Good morning!
I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing holiday season and that you are beginning the new year with hopeful hearts and a clean slate with “no mistakes yet”, as Anne Shirley would say.
Today I am sharing a winter tablescape because, well, it’s winter here in Calgary. And will be for several more months. Unmistakably. Here is a photo of Fox sitting on the couch by the living room window intermittently watching for birds and squirrels. The sky is blue, and the sun is shining on a cover of new snow. Okay, you can’t really see the blue sky from the way the blinds are angled, but it was blue and it sounds picturesque right? Perhaps, but don’t be deceived as it was actually -25 degrees the day I took this picture. Brrr. This cold snap went on for weeks and gives new meaning to the phrase “Baby its cold outside”. Thankfully, a Chinook rolled in last weekend, with temps now much more moderate for which I am eternally grateful.
A winter tablescape was called for. In neutral colors, as befitting the snow and bare trees outside. The table began with Pier 1’s Snow Forest plates. These plates first came out in 2017 if I remember correctly, and there were several iterations in subsequent years but I think these trees were the initial offerings.
The scene on both the dinner plate and the salad plate is similar – dark brown mottled birch trees in snow the color of pale silvery white with a greigy overtone. Sorry, that’s about as best I can describe them, and my description does not do them justice.
Here is the dinner plate and salad plate side by side. The trees are actually have a glossy glaze and against the matte snow background they have a pretty shimmer in the right light. But it was difficult to capture it on camera. Otherwise, there is a certain starkness to them that just says winter.
You might be able to see a hint of the shimmery glaze in this picture, especially around the edge of the dinner plate.
Sorry guys. I accidentally deleted some pictures here – note to self: Do not delete pictures from your media library to try and free up some computer memory – even if they are duplicates (which is what I did) because it will delete all copies of the photo.
I placed the dinner and salad plates on ivory faux wood grain ceramic charger plates which were a gift this past Christmas. Here is the charger uncovered. These are hefty charger plates I must say, but the neutral color should go with many a Christmas or winter table. On this table, I wanted to add a warm tone from the ivory chargers to balance the greige and brown from the plates and the centerpiece.
For the rest of the place setting, I used plain flatware, a simple ivory napkin, and a pine cone napkin ring. Etched stemware seemed the best choice from what I had on hand; I love the sparkle of crystal, but I was going for a more rustic feel on this table. Nothing fancy here lol.
The center of the table started with two reindeer and a faux fur table runner – both from my stash but more recent purchases. The reindeer were found at a local grocery store and graced my Christmas dinner table last year. He’s such a handsome fellow.
Here is his mate – she is so sweet.
The berry garland was new from Crate and Barrel; I’d had my eye on it since it came out in November, but I was unwilling to pay full price for it. It went on sale after Christmas so I was glad I waited, especially since middle son and his sweet girlfriend gave me a C&B gift card for Christmas – how perfect was that? It added some more warmth with the ivory berries.
I added some real wood tea light holders, and supplemented them with some mercury votive holders. Antlers and pine cones finished the centerpiece.
Some different views of the table…
With the candles lit. Did I catch the blue hour here?
Given our long, cold, and snowy winters here in Calgary, these dishes can be used from the beginning of November through the end of February. As I start to think about creating new tablescapes with existing dishware, I think these plates would work for Christmas too; I would introduce a pop of red by simply tucking some red napkins under the flatware and adding some small red cardinals to the berry branch garland.
Happy January – I’ve heard that there have been some recent nasty storms both in eastern Canada and in the U.S. I hope everyone is staying warm, cozy, and safe wherever they are!
Resources:
Dinner and salad plates: old Pier 1 around four years ago; they are also available through Home Depot in sets now, I see – made by 222 Fifth.
Pine cone napkin rings: old Pier 1 several years ago
Charger plates and wine glasses: Williams Sonoma
Ivory berry garland: Crate and Barrel
Napkins: HomeSense
Table runner: Online – AliExpress
Wood tea light holders: Amazon
Sharing with Between Naps on the Porch and Friday with Friends link party
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This is so pretty and serene, Kim. I love neutrals in wintertime, and you have nailed it here. That furry runner is wonderful! I am also totally in love with the plates and candles. Perfect combination!
Thanks so much for your comments Pattie. Winter here can be a bit bleak and long – and I agree, the neutrals just seem natural and the plates will get lots of use. I’m sure looking forward to spring though! Hope you are staying warm and cozy where you are and thanks for visiting!
