The idea for this tablescape started with the French blue herringbone pattern glasses I spotted at Elise Abrams Antiques on one of my visits. Nearby was the tablecloth with embroidered topiary trees in blue and green, an unusual combination. Elise doesn’t carry a lot of table linens, and this cloth, complete with twelve napkins, was just the right size for our rather large table in the Cape.

French Blue Hand Blown Glasses With Herringbone Optic Pattern

I took them home and tried out the combination with plain white Queen Anne Pillivuyt porcelain, but the overall effect lacked punch. Nice, but not as outstanding as I had anticipated.  No matter – the glasses and tablecloth were gorgeous all on their own.   put the the glasses in the cabinet, where they provide daily delight, and tucked the linens away for another day. I figured inspiration would come along in due course, which it did, but from a rather unexpected direction.

Fitzhugh Green by Spode

I was digging around on Replacements.com one day, looking for some green transferware to complement some Limoges hand-painted pieces I’d picked up in fall tones – deep rusts, oranges and golds.  Fitzhugh Green appealed to me, with its simple banded pattern and not too much going on. I bought the dessert plates, and some serving pieces, including the soup tureen, thinking it would be a friendly and practical pattern for cool evenings when we would enjoy a braised dish or soup. I was busy setting up and photographing this fall combination when my daughter Kirsten came home with a bunch of blue & green hydrangea from a farm stand.

We arranged them in the tureen, thinking they would look beautiful on the table that evening, when we caught site of the blue glasses in the cabinet behind. I remembered the tablecloth and pulled it out.  Voila. It came together. We added in the turquoise twist Venetian candlesticks for a final touch.

Venetian Turquoise Twist Hand Blown Candlestick

I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.