Can I just start with this?: BOURBON ROCKSđ„!!! Neat, up, or on the rocks…it ROCKS!!! Now on to our regularly scheduled program.
đKentucky Derby 2021, No. 147 in the famed race history, is just a couple of short days awayđ!!! I’m putting my (fake!) money on Bourbonic because anything with the the word bourbon in it is a favorite of mine!
I’ve posted several Derby tablescapes over the years, but this one is a little less…mmmm, shall we say…over the top! No towering show horses in the middle of the table this time! Nonetheless, I hope you will enjoy and garner some ideas from this year’s installation. (And, yes, those are my long-awaited new chairs and area rug. Thank you for asking!)






The tablescape was built around a runner I found at Nell Hills that resembles a gentleman’s seersucker or pinstripe suit one might see at the Derby. I added Kate Spade for Lenox “Rutherford Circle Navy” dishes on gleaming nickelplate chargers along with the contemporary J.A. Henckels “Bellaserra” stainless flatware. Stemware from Pier 1 Imports (gosh, I miss their physical stores!!!) and the obligatory silver mint julep cup along with a hemstitch cotton napkin cinched with a Pier 1 napkin ring rounds out the place setting. I like these napkin rings in this setting because they mirror the mix of silver and aluminum elements on the table.





I’ve amassed a few of these wonderful aluminum “trophy” vessels over the year and find them great for decorating all around the house. Here they spill over with red roses and whatever these cool wispy, green, furry branches are that I found at The Painted Sofa and Very Violet Boutique. I have a collection of horse-related decor because I live in Longview Farm, a subdivision where a famed horse farm once stood. These probably came from Home Goods some years ago. Tall metal case candles in staggered heights (am I the only one besides the church that still uses these?) tower above.




Dessert – a very Southern red velvet layer cake – and a whiskey sour station using miniature julep cups are set up on the vitrine behind the dining table. I’ve “had to” taste a lot of bourbon these past couple of weeks to decide which would be best for the mint juleps (Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel won in this category) and which for the sours (Old Forester Kentucky Straight by a nose over Elijah Craig Small Batch!).
If you’d like to check out other Kentucky Derby posts on this site (or posts that would be suitable for it if you just make a few tweaks), click on the link below!