Falling for Fall

With the temperatures still in the upper 80's and low 90's, it hardly feels like fall.  But there is a chill in the air in the mornings and evenings, perfect weather for football, an early morning walk and for a glass of red wine.  This past summer, we visited Sonoma County in California, and sampled aromatic wines from Sebastiani winery.  It is so beautiful there, and so very interesting to listen to the process of how the wines are made.  We ended up ordering over two cases of wines, and I believe that my glass of red wine in the early evening will extend my life and lower my blood pressure.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Fall is also a time when the home shows begin.  My husband had a booth promoting his business, which gave me an opportunity to visit the tablescape competition.  My entry will be long this week, due to all the beautiful tablescapes I want to share with you that I photographed at the home show.  If you get a chance, visit the designers' websites and let them know what you think.  My tablescape this week was fairly simple, with a fruit/wine theme.

The tablecloth has perfect colors for fall, and is called Berry Orchard.  I purchased it at Marshalls.

The birds were on sale at Michaels.  I used whatever I could find that looked like fall from the backyard.  There's nandina leaves, ivy, hydrangas, nandina berries, and what's the name of that little purplish flower?

These square plates came from Macy's a few years back, and each salad plate has a different fruit--orange, pear, and lemon.

This silverplate vinegar/oil cruet with grapes was an exciting find for me at Goodwill.

The candle holders are from Southern Living at Home and I found these little grape candle rings a few years back, can't remember where.  The candles are a mottled green and went well with the tablecloth.

I had to include this picture with my little puppy dog.

The little jam container (?) was my mother's and I am using it to serve Parmesan cheese.

My mother made these S&P shakers years ago.

Close up of plates.  Sterling is Lunt and I purchased it from a friend of my aunt's for a steal!  Don't know the pattern name, but she made me promise to use it.  She had received the set as a wedding gift years ago (from Miller & Rhoades) and never used it.  She passed away a few months after selling it to me.

Leaf glasses were purchased at Dollar Tree--perfect colors!  Crystal wine glasses and sherberts were my mother's, and are Heisey.  I'm not sure of the pattern.

Candlelight (harder to see the dust and fingerprints)

Almost done...

Bread and butter plates are actually dessert plates that you buy in those boxes.  Each one has a different type of wine written on it.  They also come in deep red for the red wines, but the color didn't work.

Now on to the home show tablescapes!!  The first one was a Christmas tablescape, designed by Accent Draperys.

Wow!  So beautiful with all the glitz!  The designer is Karen Hardy.  Her website is www.accentdraperys.com.

So much here to see, gorgeous candles and ornaments surround a beautiful centerpiece.  Adorned napkins on each place setting, and lovely crystal stems.

Adorable, and look at this swagged tablecloth!  Great job, Karen!!

The next tablescape is for fall and Thanksgiving, but could easily be transitioned for a romantic Christmas dinner party.

This tablescape was designed by Jay Downey of Citadel Interiors.  Jay spent an enormous amount of time preparing his design.  He painted all of the pumpkins, and hand-wired all those gorgeous gold oak leaves to the branches!  Amazing! (that red striped thing in the pic is the arm of my glasses, sorry)

Jay's design had an air of simple elegance.  He has been collecting the plates and glasses for some time.  He used glass platters as chargers, adding to the drama of his setting.  Wow!!  Great job, Jay!!  Drop him a line at citadelinteriors@yahoo.com.

Close up of the plates..love the leaf design!  So elegant!  The glasses, candleholders, and chargers look like ice on the table!  I also have pics of Jay's wreaths he designed, but I can't figure out how to rotate the pictures on the blog.  If you want to see them, let me know and I'll email them to you.  They are amazing!

The next tablescape is from Rivers' Edge Interiors.  This is also an elegant Christmas setting, with a twist!

I love the use of non-traditional colors, the green with the pink.  Isn't this amazing?

The designer, Beverly Rivers, combined the old with the new.  Gorgeous napkin rings and personalized gifts add drama to the place setting.  I just love all the different glasses used!

My favorite part of this tablescape is the centerpiece.  How creative!  She used these twig branches that have battery-operated lights, which were for sale (of course, I had to buy them).  I also loved the addition of the animal print ribbon.  Very cool...

Beautiful tablescape, Beverly!  Take a minute to visit Beverly's website:  www.riversedgeinteriors.com. 

The teams at Feathernesters and Monticello Designs teamed up to give us the next beautiful tablescape.

The arrangement of fall plants, white pumpkins, gourds, corn, etc. give such a fun feel to this table setting.

I again loved the combination of old with new, and loved the positioning of the flatware on the plate with the napkin!  Beautiful green and brown stems add to the autumn feel...

I love the use of different containers for flowers and arrangements.  I'm sure Kimberly Garrett at Monticello Designs could hook us up with some of these interesting items.  Her web site is www.monticelloshop.com.

Visit designer Tony Turner's website at www.feathernesters.com.  Gorgeous and inviting table, guys!  Great job!

And last but not least, a glitzy New Year's Eve vignette by David Allan Ballas Interior Design.

 

Lots of glitz and glamour, straight from an old Hollywood movie!

Wow, I'm ready for a glass of champagne!  I love the beautiful silver tray!

Visit David's website at www.davidballas.com.  Great job, David, we're ready to celebrate!!

Thanks to all the great designers and their wonderful designs! 

Please leave a comment, as I strive for a Perfect Setting!!