Tablescape Thursday & the NEW Living Room

Well, since tablescape Tuesdays has moved to Thursdays, I thought I would share the mid-week dinner party we had Tuesday night.

There has to be a good 2-feet of snow on the ground here in Western New York, so you can imagine how I've longed for grass and sunshine, let alone flowers and lounging under tree branches smothered with leaves. So, I decorated the table simply, linen napkins in a cream and sage alternated on white plates and gold chargers. Because there were 10 at the table, I mixed the silverware to avoid confusion: "NO! That's my salad fork!"

Aren't these hyacinth delightful? Monday night I drove from store to store looking for fresh cut flowers for the table. At the third stop, I was greeted by these lovelies, wrapped in a purple foil. I had to fix that! So, these old copper pales, patinaed nicely with the verdigris made for the perfect spring containers. Straw raffia and reindeer moss, along with river rocks gave everyone a dose of spring that lasted well into the wee hours of the evening.

For a little ambient light, I put 6 candles on the table in the votives I got for free when I found the cart turned living room coffee table. That night the table served as an appetizer service, with drunken goat cheese, 5-year aged wasabi rind cheddar, and herb-spread (my favorite!) Granny-smith apples and ripe red grapes added color.

Scott made a delicious meal: Roasted Pork Tenderloin, glazed in a herb sauce, then served with bacon and brussel sprouts and topped with a cinnamon apple compote. It was simply decadent with the sweet onion pudding (a table-wide hit!) and his signature garlic/buttermilk mashed potatoes. We had a vegetarian with us that night, and in his usual fashion, Scott wouldn't let her feel out of place. Enter the kale and butternut squash lasagna. ABSOLUTELY.DELICIOUS! Asparagus and sourdough bread bites were a nice addition.

Once dinner was over, we moved to desert! Our friend, and fantastic baker, Katie brought a delicious key-lime pie I was determined not to share, and brownies. Follow that with Scott's (purchased) German Chocolate Cake and Coconut Cream Pie ... no one left hungry!

And now, the living room I promised pictures of. What do you think?

I needed a change from Christmas. There was no way I was going back to the wash of burnt orange and sage, taupe and brown. Not that it isn't lovely - but I needed something new, something different! I made the pillows in the chairs from linen, like that of old grain sacks, and a striped silk.

I finally broke down and bought a sisal/seagrass rug with a beautiful basket weave pattern. I couldn't live without the color of one of our kilims though, so I layered. The whole room is a lesson in layering. The fireplace, with the new Picasso prints, is a layer of texture, metal, wood and wax.

The cart, probably my most favorite part of the room stayed. The basket that has found it's home there also kept roots, while the secondary throw pillows of the sofa and old rug made their exit to the guest room closet.

I'm not quite finished, there are other additions I'd like to make - but like most of my interiors - I try not to force it. So, it will complete itself in due time, and of course - there will be a myriad of pictures along the way. Happy Thursday!