Last week’s post was the exuberant, quite colorful, more casual styling for celebrating the Kentucky Derby. Today, with only days to spare before the big race, I offer a more formal version that despite the gilding and crystal is still somewhat relaxed in its overall style.
An overhead shot of the centerpiece focuses on the sumptuous assembly of red roses and the gold-tone candle holders from Very Violet Boutique in downtown Lee’s Summit, MO. (Just a side note to those of you in shopping distance: Very Violet has now closed and sent all inventory next door to sister store Ivy & Sparrow.)
It is the run for the roses, so adding a few here and there (or a lot everywhere!) is quite appropriate . For demonstration purposes these are from my faux collection, but I urge you to incorporate fresh if at all possible.🌹 🌹 🌹
I found this fabulous horse head at The Painted Sofa in downtown Kansas City, MO.🐴 If you plan a visit to the KC area, The Painted Sofa is an exciting, expansive, must-see shopping destination! Three full floors of fabulous furniture and furnishings!
From the bottom up: “raggedy edge” gold glass charger and Ciroa black & white buffalo check from Home Goods intermingled with regal red & gold Royal Scotland pieces.
My sister (her given name is Berishia, but I’ve always lovingly called her Barf!) gifted me with several yards of Derby-themed fabric a few years back, but life got in the way and I never had anything done with it. This year my exceedingly talented and thoughtful neighbor, Barbara, fashioned these gorgeous napkins from some of it. See how she even thought to use red thread on the hem? Gorgeous detail!!! Thank you, Barbara!!!!!!!!
Need a little take-home gift for guests? Gold-painted horseshoes make a wonderful paperweight! I dressed these up with a simple mix of simply tied ribbons tucked into very fancy black card sleeves. (The sleeves are leftovers from my 60th birthday party invitations.)
Gold-rimmed iced beverage glasses from Nell Hill’s in Kansas City, MO paired with Cristal D’Arques -Durand “Ashville Gold” champagne flutes.
After dinner you simply must have a sliver of Derby Pie and/or Bourbon Butter cake! A generous host or hostess will wrap up an extra slice of each for you to enjoy with coffee next morning.😉
There is no Derby celebration complete without the requisite mint juleps served in traditional silver cups. Create an extra special ambience by transferring good bourbon into a fancy crystal decanter.
On the side I created a fun arrangement in a white Nell Hill’s chinoiserie pot with an ivy topiary, luscious red roses, and another gold horseshoe. The 2 miniature horse heads from Hobby Lobby complete the side table decor.
So that’s it for this year’s Kentucky Derby! These ideas can be easily used for any equestrian event with just a few tweaks.
Here are a few other Derby tablescapes on this site you might enjoy:
I’m especially pleased with the kitchen this year! I spend so much time in there (always!), and I wanted it to be as festive as possible. And for those of you keeping score…yes, the woodwork has been painted white, the walls pale grey. And the floors have been refinished. BIG, MESSY, expensive job, but necessary.
INSPIRATION:
I’ve been churning out SO MANY desserts this Christmas. Baking has been Job 1…which has made exercising Job 2!
A compilation of leftover decorative items made special with the addition of lighted “snowballs” and bright berries.
The combination of a Spiced Gingerbread candle from Bath & Body Works, gingerbread houses, and the gingerbread bakery pot for the little jingle bell-filled tree left me no choice but to ACTUALLY BAKE gingerbread! I hadn’t made any since…what, maybe high school???
The towel hanging on the side of the table says “Sorry for What I Said During the Football Game”. It’s a gift from my super cool friend, Liz, at Home & Gardening With Liz. She knows my rabid (and perhaps a teensy bit unhealthy!) affection for my hometown Kansas City Chiefs all too well!
This little area is always fun to decorate, but especially at Christmas when I can go completely overboard! A simple string of 50 white lights adds a glow beyond that of the the Hot Cocoa & Cream candle from Bath & Body Works. (This candle REALLY smells like cocoa!!!) The peppermint trees add color and are continued across the room in the kitchen windows.
