Dutch Floral Tablescape...Valentine's Day 2022

 

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have something special planned for today with those that you love. We had our family Valentine's Day dinner on Saturday night. Brack was off work, and Jewell and her boyfriend, Colby, were able to come home for the evening, so we had a fun night together. I thought the meal was a disaster! However, I love my tablescape, and the dessert was so yummy! More on all that later. For now, here's my tablescape. And if you'll take time to read through, you'll see my process of designing my table, and also see how sometimes, I go back and redo things! Here we go...

I began with a white tablecloth, denim runner, navy placemats, and my antique barn wood runner. The denim runner first appeared in my Blue Christmas tablescape. The wood runner debuted in a Fall Leaves Thanksgiving tablescape. It was given to me (along with two others cut to fit other tables) by my neighbor. They were tearing down their barn that had stood across from our home for over 75 years. He lightly sanded the pieces and cut them to the lengths I requested. I love that they are not perfect! The placemats came from Dollar Tree years ago.

I try to use the rule of three in my designing. I try to use no more than three main colors in my color scheme, and I try to repeat each color three times. I also try to place items in odd groups of three (or five), and I like to have (at least) three layers! It sounds complicated, but it's not. It just helps to make sure that my design is full and pleasing to the eye. I chose to use my "wood" chargers from Dollar Tree. They pick up the wooden plank runner.

Here is what I first planned to use for my plate stack. I have had four of the red floral plates for about 15 years. I have wanted more forever. Recently, I stumbled across a set of eight five-piece place settings on eBay. I made an offer that was about half of what the buy it now price was. We countered back and forth, and I ended up getting the dishes (and shipping) for a little over $100! Unwrapping them was like Christmas morning! However, when I added the sweet little dessert plate, it looked skimpy to me.

I went to my china cabinet where I keep my red, green, and blue, transferware sets, and found these salad plates. The scale was much nicer. Plus, one is white with red, while the other is red with white. They compliment each other so well.

Now my little dessert plate fits perfectly! The dinner plate pattern is "Double Phoenix" in pink floral by Nikko. The salad plate is "Pink Grapevine" by Clayton Tableware. I have four place settings, plus a few extras in this. I got it off Facebook Marketplace a while back. The dessert plate is a new purchase. I found six of them on eBay. I just searched "heart plates set". This is a vintage set by Johnson Brothers England. They're one of my favorites! This pattern is "Hearts & Flowers". They look like little Dutch people to me. Keep that in mind as we go on...

My next problem arose when I realized that I only had four of the pink grapevine salad plates! I thought for a second and realized all I had to do was just reverse a couple of place settings. We were having five for dinner, but I had already decided to set the table for six. It just photographs better when the table is full. I decided that the two end settings would be reverse what I had just done. So I began with the grapevine dinner plate this time.

I then added the Double Phoenix salad plate.

And finished with the dessert plate. I had six of these, so the tops tied it all together.

If you look closely, you can see that the end plate stacks are different. But you have to look VERY closely! I added navy blue stems. These are "Gibraltar" in dusky blue by Libbey. Notice my threes. I have actually used blue four times - runner, placemat, glassware, and the dessert plate. The white is the tablecloth, and white in dishes. More to come. Brown is repeated in the charger and wood board. I'll add more brown and red as we go. 

I often buy at thrift stores, and so I can't always get eight of everything. Case in point - I have four of each of these napkin rings. (By the way - are these yours, Mama?!) I used the two taller ones on the end. The napkins are vintage and real linen. I love to find beautiful old linens at thrift and antique stores. 

So here's my finished tablescape...or is it? I decided it was very heavy in blues. I didn't feel like my red was standing out enough. So...

I moved everything out of the way and added this woven rush runner. The width worked wonderfully with the denim runner. Plus, it played down the casual look of the denim. Then I put it all back together!

So much better, don't you think?

I've told you before that my cat, Possum, will eat any cut flowers we bring inside. And it was really a moot point since I had nothing blooming in my yard right now. I pulled out these faux tulips for a pop of red and white. I got these a few years ago at a local shop called "Bless Your Heart" in Eclectic. They have the most beautiful items for your home! The little people came from a Friends for Faulkner yard sale a few years ago. It's a family set of four. Probably meant to be Amish, they're made of iron and painted. I usually have them on the bookshelf in our home office/library. They reminded me of the man and women on the dessert plates. I love that they repeat the red and blue. The mother and son are on the other side of the tablescape.

I used the Double Phoenix cups and saucers.  

I pulled two large blue votive candle holders. One is metal and one is glass. Very different in look but similar in shape. 

Here's the mama and son. Aren't the tulips realistic? I wrap these in tissue when I store them and make sure to keep them out of the heat.

This aerial shot shows off the reds in the dishes, tulips, and votive candles and holders.

The little red garland that snakes through the centerpiece came from Dollar Tree during Christmas a few years ago. It's a subtle way to add more red and also some texture and movement.

The three milk jars you see were recent gifts from my mother. They had belonged to my grandmother! I thought they were lovely nods to the farmers on the dessert plates as well as the little iron ones in the centerpiece! The smallest milk bottle holds the faux tulips, while I cut some camellia branches and a little red and green nandina for the two larger bottles.

I didn't have room for the napkins beside the tablesettings, so I went on top, being careful not to cover the pretty plates! The flatware is "Austen" by Yamazaki. This is the everyday pattern I got when we married twenty-two years ago!

I love the subtle red in the dessert plate and how it mimics the red plates. There is even a similar wave in the grapevine salad plate and the blue dessert plate. They are perfect for each other! 

At the very last minute, I remembered the little house teapot I have. I added it and loved the way it looked. I had already packed away my lighting poles so the pic is a little too warm. But you can see how it added a little more red, as well as something interesting to look at!

It was a beautiful table! I made a popular Pinterest recipe  - Marry Me Chicken. It was horrible! Tough and too salty. I guess I should have tried it before that night. Oh well! Dessert made up for it, as did the company! What do you have planned for your Valentine's Day table tonight? I'd love to see it!

 I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!

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***All pictures are original and are the property of Missy Hilyer Jones. Please do not use without giving proper credit to me and the blog post they were originally used in. Thanks!