft array of cream and gray that ties the whole palette and the French theme together.
The Plates That Started It All
These are part of a collection of vintage Spode plates I found, quite by chance, at an antique store. I had been planning a tablescape for a charity design competition and was searching for something unique, something with a story. The moment I spotted them, I knew they were mine. Each plate in the collection is different from the next, mixed and matched, yet held together by the same blue line. They are formal and casual at once.
These same Spode plates anchored the French-themed tablescape I entered in that competition, where, to my astonishment, it was named Most Beautiful out of more than thirty-six experienced designers. I was a newcomer then. No one quite saw me as a designer, and I was hardly noticed by the others, until the table won. Then they took notice. The table you see here is a different setting for those same beloved plates, styled in softer spring tones.
“The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction. A person cooking is a person giving: even the simplest food is a gift.
”
I used different shades of blue, cream, and gray, with a pop of pink in the centerpieces. The blush roses against the blue and white is a combination I never tire of, romantic without trying to be.
One of my favorite touches is this sweet Greek and Roman-style statue head planter, a cement piece I found in the pages of Flower Magazine. I filled her with the same blooms as the centerpiece and let her sit at the table as though she had always belonged there. Around her, I tucked small, clear vases of roses and carnations into the empty spaces, the way you might fill a garden bed.
I use all kinds of light when I design a table. Here, small votives and taper candlesticks bring an intimacy that only candlelight can. And the glassware, mixed and matched, keeps the whole thing from feeling too precious. These French glasses move easily from casual to formal, depending on the evening.
The colors gathered in the centerpiece give this table the feeling of a spring garden, calm, light, and airy.
“When you are an avid gardener, flowers are a window to the soul!”
A short video of my place setting and centerpiece, and of the full tablescape, are below.
Here is a video of my tablescape.
Design with your heart™️
“may your home be a place where friends meet, family gathers, and love grows.”
As with everything I post on my blogs, please feel free to comment or if you have any questions, please email me through my contact page. I welcome your input anytime!
Happy entertaining my friends!
Mary
Bring French style to everyday meals with these elegant faceted water glasses perched over a thick stem shaped with a beautiful silhouette.
