With strawberry pink peonies at their peak, I couldn’t resist a pull-out-all-the-stops table, featuring French blue and gold-rimmed china— Gilded Age glamour with a decidedly relaxed edge.
The soup cups pull it all together with their cheerful posies.
Made by Spode, they are two slightly different sizes, pattern numbers H4092 and H4092B.
They sit atop powder-blue salad plates, also by Spode, pattern R7287, with gilt scrollwork on the edge and creamy-white centers. They’re refined without being fussy—the kind of pieces that feel ceremonial, but still welcoming.
At the bottom is a Wm. Guerin Limoges service plate, its scalloped edge and soft floral sprigs lending just the right amount of decorative flourish.
I love how it came together in a burst of floral exuberance—peonies in full, blowsy bloom in luscious shades of pink, picking up the floral notes in the soup cups and service plates.
The Venetian goblets steal a bit of the spotlight, as they always do. With their twisted stems, hand-applied gold, and light-catching bowls, they bring just enough whimsy to balance the porcelain’s formality.
There’s a delicacy to them that is very appealing. Venetian glass contains no lead. It’s incredibly light in the hand and takes some getting used to – you expect it to be heavier, and it can be a bit disconcerting at first.
The swan “master salt” is in the same soft blue glass.
As are the two small ruffled edged salt cellars.
The napkins are modern. I chose a very elaborate pattern for the “white on white” embroidery, which fits with the Broderie Anglaise tablecloth.
I do love setting up on the porch for an elegant meal with antique china and glassware. It’s the perfect place to enjoy warm evenings, feeling a bit sheltered but still out in the fresh air.
There is a bit of backstory to the Spode French blue plates. I had purchased the service plates, Spode’s powder blue dinner plates and the soup cups from Elise Abrams Antiques—an experience in itself, given her legendary eye and impeccable inventory. To my utter delight and astonishment (and Elise’s mild indignation), I later turned up seven matching salad plates on Replacements. A reminder that in the world of antique china, luck sometimes shows up with a barcode. 🙂
I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. We are finally getting some warmer weather after several weeks of unseasonably cool and damp days. Not much beach time, but peonies have had an extended run, much to my joy.
Oh Helen that overhead shot!! Be still my heart! I love every single thing about this table, especially those gorgeous goblets! Thanks for the insight into those, I love when you tell us the history or provenance of your pieces. And that’s great that you found the salad plates! Isn’t Replacements wonderful? If I could somehow make a career of trolling Replacements.com, I’d be rich! Thanks as always for the fabulous inspiration. I’m – well – inspired!!
Thanks, Barbara! It was a lot of fun to set. I love playing around with the elegant antique pieces and letting them have a little outing. 🙂
Like you, I would be in seventh heaven being a searcher at or for Replacements. Wouldn’t that be the best? Enjoy the weekend!
Dear Helen, I see this table as a very summery one. It’s elegant and even opulent, yet welcoming. Those Venetian glasses look like one sneeze would knock them over, so I hope your day was breeze-less! Swoon-worthy table cloth, too. In a setting like this, you can never have too many patterns. Our white peonies are still hanging on, after thunderstorms and wind, but this weekend’s punishing heat will finish them off. The six Oh Happy Day 6-foot-tall roses are an absolute riot lining the drive–tourists stop to smell them and take pictures. Hope your weather stays enjoyable.
Beatrice, I always feel like the summer is here when the peonies bloom, regardless of what the weather is telling us. The longest day is usually not far behind. We’ve had some wicked storms here, too. Fortunately, I got the “corsets” on the peonies before the rain really came pelting down; the poor things get so battered. Like you, the roses are now blooming with exuberance. A few miles from here is a house simply smothered in rosebushes; they must have 300 plants, climbing and otherwise. I always make a point of driving down, pulling over and admiring the blooms for a while. And rude though it is, I have (like your tourists) taken pictures. Mea culpa!
Oh I don’t see it as rude at all…It makes me smile when people enjoy them, as the bushes are planted so they can be approached closely. The perfume is not strong, but it is very sweet.
Very kind of you, Beatrice. It’s a refreshing counter-weight to all the “anti-tourist” and “anti-Instagram” sentiment. Things seem very grumpy in London these days around Notting Hill…