A View of Versailles

I've spoken of my special friend, Gude, before. She is the beloved Oma (Grandma) to two of my granddaughters, and she visits from southern France a few times a year, much to the delight of the entire family. She is very kind, and often will come to the house bearing gifts to help me with my tablescaping hobby! This time it took two visits to bring an ensemble she had chosen for me. It consisted of an exquisite tablecloth and the napkins that matched. She had to carry one piece of the ensemble at a time because the material was so heavy together it made international flight travel extremely difficult! I have been so excited to plan this new table using these elegant components. As she explained, the vendor from whom she purchased my gift explained that the pattern of the cloth depicts a section of a ceiling at the palace of Versailles in France (the well know elaborate residence of King Louis XIV).  I hope the table I constructed lives up to the reputation of this lavish residence!

Here's The Table I Created:
(Explanation:  I had completed the first table with white candles, and after photographing the table decided I needed a little extra pizazz! So, I went hunting for gold candles. I found them at World Market, but when I got them home and tried to take the wrapping off of them, the gold layer peeled right off two of the candles!  So, I had to eliminate two of the candlesticks in my re-do of my table!)

Here's How The Table Was Created:


I started, of course, with my beautiful new tablecloth. I really feel this cloth is so much prettier in person. The muted gray background is perfect to highlight the gold threaded design. The pattern is actually quite intricate. It truly is a piece of art.

I decided to accentuate the gold in the pattern, so my dish stack started with one of the new gold chargers I got recently at HomeGoods. I use these mainly with my Christmas dishes, but my old ones really showed their age last Christmas, so it was time to start replacing them.

While in HomeGoods getting the chargers, I was thrilled to find the exact plates to go with my new tablecloth. They are Lenox porcelain dishes with the pattern name of  Largo . They are a perfect soft dove gray color with a basket weave pattern around the border. I absolutely love the look and feel of these dishes. I haven't really embraced the design frenzy for gray in recent times, but these dishes definitely called my name out in the store, and when I partnered them with my new tablecloth and napkins, I was elated.

I felt I wanted an elegant table, with gold and crystal accents. So, I added a cut glass salad plate as my next layer. I found this little plate at a church parking lot sale. I love its hexagon shape and fairly elaborate cut glass design.

I then added a favorite sherbet dish gifted to my husband and me at our wedding.

I completed my place setting with my beautiful matching napkins (they are a generous 20" by 20" size!); some spectacular gold and pearl napkins rings given to me for my birthday by my friend and neighbor, MaryBeth; my gold-plated flatware on loan from my supportive cousin, Karen; my Waterford crystal Celebration flutes; and, my Rogeska Gallia wine glasses.

For my centerpiece I wanted to highlight a porcelain music box that had belonged to my precious late mother-in-law.  I felt the elegance of it, as well as its muted colors would coordinate well with this table. Since it is not a high-standing object, I placed it atop of a crystal bowl to give the table some height. I flanked the statue with two sets of crystal candleholders, also gifted to us at our wedding by special friends. (N.B.  You'll note there are once again two separate picture of the centerpiece: before and after gold candles were purchased: any comments on which centerpiece works better?)

I completed my Versailles table with my grandmother's cut crystal serving dish and a cut glass bowl (absolutely love the elaborate cut class pattern on this bowl), a hand-me-down from an aunt of mine. Thanks, Aunt Toshi! I also sprinkled some glass scatter pieces around the table to add a bit of shine and sparkle.

This particular post was a true labor of love. I wanted so badly to show my gratitude to Gude for her kindness and generosity in gifting me with this unique and lovely tablecloth set.  I hope Louis XIV would approve!

I'll be linking up to Susan at www.betweennapsontheporch.net for Tablescape Thursday,
as well as Christine at www.rustic-refined.com for her link party,  Dishing It! and Digging It!.
Please be sure and take a look at these wonderful blogs. Thank you, Ladies, for your efforts in hosting these fun parties!

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