Deep, clear pink is a gorgeous colour; no wonder it’s so popular around Valentine’s Day.
A perfect counterpoint to the gritty grey winter landscape, the rich rosy tones lift our spirits and beguile our senses.
This table setting began with a trip to the local greenhouse, where I was looking for parrot tulips, having been unsuccessful at my usual sources. No luck here either, but they did have a huge walk-in fridge with blooms of every description, many of them in this luscious shade of pink. Ok – twist my arm!
Cherise roses, ranunculus and white tipped tulips caught my attention. Scanning Pinterest, I’d seen some examples of flower arrangements employing chunky bunches of flowers and decided to give that a shot. The idea is to group several flowers of one type together in sections, rather than spreading them more evenly through the bouquet. That helps balance the larger blooms, such as hydrangea. I liked it!
The flowers naturally called to mind these Royal Doulton hand-painted pink cabinet plates I bought many years ago from Elise Abrams Antiques. There are twelve different designs, all signed by C. Horton, and made in England for Ovington Brothers of New York. The heavy gilding is typical of the aptly named “Gilded Age”, so beautifully depicted in the Martin Scorcese film of Edith Wharton’s novel, The Age of Innocence, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder, my go-to movie whenever I need an elaborate tableware fix,
I have both large and small cabinet plates. They’re both Royal Doulton, and while the the patterns on the rims of the plates is slightly different, they coordinate well. I’ve shown them here with two different types of antique soup cups and a St. Louis cranberry glass decanter.
I styled the table with glassware from the same period; both goblets are antique Moser.
The small compote forms part of a set of antique Venetian glass, which includes two candlesticks, two small compotes with under plates and a large version of the compote for the centrepiece, all from Elise Abrams Antiques.
You can see the big centrepiece in Pretty In Pink, a table I did many years ago when the dining room was painted deep cranberry colour. It’s hard to see the colour of the Venetian glass with the oasis which anchored the exuberant display of tulips. I had a blast putting those arrangements together, I recall.
I see I used the same flirty porcelain place card holders. They’re part of a collection of a couple of dozen, some with coloured flowers and others in white and green only. They’re a ladies lunch or bridal shower type accessory, I think, and go well in this setting.
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- Pink Hydrangea
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- Pink roses or apple blossoms?
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- A bit of blue
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- A bt of yellow
The cutlery is Chantilly by Gorham. The placemats and runner are from Pottery Barn, and are still available. The embroidered napkin is part of a set I picked up in Bermuda a long time ago. I love how crisply it sits, adding its mite to the table.
One last look at the whole table 🙂
Stay warm, everyone! Looks like we’re back in the deep freeze for a bit. But it’s rapidly getting lighter by the day, so that part is very heartening.
I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch, The Scoop and Wow us Wednesdays
Helen,
A new favorite!
Sooo lovely to look at. I like your choice of bunching the flowers together. I love ranunculus ( the wanna be rose) and am always dismayed when they droop so soon.
This tablescape is perfect for the tale of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” I see them at the table after sneaking back home after dancing all night… it would have to be mimosas in those gorgeous glasses!
Thanks, Kathi! I too love ranunculus, especially the name 🙂 Your deep knowledge of fairy tales and the illustrations that go with them is enchanting. It adds a magical perspective, and you’re teaching me to see the world through that lens, too. Love it!
Dear Ms. Kain,
Be still my heart! What a gorgeous table.
I wonder how appropriate it is for an old lady to get so excited when a certain e-mail notification about a new post arrives. I do so look forward to seeing what new magic you have wrought.
This morning has sent me over the moon. Strangely, because normally, my taste does not lead to pink or floral, hence my struggle with my inherited Wedgwood Charnwood pattern. I own nothing heavily gilded and no Venetian glass, but this tablescape has generated all kinds of lust for floral, gilded cabinet plates and deep pure pink crystal. I’ve been flipping back and forth from today’s post to the Pretty in Pink version and I think that indeed I prefer this one, though they are both beautiful. I think the difference is that you have used plainer linens and a more modern looking floral design, somehow both emphasize the beauty of the china and crystal. Sorry to be gushing so.
