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Shake Your Tail Feather

/ Alycia Nichols / 16 Comments

I am head over heels delighted to have designed an autumn tablescape in the very tastefully appointed home of Bob & Jean Sloan! Jean, owner of Invitations by Jean, has long been a colleague and friend. I have looked to her for fine stationery – invitations, menus, escort cards, and more – for numerous fine weddings over the years.  I fell absolutely in love the first time I laid eyes on her traditionally furnished dining room. Jean’s remarkably refined taste is already apparent in the space, and my job was just to put the cherry on top with this lush table for 6.

The formal nature of my friend Jean Sloan’s dining room dictated a decidedly staid autumn tablescape with a few not-so-serious twists.

The crystal teardrops of Jean’s dazzling chandelier are repeated across the table set for 6 with the centerpiece, stemware, and candle holders.

Plump red grapes, dotted with stray alstroemeria blooms, cascade over the side of the crystal epergne. (My husband will be eating leftover grapes for weeks to come!)

Clusters of richly colored alstroemeria are arranged in cut crystal Godinger “Olympia” rose bowls. The reddish-brown color adds the “oomph” needed to rescue the tablescape from looking too monochromatic.

Pheasant feathers plopped into cut crystal bud vases create a stir at each end of the table. They not only complement the colors and theme of the dishware, but add texture to the tablescape.

Gorgeous cut crystal votive holders add shimmer close to the table surface.

The rich dark wood of Jean’s dining table was the perfect backdrop to the burnished gold chargers topped with brown transferware dinner and salad plates. The oak leaf-shaped soup bowl is from Pier 1. The flatware is Royal Danish sterling silver, a treasured gift from my Mom’s collection.

I found the beautiful dishware with this exquisite peacock motif at a boutique called Home Finishings here in Lee’s Summit. (According to an unsubstantiated Google source, these dishes were manufactured by the Johnson Brothers in Britain, discontinued in 2003. I have been able to find little else about these beautiful dishes anywhere!) The price tag caused a little agony, but I finally caved and bought enough for 12. SO worth it!!! This close-up shows the intricate pastoral pattern that depicts the proud creature displaying his lush plumage as his less fortunate feathered friends look on. (See these beautiful dishes used again HERE.)

Another fun twist to an otherwise traditionally set table is these jumbo carved wood acorns atop each napkin. I picked these up at Pier 1 a couple of years ago.

I love the intricate diamond-shaped cutwork in the Cristal d’Arques Longchamps stemware. The stemware design mimics that of the centerpiece epergne and crystal bowls. Notice here, too, the pretty crystal knife rests. People don’t use those a lot anymore, but I find them both pretty and practical.

Many thanks to Jean Sloan for letting me fulfill a fantasy autumn tablescape!

A few other autumn tablescapes on this site include:
“Italian Honeysuckle“
“Most Egg-cellent Breakfast“
“Copper Zen“
“Celebrating Longview Farm“
“Casual Fall Harvest Dinner“
“September Harvest Breakfast“
“Pumpkins & Peacocks“
“Wondrous Wheat“
“Pheasants & Peacocks“
“Best Laid Plans“
“Serape High Style“
“Sunflower Simple“
“Raining Orchids“
“September Wine“
“Autumn Blues“

This is my very first time participating in Tablescape Thursdays on the Between Naps on the Porch blog site. If you would like to see lots of other tablescapers’ creations, just click on the Between Naps on the Porch link to your right.

Pears and Pine Cones

/ Alycia Nichols / 6 Comments

It was a dark and stormy night, and….wait. This isn’t a mystery novel. It’s a dinner party! Sure, it was dark and stormy, but inside all was cozy, a little bit casual, and a whole lot of fun…even with a power outage that hit right after I snapped the above photo.

 

Humble clear glass hurricanes take center stage enveloped in wreaths of grapevine and pinecones, spiked with fall berries. The pine cone theme is gently repeated in the salad plates.

 

This is one of my favorite salad plate patterns! With a motif that is suitable year-round, this pattern from Pier 1 is not just for the birds! Paired with unembellished white dinner plates, a mustard-colored napkin ties the suite together. A simple gold charger and Revere style flatware lends a stylish touch. A crunchy, sweet Bosc pear – one of autumn’s many gems – is tonight’s guest favor.

