Chinoiserie Chic – Classic Blue & White for Spring or Summer

March 12, 2021 / Alycia Nichols / 27 Comments

I’ve been floating the idea of bringing a blue & white chinoiserie motif into our dining room. The colors and pattern are classic, and I could work with them all year round. (See Autumn Chinoiserie – Classic Blue & White from 2017 and Mandarin Bling from 2011.) This is my Spring and Summer take on it! (NOTE: Our dining room is currently undergoing redecorating. These pics were snapped before that arduous process kicked in.)

I kept the table bare to better showcase the contrast in colors.

Although I have several blue & white dish patterns, this Ralph Lauren “Mandarin” is my favorite. This time around it is paired up with Godinger “Chelsea” crystal and black faux bamboo flatware. The extra special touch…gorgeous cloches from Nell Hills in Kansas City, Mo.!!! I wasn’t so thrilled with the white wicker tray, but Liz (Home & Gardening With Liz) convinced me to not spray paint them…yet! Under each cloche is a starched white linen napkin and a beautiful porcelain elephant from Pier 1 Imports. Small pink blossoms are added to break up the blue & white.

I like to add in lots of detail, color, texture, and varying heights for centerpieces. Silver candelabra with towering white metal case candles (for safety!) are surrounded by white Foo dogs, floating orchids, and greenery in white ceramic vases. The small floral branches alongside the bowls help to elongate the centerpiece.

A small white foo dog with another Ralph Lauren “Mandarin” plate graces the sconces in the dining room.

The buffet behind the dining table is laden with various blue & white pieces I’ve collected over the years. Some are filled with orchids, while others hold small cherry blossom branches and tulips. To further tie the florals on the buffet and dining table together, I added more vases of greenery.

Do you like classic patterns, or do you lean more toward contemporary styles?

If you’d like to see more tablescapes in blue & white on this site:
Blue & White 30th Birthday
Peony Power
Blue & White Family Picnic
Ocean Blue – Starfish & Seashells
Christmas In the Library 2020
Tall & Toile, Y’all!
Autumn Flourishes 2017
Autumn Chinoiserie – Classic Blue & White
Candy Colored Autumn
Summer Blues…and Greens!
Mother’s Day Brunch

If you don’t already, I’d be delighted to have you follow me on Instagram! I’m slowly but surely learning how to use it!

Something Blue Bridal Luncheon

May 22, 2012July 16, 2013 / Alycia Nichols / 39 Comments

Shhhhhhhh! Do you hear that? The sound of church bells tolling in the distance….do you hear it? It’s May, and you’ll hear a lot of those now that the wedding season is in full swing. May is a popular month for outdoor wedding events in many parts of the country because the air is yet untainted by the overwhelming aroma of summer barbeques and swimming pool chlorine.

In the hustle and bustle of preparing for the big day, an intimate luncheon just for the bride and her attendants might be in order. A quiet spot under the branches of an old oak tree provides the perfect venue. (This setting would also work very nicely for a ladies’ luncheon.)
(Click on any image to enhance/enlarge it.)

Hanging the canopy over ground space uninterrupted by massive tree roots was way out of my league! Nothing like the handy dandy help of a good husband with no fear of heights to get things going! Be sure to test the ground beneath the canopy to make sure it’s level enough for the table and chairs before going through the trouble of hanging it. (Also a good idea to make sure all nearby bird and squirrel nests are unoccupied. We found this out the hard way!)

The foundation of this tiny round table for four is a full-length white linen topped with a soft blue Ralph Lauren “Veranda Paisley” cotton linen from TJ Maxx.

Silverleafed terra cotta chargers and simple white Corelle plates are enlivened with a soft blue cotton napkin from Burlington.

Luncheon breads are tucked safely away from nosy birds beneath a 6″ clear glass cloche from Hobby Lobby.

The Baroque design of heirloom flatware is a good fit.

What’s a wedding celebration among friends without a champagne toast? (Remember to have a chilled sparkling cider on hand for any non-drinkers in your group!)

I chose this particular iced beverage glass because of the shape of the stem. The ball there is similar to that of the top of the cloche and the “ankle” of the floral vessel. I always try to consider shape similarities when choosing tabletop items to create a sense of unity. Your guests won’t necessarily make a conscious connection, but their subconscious will pick right up on it as that “something” that makes the table work. This is yet another reason why it’s good to get very well acquainted with your personal tablescaping inventory.

A clear glass vase of simple apple blossom branches is the only centerpiece needed. The sheer white canopy is festooned with the traditional “something blue” of trailing silk ribbons.

When the breeze catches it just right, the canopy looks like a bridal veil or the train of a beautiful gown.

The canopy is anchored away from the table to accommodate chairs just before lunch begins by using pearl head pins along the hem to secure it.

