Well, actually, it is a green table with a good deal of white too. This is a table I set last week for a dinner we hosted for our beloved Olivia who is moving back to Boulder to be with her family. We wanted it to reflect her time at Watson Kennedy, as well as in Seattle, so an all-green, well mostly all green table it would be. The color green plays a very big part of certain displays at WK, and I knew Olivia would pick up on it right away–and she did. It was the first thing she mentioned when she saw the table.

This was also a week night dinner, so I really had to plan ahead and get many things done in advance. The point I want to make in this post is that mixing & matching is what it was all about. I often hear from customers that they are nervous about having folks for dinner because they don’t have full sets of certain things to set a table. My advice–never let that stop you. We had 7 people at the dinner, but we only had 5 of the green cabbage plates. I used 2 other plates on the ends of the table with a green border and a white middle. I also mixed the glassware up a bit, as I was trying to set a casual French bistro-style table, and some of our green glassware has broken over the years. The point I really want to stress is not to stress if everything does not match. I actually think it makes the table more interesting. We always mix & match chairs, as well, as I really like the eclectic feel it adds to the table and to the room. I found these great melons at the grocer that morning, and they just seemed too perfect not to add. A scattering of green glassybaby would add hits of color and light to the table.

We use white butcher paper at the shops to wrap fragile goods in, so I thought it would be fun to use that as a runner on the table. It also gives it that French bistro feel we were going for. Sort of like sitting outside in Paris.

I always like to add a vintage object to the table. This French Zig-Zag would work, and we also sell new versions at Watson Kennedy, so it tied together many elements of the table and of the dinner. The French napkins also have a Zig-Zag woven into the design.

White peonies for the middle of the table in a vintage McCoy green vase would be nice and low, and bring more white to the table. The peonies this time of the year make me want to weep, they are so good.

Just a few finishing touches, and the table would be set. Tomorrow I will show you the table all lit up, and share with you the menu. It was a very special night.