Imagine an evening starting with a delicious cocktail made with Limoncello, sitting down at a sophisticated candlelit table for an amazing Italian dinner, and finishing with tiramisu and cappuccino. The fun and laughter continue as you challenge your guests to a friendly game of cards. I think this would be a great way to have your first Fall Dinner Party. Thinking of Fall, Halloween, and the upcoming holidays, I wanted dark rich colors and sophistication for this table’s decor. With a change of accessories, this table could become anything from a Fall/ Thanksgiving table or be right at home at a grown-up Halloween dinner party. ⠀
Click the following highlighted links below for the items above
- Monogrammed napkin⠀⠀
- BRIAN GLUCKSTEIN Darius Salad Plate @Lenox
- Similar to the ones above: BRIAN GLUCKSTEIN Darius Dinner Plate @Lenox
- Gold charger similar to the one above here
- Flatware similar to the one above here and here
- Gold rimmed wine glasses here
- Gold-rimmed tumbler here
- Marble cheese platter here and here
- Gold-rimmed votive holder here
- Mini Michel Angelo David bust here
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Design Inspiration for the Table
Imagining an evening like this, and tons of inspiration from my trips to Italy & Greece helped to create this table. Dark blue and white plates from the Darius Salad plate from Brian Gluckstein Lenox and Kate Spade Navy Rutherford Circle dinner plate played a starring role and added to the moody vibe. The Kate Spade Navy Rutherford Circle was what I had in my collection, but is not as easily available. I provided the link to the dinner plate that matches the salad plate’s collection as a beautiful substitute.
Setting the Table and All the Possibilities
If you’ve read some of my former blogs on entertaining, you’ll know I love showing all the different ways you can use the same items in a place setting to create different looks. Throughout this post, I’m using the same items in each setting ( ie plates, glasses, flatware) but accessories like the napkins, place cards and natural elements like fruit and florals would be used to create different looks.
Being creative with your accessories is an easy way to add and change the look of your table. In the photos throughout this blog, I used real figs, fruit, branches, faux gold pears, different napkins, and metallics to create different looks.
Using One Flower | An Easy Centerpiece Solution
Using one flower in mass is an easy win to create an elegant centerpiece. I used tulips here but could have even been roses or dahlias, who are in season now. I found these tulips at my local Whole Foods grocery store and chose different shades of orange tulips to fill this white urn. I added burgundy colored branches that I cut from my garden, to add more texture and a little bit more of a Fall feel. The white vase is a vintage find, the Wedgewood Moonstone Medici Urn Vase.
Let Your Napkin Take Center Stage
A beautiful dinner napkin, whether its made from a beautiful patterned fabric or monogram can create an easy new look for your table. Something as simple as a change of placement of the dinner napkin or the way that it’s folded can make a big statement.
I absolutely love this monogrammed napkin above! The simple monogram accented by the branches is classy and not too busy. Even placing it front and center as you see from the photo above it allows the patterned plate to shine and it still gives the modern pattern on the plate room to shine.
A simple way to tie your floral centerpiece to the rest of the table is by taking one of its floral elements and incorporating it in the place setting. Above, I took a branch from among the tulips and simply put it on a folded napkin.
A simple gold napkin ring and the navy trim on this dinner napkin bring the colors together. Slipping the napkin ring on the napkin creates a focal point and yet again a new look! If you can’t find what you are looking for, see if you can make it or get it made. The napkin above was bought at World Cost Plus and I had a seamstress sew a blue rim around the edges. I love the way they turned out.
Use your Metals & Home Accessories
The real and faux fruit on the table above adds color and brings a touch of Fall to the table. I couldn’t find golden pears (they are more common closer to Xmas) so I bought regular faux pears and painted them gold. Faux pears bought at Hobby Lobby.
Mix up your metallics to create interest, above gold-rimmed glasses, a soft rose gold charger, and silver flatware add a glow to the table.
Again, the monogrammed napkin, with its gold initials, acts as a nice compliment now hanging over the table placed under the dinner plate.
Another designer trick is to use home accessories or even collections of items already displayed in other parts of your home. I used a hydrangea arrangement with a gold and black urn that is part of my bedroom decor as a centerpiece on the table. The white miniature bust of David is also a nod to seeing this larger than life sculpture in Italy and will go take its place in a bookshelf after the party.
Placecards
A place card is a way to show you put thought in the seating and a way to add pizzaz to your table. I’ve always loved seeing my written name on anything. Lol! I wrote this myself. I learned calligraphy two years ago and I find it to be a soothing exercise. Its something that gets better with practice. If calligraphy is not your thing, you can always find a font on the computer. Throughout this post, photos have displayed various ways to display your place card. I wrote calligraphy on blank cards from Papersource.
Switch that plate
I was trying to contain myself and just give you all the look options with one place setting but when I saw the Artemis accent plate also from Lenox, I couldn’t help myself! I also love an eclectic table set with different plates. This plate’s metallic, regal floral scroll design inside concentric circles also gives a nod to patterns found in Italian architecture.
For a delicious way to end this or any other dinner party click here for five Tiramisu recipes! Hope this blog inspires you to have some of your own dinner party fun. Please feel free to reach out or share if you used some of these ideas.