Kentucky Derby 2022 – Relaxed Formal Attire

May 3, 2022June 8, 2022 / Alycia Nichols / 14 Comments

KENTUCKY DERBY 2022

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:

POST TIME FOR THE 148TH RUNNING OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY ON SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2022 IS AT 6:57 P.M. ET, 5:57 P.M. CT

Kentucky Derby In Living Color

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022 / Alycia Nichols / 9 Comments

Time once again for the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, KY, where the horses will be lightning fast🐎, the Kentucky bourbon will freely flow🥃, the chapeaux will be grand👒🎩, and brilliant primary colors will take center stage for both jockeys and spectators. This relaxed tablescape reflects a bit of all that and more for those of us unable to join the revelers at Churchill Downs in person for that 1-1/2 mile thrill known as The Kentucky Derby.🏇

(P.S. If you got that reference to “in living color” in the title, you – like me – are o.l.d.!!!!!😄)

Inspiration for this tablescape the first of two I’ve created for this year) came about while browsing the showroom at Nell Hill’s in Kansas City, MO. The showy hues of the jockey silks reminded me of how colorful the Derby truly is even beyond the ladies’ hats in the stands.

With the energetic riot of color all around, I kept the centerpiece relatively simple using only the Derby’s signature red roses in a sleek trophy cup flanked by horse heads.

“And they’re off!” Here’s where the REAL show of color runs! Multicolored straw runners are the foundation for a cobalt blue charger, chartreuse and red plates, and tri-color stemware. Notice the unusual way in which I offset the stack to best show off the colors. The Pomegranate Derby-inspired napkins from Nell Hill’s depict the fabulous array of tones used for jockey silks.

A single horseshoe embellishes each end of the table runners.

The traditional drinking vessel of the Kentucky Derby: the silver mint julep cup!

I used two different Pomegranate cocktail napkins because I couldn’t decide on just one! The napkins are nestled into individual trophy cups from Michael’s at each place setting.

No race day fête is complete without an aromatic and calorie-free (😉) Derby pie!

I can’t believe I didn’t include Woodford Reserve here🤦🏽‍♀️, but a generous selection of Kentucky bourbons is always a nice touch as guests have their favorites.

A cavalcade of miniature julep cups for taste testing various brands!🥃🥃🥃

Absolutely no Kentucky Derby celebration properly comes together without a dashing chapeau for the gents (my late Dad’s straw Stetson is a winner!) and a wildly styled hat for the ladies…the bigger, broader, and bolder the better!!!

Whip up or order in some wonderful food, create a fun atmosphere, grab your hat, choose your favorite to wind up in the winner’s circle, and settle in for the greatest 2 minutes in sports!

I’ll post a more formal Kentucky Derby tablescape in a few days. Meanwhile, if you’d like to check out Derby tablescapes from previous years on this site:

Kentucky Derby 2021 – Pinstripe Suit

April 28, 2021April 28, 2021 / Alycia Nichols / 19 Comments

Can I just start with this?: BOURBON ROCKS🥃!!! Neat, up, or on the rocks…it ROCKS!!! Now on to our regularly scheduled program.

🏇Kentucky Derby 2021, No. 147 in the famed race history, is just a couple of short days away🏇!!! 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!

Should Have Put a Ring On It Valentine Tablescape

January 29, 2013October 9, 2014 / Alycia Nichols / 81 Comments

♥♥♥ All the single ladies! All the single ladies! ♥♥♥

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean romance is in the air for everyone. There are those among us who are on an earnest quest to find Mr. Right but haven’t yet found out where he’s hiding. There are those who thought they had Mr. Right but had to kick him to the curb because he was oh, so wrong. There are those whose “boo” must be away for that special day (through no fault of his own). And then there are those who just don’t want to share the remote, compromise on what to have for dinner, or worry about falling into the toilet because the seat was left up. For all of you single ladies – whatever your reason – this is a blinged out Valentine tablescape that celebrates you as the carefree diva you are!
(Click on any photo to enlarge/enhance it.)

Valentine’s Day can be a day to raise your glass and just enjoy the platonic company of girlfriends. Like Cyndi Lauper said: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”!!! This would also be a great table for celebrating with other couples on Valentine’s Day (probably something just us old married folks do, but it can be fun!) or a Christmastime rehearsal dinner, engagement party, or wedding reception. With a few minor tweaks, it would also make a fabulous Kentucky Derby tablescape!!! (Change the white to cream, and it’s also perfect for a Delta Sigma Theta sorority gathering! My Mom made me say that! :-))

Red is the color of strength, power, and determination as well as love. Start with a bold red full-length table linen (LinenTablecloth.com) to get the energy flowing in the room. Each glamorous place setting includes a rhinestone-studded charger topped with a second charger in sleek silver for added depth. The delicate design of Noritake “Whitebrook” china conveys sophisticated sweetness and light.

A menu card helps to answer the age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” and makes a really nice souvenir. The background of deep red roses works in concert with the centerpiece florals.

I used these fun “diamond” napkin rings I found at Tuesday Morning because they go so well with the “Should Have Put a Ring On It” theme!

Use your most beautiful pieces to make everyone feel like royalty! Stemware here is Godinger “Chelsea” which isn’t my best, but it sure is one of my favorites!

Clockwise: (1) Silver Revere candlestick; (2) candlestick topped with peg votive; (3) LED votive glows safely, and; (4) white silk lampshade made for fitting over peg votives

Clockwise from upper left corner: (1) Silver Revere candlestick; (2) candlestick topped with peg votive; (3) LED votive glows safely, and; (4) white silk lampshade made for fitting over peg votives

Lots of ambient light makes everyone look fabulous! These bistro lamps are powered by LEDs for safety. These same shades were used to create a completely different look on a silver epergne HERE. (For more candle lamps on this site, see “All A’Bloom for Spring“, “Raining Orchids“, “It’s All About Me!“, and “Just Us Girls“.)

Fun and flirty “Ocean Diamond Dazzle” rhinestone ribbon creates a jazzy runner to visually connect all the centerpiece elements. The frosted white votive holders (Hobby Lobby) have a thin coordinating strip.

Lots and lots of red rose kissing balls bring color and texture at two levels. Each rose ball is finished off with rhinestone stick pins for added flair. Faux flowers are used here for demonstration purposes, but by all means go fresh if your budget allows! Fresh flowers bring a dimension to your decorating that nothing else can!!!

Indeed, “if [he] liked it, then [he] should have put a ring on it”. If he didn’t, though, consider a glamour-filled evening for friends who share your single status!

If you’ve never seen the SNL parody of “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” with Justin Timberlake, Andy Samberg, Bobby Moynihan and Miss Thang Herself, Beyoncé Knowles, click HERE and get ready to laugh until you cry!!!

Other Valentine’s Day tables on this site include:
“Queen of Hearts Card Party”
“Be Still My Heart”
“Days of Wine and Roses“
“Peonies & Pearls“
“Love’s Arrow“
“Chocolate Traditional“

Other posts with kissing balls/rose balls on this site:
“Princess Pink Birthday Dinner“
“Days of Wine and Roses“
“Kentucky Derby Buffet“
“Derby Day Dining“
“Diwali My Way“
“Mandarin Bling“

I’m joining Cuisine Kathleen’s “Let’s Dish!” (anytime after 6:00 p.m. CST on Wednesday) and Susan’s “Tablescape Thursday” (anytime after 9:00 a.m. CST on Thursday). I’m sure a lot of love will be in the air, so join me, won’t you?