See 6 more wedding-related events all on one page by clicking on the “Wedding” tab at the top of this page. You can see even more entries suitable for wedding-related events by clicking on these individual posts:
“Roses in October“
“Blushing Bridal Shower“
“Peonies & Pearls“
“Showered in Pink“
“Raining Orchids“
“Get Me To the Church On Time“
“White Hot“
“Autumn White Wedding“
“Pink Plaid & Posies“
“Flirty Peach Skirt“

I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for “Tablescape Thursday” again this week. I hope you have a chance to visit!

Pleasant Under Glass – Revisiting for Mother’s Day

May 8, 2012July 21, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 31 Comments

I’m still working on our Mother’s Day table which is really proving to be a challenge this year! I don’t know where my head is. (No vile, sideways comments from the peanut gallery on that one! ;-))

So, in the meantime, please enjoy this ultra-feminine pink & green tablescape I created a couple of years ago for a ladies’ luncheon just about the time I first started blogging. It has been hidden on the “Summer” page of this blog, so this may be the first time you’re seeing it. This table would be a great one for celebrating Mother’s Day, a birthday, a wedding shower, or even in honor of a breast cancer survivor.
(Click any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

I have a great fondness for ladies’ luncheons. I am so much more at ease and relish the time spent with friends lingering over girly salads and quiche! When it’s just us girls, I can go all out pink, floral, delicate…no worries!

This luncheon tablescape in our back yard has all the elements of femininity at its all out best: lots of pink and lots of floral!

Each place setting starts with a ruffly hot pink charger (Crate & Barrel) topped with a sculpted ivory “Mckenzie” plate from Pier 1. The green salad plate adds another shot of color and picks up the secondary color in the table covering. The flatware is J.A. Henckels ”Bellaserra” stainless from Macy’s. All of the dishware, flatware and stemware is kept simple so as not to compete with the busy table covering. (The table covering, by the way, is a Waverly vinyl. I think vinyls can be used sparingly for breakfast, brunch and luncheon affairs if they are of a very high quality and every effort is made to smooth out the inevitable wrinkles.)

The napkins from Bed Bath &Beyond are simple poly-cotton in a deep shade of ivory with a BB&B woven green napkin ring. Tucked inside to mimic the colors and shapes in the table covering is a bit of deep green sword fern and a budding pink cymbidium orchid.

I wanted to do something a little different to accentuate the feminine side and the outdoorsy feeling of the tablescape. Tucked beneath a miniature cloche bell jar (Hobby Lobby) is a mound of bright green reindeer moss topped with an orchid. This feature is simply removed from the luncheon plate after the ladies are seated.

The grand 16″ cloche bell jar in the center of the table lords over its more diminutive counterparts and remains on the table throughout lunch. To slightly differentiate it and further play on the outdoor theme of the tablescape, a gazing ball is added along with reindeer moss, sword fern and cymbidium orchids.

Orchids and a tiny cluster of reindeer moss are affixed to the bell jar with a bit of Cling floral adhesive. Cling is great, but beware: clean up can sometimes be a bit of a challenge! To sidestep problems, always roll it into a ball. Any residue can be easily removed with Goo Gone or similar adhesive removal products. Another little tidbit: orchids are resillient and will hold up without a water source for several hours unless it’s scorching hot!

See more Mother’s Day tablescapes on this site:
“Mother’s Day Luncheon In Pink“
“Springtime in Paris Mother’s Day Buffet“
“Mother’s Day Brunch“
“Peony Power“

I am linking up with Susan’s Tablescape Thursday again this week. You might want to check it out to see what all the other tablescape enthusiasts from around the world are up to! Check in anytime after 9:00 CDT on Thursday morning.

Spring Has Sprung Tablescape

March 6, 2012April 9, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 44 Comments

I start teaching my “Art of Tablescaping” class through Longview Community College tonight. I’m sure you can probably smell the fear through your computer screen. (Don’t worry…a little Febreze® will take care of that! ;-))
Wish me luck, folks. I’m really going to need it!

To get a little break from preparing for class, I was thrilled over the weekend to create a Spring tablescape for the 13th Annual Taste of Lee’s Summit event hosted by the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation, Inc. (LSEF). My table was part of a prize package in the live auction offered by an LSEF board member which included a gourmet 4-course meal with live music and a relaxing pontoon ride on the lake. (Click HERE to see the winners’ table, “Surf & Turf Dinner.”)
(Click on any photo to enhance/enlarge it.)