Just a question obout actually serving food on plates as beautiful as these. Do you worry about utensil marks? I don’t think I’d allow anyone within 10 feet of them with a knife, but then serving baby food at a table like this would definitely spoil the elegance of the occasion.
With warmest regards,
Elizabeth Speicher
As a friend of mine once said “we don’t need to be monogamous where it comes to things like houses”, and in our case, tableware. My collection was much more focused on gilded age delights in the earlier years, and now it’s taken on a more fun and relaxed approach. Lovely to think that you are enjoying thoughts of including more elaborate pieces. Formal tableware lovers are a dying breed, I’m afraid, thought I do suspect the pendulum will swing back once again.
You’ve hit the nail on the head in your comparison to Pretty in Pink and the current post. You are so right that the new one reflects evolving taste generally, and I think mine specifically, toward plainer linens and different floral designs.
As to actually serving on the plates, no. “Cabinet Plates” either languish behind glass, or are placed on the table to “delight the eye” when the diner sits down; they’re whisked away as the first course is served. Sometimes I stretch the point and put a little crocheted doily under a soup cup and saucer, then remove the whole stack before serving the next course.
Have a wonderful evening and happy hunting! 🙂
Gorgeous table, to-die-for crystal, and the prettiest porcelain place card holders! The contemporary linens are a great counter-point to the antique dinnerware.
Thanks, Sandra. It’s very enjoyable to mix different styles, isn’t it? We have such choice these days!
Beautiful styling and the container holding the flowers is very unique.
Thanks so much, Sandra! I picked up that container years ago. It’s got a glass vase insert.
Your Venetian pink glass is gorgeous and I love your plates. A lovely table, pretty flowers selection.
Thanks, Thelma. Those particular pink glasses were among my very first purchases. I had ten of them and to my ever lasting regret, I broke one last year. Grrrr. Well, if you’re going to have the stuff, you might as well use it and enjoy it.
Thanks for stopping by.
WOW, I am speechless, this is the most exquisite table I have seen in a long time. I dearly love a formally set table and this is truly inspirational. Love everything about it but particularly love those place card holders. Wish I could find some like them. Will be going to a high end antique show later in the month, have cataloged this in the back of my head to be on the look out for. Thank you for sharing this magical table setting.
Thanks Carolyn! It’s enjoyable to put on the Ritz once in a while, isn’t it? Good luck finding the placecard holders at the antique show; sounds like a good bet for that type of thing. I just searched “porcelain flower placecard holder” on eBay and all kinds came up. This was the first listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flower-Porcelain-Placecard-Holders-Made-In-Germany/202210836359?hash=item2f14b47f87:g:TAYAAOSwldRZ9R~c
There were many others, so that’s another source you can try.
Thanks for stopping by!
Those dishes are exquisite and you have exquisite taste! Just so beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Maureen! That’s so kind. I hope you had a great weekend.
Stunning plates, I am swoonnnn !!! The centerpiece vase is wonderful as are your pink stemware.
Love this !
Pinning.
Fabby
Thanks, Fabby. The centrepiece vase is a container with a round insert. It’s really useful and wasn’t expensive. It’s modern, and I got it at a flower shop a few years ago. Thanks for visiting.
Your compote and especially the matching candle stick, just let me say WOW!!
(Lately I turn to Amazon Prime video to watch reruns of Downton Abbey for glam table settings fix and see tiny little old lady wine and/ or cordial crystal glasses).
Well you’ve done yourself proud here!
These register quite high on the fragility meter. I love the whole centrepiece set, but it gets stored away quite carefully between outings. I shudder to think of the havoc Dundee would wreak in one of his mad dashes.