 

I am head over heels with these chunky amber goblets from Z Gallerie!!! They are perfect any time of year, but especially in fall as the leaves begin to turn a similar color! The clear stem on the goblets opens the door for the colorless wine glasses.

 

On the buffet behind the dining table are a pair of obelisk centerpieces I used again for the “Ap-Pear-ently Autumn” tablescape.

This is the first of many autumn tablescapes to come. This season will feature everything from soft and subdued (tonight), to haunting beauty (Halloween), to sheer elegance. The rich hues of the season allow for so many decorating opportunities, and I look forward to sharing a few of my interpretations with you! And just so you know, I’m not real big on Halloween, but this year I’m going to give it a try just the same!

Cheers, everyone, and best of the fall season to you and yours! And don’t forget to visit the new “Table Tips” section for lots of nifty ideas!

Up In Smoke!

/ Alycia Nichols / 11 Comments

I’ll keep this short, but I feel the need to  remind everyone who loves decorating: There is a reason the manufacturers put the warning “Do not leave candle unattended” on their products!!! After our lovely Labor Day Eve dinner party (see “Summer Breeze” under the Summer tab), I decided to keep the candles burning so that we could enjoy it for a bit longer after doing the dishes. My husband and I had not been in the house for more than a minute after clearing the dishes when I  saw the reflection of flames in the window. We dashed out and, luckily, extinguished the fire within 30 seconds before it spread to the house. The wind had kicked up and blown the linen over the flames. The only casualties were the table linen, 3 of the centerpiece items (the linen fused to the sides of the glass), the top of the table, and my pride. We could have lost our home or, more tragically, our lives.

Please, please, please be careful! Evening tablescapes are fabulous with tons of candlelight, but candles can be dangerous if you don’t watch them closely! I learned that the hard way!

Please join Susan and some of the other tablescapers for more 2010 Tablescaping Bloopers!

Inspiration

/ Alycia Nichols / 1 Comment

I look for tablescape inspiration everywhere! Around the house, outdoors, other people’s homes, television & movies, retail spaces, public spaces, conversations…even my dreams are of beautiful tablescapes!!! Some of the most innocent sights…sounds…smells…. touches can inspire a creative moment which – hopefully – results in a table element that serves to inspire yet another. The Internet is a wonderful and convenient source of inspiration for fantastic tablescapes, bringing the world right into my office with the stroke of a key, the click of a mouse. 

With summer at its peak, I’m still hungry for creative stimulation from nature. One such extraordinary source for me – and I hope for you – can be found at http://bradycomputers.net/photoblog/. Hundreds of captivating images that seduce the creative center of the brain and breathe fresh air into the mind, the heart, and the soul. Pure inspiration!

More Bling for Your Buck

/ Alycia Nichols / 2 Comments

I’m an admitted shopaholic. I love shopping for decorative items & tableware. It’s a deep-rooted, dark cloud that hangs over me. But with every dark cloud there is a silver lining. For me, that silver lining is finding loads of things I need for my [tablescapes] at prices that don’t require gold bars to pay the tab. If you’re one of the lucky ones with a hefty bank account filled with mad money just waiting to jump into a retailer’s cash drawer, I salute you. Strike that…I wanna BE you!!! If you’re not, take this tip from me: HIT YOUR FAVORITE STORE(S) AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH. How else will you know what’s out there? You can get chummy with store personnel who will get to know your personal style and be able to make great suggestions for you. My favorite shopping genie is Thomas at Z Gallerie in Leawood, Kan. Thomas – who has enviably impeccable taste and is nothing short of a decorating wizard – has helped me on numerous occasions. In doing so, we have chatted and he knows a lot about what I like and what I can afford. He is able to point out what’s new and advise me on what’s hot. My favorite “Thomas quality” is that he never sniffs at me for visiting the clearance area. I am interested in 50% off, start breathing heavily at 60%, begin salivating at 75%, and at 90%…….”Clean up on Aisle 5!!” Great table bling and I get a terrific selection because I shopped early and/or often. They’re playin’ my song! Get yourselves in to the nearest Z Gallerie, available in 18 very lucky states!