Kim, -25 seems unbearable to this Southern girl that thinks 22 degrees this morning is too cold. Your table is the perfect winter setting. I remember those Pier 1 plates and always loved them. I sure miss the Pier 1 stores. The reindeer nested among the berry garland and resting on the furry runner is beautiful. Every element on your table is winter perfection. Yes, you captured the blue hour wonderfully. Happy weekend and stay warm!
Pam, -25 is unbearable to me as well lol. Nothing works properly when its that cold and I’m outside as little as possible! January is a month I’d like to skip entirely if I could. I like the starkness of plates too and I get lots of opportunity to use them with our long winters here. Thanks so much for visiting and happy weekend to you too!
Kim, you make January tolerable with this very inviting and beautifully neutral tablescape! I love those dishes and do remember them from Pier1. Gorgeous charger plates you received as a Christmas gift, too! That runner, those deer, and pine cone rings make this the perfect winter table. Definitely versatile pieces.
I am in WV, and since Jan 7, we’ve been hit with 3 winter storms that have dumped lots of snow and ice (first rain). I am finished with winter, but apparently it’s not finished with us. Arctic blast is coming in the next few days. January has never been my favorite month, and it keeps reminding me why. But with a grateful heart, I must say, I really appreciate the beauty of blue skies against white snow….and a warm home. Stay cozy.
Oh my goodness Rita. I know, it seems like its been a crazy winter – the snow and cold are bad enough but the ice is the absolute worst! I was done with winter three weeks ago lol! I’ve never been to West Virginia but that old song “Country Roads” makes it sound so beautiful. So here’s to hoping the blue skies remain, the ice melts (and quickly, without shovels or ice picks), and that artic blast lands somewhere else! Thanks so much for visiting and its always lovely to hear how things are going (good or bad) in your neck of the woods. Stay warm and cozy yourself!
Kim, I love these kinds of table setting themes. It looks cozy and inviting with the fur runner. And those plates are wonderful! Love woodsy prints on dishes, wallpaper, linen etc.
Glad to hear things are warming up where you live!
Rachelle
hi Rachelle. Yes, the plates are great for our long snowy winters here – but they might not get as much mileage for my fellow tablescapers to the deep south lol. I smiled when Pam and Butch posted a pic of a daffodil blooming in January – I wish!! Thanks for your comments and for visiting and I hope you are having no crazy weather where you are! Take care!
Wonderful winter table Kim, and I’m crazy about your plates! They are so different and just perfect for winter months! I smiled when you mentioned Fox, your kitty…Fox is my grandson’s name {named after me, my maiden name} I love your fur table runner with berries, deer and candles…so magical at night! It’s even freezing in the South this week, brrr, I don’t like January weather, I will be hibernating! Oh I so miss shopping at Pier 1, it was always so full of temptations like those cute napkin rings! Stay warm and cozy…
Thanks Jenna! I know, January is the worst – at least we’re on the last half of it now. Yay!! But it seems like almost everyone is getting a taste of winter this year. I also really miss Pier 1 and their lovely temptations, and I haven’t found a good substitute store either. Thanks for visiting and I hope its not too cold down there – I was really surprised to hear that you got freezing temps sometimes. Take care and stay warm yourself!
Jenna, I realized as I was going through the comments that I forgot to say anything about Fox. Fox was rescued as a feral kitten and to this day she is very skittish around other people. She is a tortoiseshell cat and she looked like a little fox when she was a kitten which is how she got her name. But she is the best cat ever! So I was delighted to hear about a) you maiden name and b) that Fox is your grandson’s name. How absolutely cool is that?
What a beautiful table scape!! I am envious of homes with dining rooms! Maybe in my next life..and how adorable is Fox watching all the happenings outside! I hear you about the cold…here in PEI…we’ve had two huge back to back snow storms…followed by -27 windchills for a couple of days. Our niece lives in Calgary now. We visited Calgary, Banff, Canmore, Jasper and Edmonton when we vacationed three years ago…I could never tire of the mountains!
Oh my goodness Charlotte – didn’t I hear that some more nasty weather was coming your way? I see on the news that Quebec and Ontario took a beating today – yikes! Thanks for your lovely comments, and I hope you stay warm over there (and with full power too)! And yes, Fox thinks she is a guard cat lol.
Brrrrrrrr!!! But your table is beautiful and cozy with the soft fur and warm ivory berries. Love your deer too, especially in that golden candle glow. What a perfect place to warm up a cold day. Happy January my friend!
Thanks so much Barbara! Brrrr was right – oh my goodness, it was so cold, but a better now thankfully! I hope you are doing well and thank you for your comments! Happy January (its half over lol) to you too, my friend!