I hosted a dinner for work colleagues earlier this week. I knew I was going to be short on time, as my business partner, Gordon and I were doing an afternoon presentation and would be getting back to the house late in the day. So I needed a menu that could be prepared in advance and didn’t need much last minute fussing.
The menu came together relatively quickly. Roasted tenderloin of beef with Roasted Root Vegetables with Almonds and Parmesan Cheese as a side. Sausage rolls for appetizers (it’s Christmas, after all!) and some two-bite brownies for dessert. All set.
Onto the table setting. I’ve had the Pottery Barn red paisley linens for several years. The rich pattern and vibrant colours sent me reaching for Wedgwood Florentine Green dinner plates. These are the only pieces I have in this pattern, and I bought them many years ago from Country Dining Room Antiques. They’re still available from Replacements.com. I used rattan placemats from Pier 1, and my bakelite handled cutlery, also from Country Dining Room Antiques.
I continued the burnished gold theme with the napkin rings from Chintz & Co. in Victoria.
The lanterns are modern – gifts from our friends Paul and Chris for Christmas one year. They have a lovely frosted gold finish which echoed the faint gilding of the antique footed Venetian glass compote filled with pine cones.
I started out using different goblets, but then thought that the gold twisted stem Venetian would pick up the antiquey gold in the plates.
The combination really came into its own in candlelight. It was a very fun evening!
I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.
Lovely as always.
Thank you! 🙂
The juxtaposition of casual warmth and formal glam is very appealing
Thanks Sandra. It just ended up that way from using all the gold. I started out wanting it quite casual. The deep, rich colours of the linens were the starting point. Once I added the plate, however, the gold just took on a life of its own!
Beautiful! Particularly LOVE your goblet stemware. Merry Christmas & Happy ‘n Safe Holidays to you. -Brenda-
Hi Brenda,
That stemware is a relatively recent acquisition – maybe two years ago? I was looking for less-elaborate stemware with just a touch of gold and Elise Abrams dug it out of her collection. It plays well with most table settings, I find! Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting. 🙂
Beautiful table with such elegant stemware. The tablerunner and napkins are perfect for the table and centerpiece. Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Judy. I thought the Buttercup pattern might be a bit too fussy, but it seemed to add a layer of detail to an otherwise rather stark palette. Glad you liked it.