The table for the prize dinner will be quite different from this one and will reflect the menu/theme of the evening. For this night, however, I chose a beautiful crushed poly full-length table linen in “Citrus” in an effort to make it really stand out in the large room. As it turns out, the overall decor theme for the event included a similar color paired with a bright aqua blue, so it blended right in! Oh, well! 😉

The creamy white dishes are “Empress” ironstone from American Atelier. I used a small grapevine wreath that resembles a bird’s nest (Hobby Lobby) to infuse color and texture between the charger and bowl.

A clear glass miniature cloche from Hobby Lobby stands guard over the crushed poly napkin, rolled & tucked to stand at attention. A single butterfly dances on top.

“Cambridge” dark faux bamboo flatware is a nice contrast to the acidic color of the table linen and works well with the oil rubbed bronze-colored centerpiece.

The hostess for the planned evening created this beautiful menu to complement the tablescape. (The tablescape I eventually create in her home will be more in line with the fabulous surf ‘n turf meal.)

Simple clear glass stemware from Old Time Pottery.

The ceilings in John Knox Pavilion where the event was held are soaring, so I wanted to build something that would not be dwarfed by them. This oil rubbed bronze centerpiece (also used HERE but flipped upside-down with glass floral globes) worked well on the small table space allotted.

A glass vase is filled with a wild, untamed profusion of fresh curly willow tips and creamy white faux orchids. The piece stood just over 6-ft. off the table. An arrangement like this would work well for an outdoor Spring luncheon, too, or you can go as high as you wish indoors depending on the height of your ceiling.

I wired on lots of pink & green faux butterflies to add color and whimsy to the arrangement.

The iron piece is sold with clear glass globes suitable for holding florals or candles, but I wanted to do something a little different. I subbed these gazing balls which made a remarkable difference in the overall look.

When I set up the day before the event, I didn’t think I wanted to use candles. Overnight I thought about it, and sure enough I went back on Saturday to add these chunky LEDs that were an almost perfect match to the linen color. The candles sit on oil rubbed bronze convertible candlesticks.

Other Spring tablescapes on this site include:
“Daisy Crazy“
“Barton’s Easter Brunch“
“Pinky Peter Cottontail“
“Apple Green Luncheon“
“Welcome Back, Joel“
“Mikasa Daylight Giveaway“

I hope you’ll join me at Tablescape Thursday again this week. Just log on anytime after 9:00 a.m. (Central time) to get an eyeful of tablescaping talent around the world! Also linking up with the Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday! Check it out!
See you after class! 🙂

September Wine

September 13, 2011April 25, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 98 Comments

Not to take anything away from anyone else, but I honestly think I have the best neighbors in the world. They are kind-hearted, generous of spirit, supportive, talented, and an absolute hoot to boot. When I asked my next-door-neighbors to the east of us if I could borrow their tree-filled back yard for a photo shoot, they generously obliged and even helped out with the 7-hour process. The lady of the house pitched in with styling the table, and the neighbors behind us came over to help with breaking it all down. Such sweethearts!!!

After all that work, we deserved a good meal and a crisp, refreshing glass of September wine!

Given the sultry temps we continue to experience in the Midwest, it’s hard for me to break out the pumpkins just yet. This late summer/early autumn tablescape (what I like to call “summer adjacent”!) has rich, deep hues tempered by creamy ivory in the full-length underlay, background of the overlay (a 6-yard length of fabric purchased from a remnant table several years ago), candles and other tabletop elements.

No charger used here so as to allow more of the overlay design to show. Clear glass dinner and salad plates from Bed, Bath & Beyond are the perfect choice to do just that! Clear chargers – perhaps with a colored edge – would work great here if you have them.

Click here to see another fun way to use clear glass plates.

Two-tone cotton napkins from Pier 1 are folded to expose a generous portion of both colors thanks to my neighbor, Barbara, who also nailed the placement of the napkins on the plate. The menu is simply deep ivory lightweight cardstock embellished with grape clusters that pick up the pattern & color in the overlay. Leaves I plucked from Barbara’s sycamore tree resemble a grape leaf.

Clear glass stemware for lots of wine tasting during dinner! Inexpensive all-purpose glassware can be purchased on sale at stores like Pier 1 or Old Time Pottery.

Lightweight and versatile faux mother of pearl flatware from Target.

Breadsticks are displayed in clear glass stemware.

The much-maligned clear glass hurricane sleeve is actually one of my best decorating friends. I have them in various sizes, and I find they can dress a table up in a heartbeat. Here a mix of 24″H and 17″H hurricanes from Pottery Barn create the desired high/low look. The 2 outside hurricanes are placed in huge metal-banded wooden bowls that are filled with fruits and a profusion of faux leaves that mimic the design in the fabric overlay. Centerpieces using fruit continue to be a favorite of mine for autumn tablescaping. (These black seedless grapes from Costco were inexpensive and SO tasty!!!) An ivory pillar candle elevated on a bronze candlestick provides a subtle glow.