A Cottage Table with a Berry Tart

by Helen Kain | Jul 28, 2021 | Blue, Home, Pink and Red, Recent, Summer Tablescapes

Villeroy and Boch are right up there with Gien in terms of high-quality, durable and beautiful tableware.  I was introduced to the Cottage pattern through Sophie Winston, from the Domestic Diva series by Krista Davis. Sophie is one of the two fictional Divas...

Mikasa Botanical Bouquet

by Helen Kain | Jul 23, 2021 | Antique glassware, Blue, Green, Home, Recent, Summer Tablescapes

The summer blooms are at their peak, and the hydrangea is just tipping over to the faded papery stage. So it was now or never for this table. Botanical Bouquet by Mikasa features an unusual combination of herbs in improbably vivid shades of cobalt blue; the soft...

Cherry Blossom by Tabletops

by Helen Kain | Jul 20, 2021 | Blue, Green, Pink and Red, Summer Tablescapes, Yellow

It will come as a surprise to exactly no one that my love for cherries extends to tableware featuring the scrumptious fruit. But it’s pathetically thin on the ground. You’d think such a cheerful, colourful motif would be easy to find, but not so!  I...

Artisan Fish Plates

by Helen Kain | Jul 4, 2021 | Accessories, Antique glassware, Antiques, Blue, Summer Tablescapes, Terracotta

Living by the ocean, it’s impossible to escape crustacean and fish-themed decor, and I have my share of it in tableware.  These Rosalie Nadeau Fish plates were one of our earlier acquisitions from Tree’s Place Gallery in Chatham, MA. Though the gift...

A Fitz & Floyd Chateau Tea

by Helen Kain | Jun 26, 2021 | Pink and Red, Recent, Spring Tablescapes, Summer Tablescapes

You’ve heard of cottage teapots? They usually feature a cosily thatched cottage, complete with a cottage flower garden. Fitz and Floyd upped the elegance a notch with the Chateau Teaset from the mid-1980s. Which I received as a gift when it first came out. Gulp....

Pale Pink Peonies and Royal Stafford Transferware

by Helen Kain | Jun 17, 2021 | Black, Pink and Red, Summer Tablescapes, White

Our peonies in the Cape run the gamut from snow white with a splash of crimson at the heart through to a vibrant cerise. Some of the earliest bloomers are a delicate shade of pink, some with the palest yellow ruffles near the base of the frou-frou centre. Be still, oh...