This 4-ft. tree is laden with ornaments that represent my time spent in the kitchen at Christmas. I found the little rolling pins in the woodworks department at Hobby Lobby. The checkered “Merry Christmas” ornaments are actually just gift tags. The crystal platter behind the snowman chef in the window is from my late Mom’s Mikasa collection.
Other touches around the kitchen include small trees and boxwood wreaths EVERYWHERE!!! I added red jingle bells, like the ones on the breakfast bar tree, to each teapot already situated on the window shelves. The boxwood wreaths and peppermint candy trees add more color and texture to the space. The top of the refrigerator gets a simple greenery arrangement that can continue to enhance the space throughout the winter months.
Our little half bath off the kitchen even gets a little something-something for Christmas! The little ornament on the tree is from my good friend (from way back in high school!), Joan Payne Walter, who said she saw it and thought it looked just like me. It IS dressed like me, too. Wild!
That’s it for the kitchen. Next post we head upstairs to the primary bedroom suite and guest bedroom. I just HAD TO spread a little cheer up there, too! Don’t worry…after Christmas the posts will be much fewer and farther apart!
I like to use black in Christmas decorating because it’s a wonderful neutral that really showcases gemstone colors and brilliant metals. I draped this table with a 90″x132″ black diamond pintuck tablecloth from LinenTablecloth.com that skims the floor.
The centerpiece is a flat woven basket from Tuesday Morning filled with mounds of red and gold glass ornaments in varying sizes to lend depth and dimension. Frolicking amidst the ornaments are two playful gold reindeer with beaded antlers from Pier 1. (The ones they’re selling this year are similar to these, but cooler with little red scarves!) A smattering of gold mercury glass chargers complete the centerpiece.
Gold glass chargers sit beneath Ciroa gold-rimmed black & white buffalo check bone china dinner plates. Austere white cotton napkins are cinched with ornamental red berry picks from Hobby Lobby twisted to create a napkin ring. (I used this same technique for “Christmas Progressive Dinner” on a much different table.) The pattern of the Longchamps crystal complements that of the dinner plates. A red and gold English cracker is set alongside each place setting for fun after dinner. (Our family has TOO MUCH fun with them!)
On the buffet behind the dining table is another flat basket loaded with spirits for guests to help themselves at will. A creamy white ironstone pitcher filled with red berry picks from Hobby Lobby (the same as used for the napkin rings) dresses it up a bit. On each side are painted gold manzanita “trees” from LinenTablecloth.com that I ordered on a whim. (“On a whim” means when I was taking medication that had me doing weird things that I don’t even remember doing!!! Still…not a bad purchase!) In front of those sit shiny red mercury glass lidded canisters clad in black & white gingham ribbon bows. The gilded bay leaf wreath on the mirror is uplit at night.
The tea/bar cart is ready to serve after dinner coffee and/or libations by way of a Grace’s Teaware white lattice coffee set accented with Ciroa plates on a silver tiered stand. A metal champagne bucket from Home Goods brims with gold glass ornaments.
The wood & metal sconces hold more of the Ciroa plates with a shiny red ornament hoisted in front to draw the eye up.
The china cabinet in the opposite corner of the room is topped with more metal wine/champagne cooling vessels. The center one is filled to capacity with bright red glass ornaments to complement the table centerpiece.
Finally, the skinny tree in the window with a fun stovepipe hat topper! (See another tree topped with a stovepipe hat at Christmas 2012 – Red, Black & Silver.) A load of ornaments on the tree include more stovepipe hats (Dollar Tree), red lanterns (Walmart), red berry picks (Hobby Lobby), frosted pine cones and acrylic snowflakes, grinning snowmen and twists of black & white check ribbon. (Other tablescapes using these snowmen are Black, White & Red All Over Christmas Tablescape, Checkered Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman.)Beneath the tree are piles of snowflakes, snowballs, and baskets of pine cones with black lanterns lit up for the season.
That about does it for the 2016 dining room. I’ll be back in a couple of days with pics from the family room that I hope you’ll enjoy. Meanwhile, there is LOTS of other Christmas inspiration on this site. Just type in the word Christmas under Categories on the right-hand sidebar to hit the jackpot!
Tablescapes at Table /Twenty-One 