Seaside Dining

Okay, so the way I saw it, I could set a table with paper plates and a peanut butter sandwich and this would be the most beautiful table I’ve ever set!

We were visiting our dear friends, Ruta and George, as their gorgeous home in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. It was our last day . . .Ruta and I were enjoying yet another beautiful sunrise when I had this thought!

I explained to Ruta about Tablescape Thursdays—how she had missed it, I don’t know—and asked if I could set her table and take pics for this Thursday’s offering. She was game and we immediately started digging through her beautiful dishes, linens, crystal and silverware.

Here’s what we decided on:

This was one centerpiece that didn’t make the cut.

Another attempt at a center serving piece, but we didn’t like the three inverted hi-ball glasses.

Then we tried the shell plate, but it was too predictable and not stable enough to actually serve food. (I try to be practical with my table settings—even if they’re just for show!)

Then it came to me—invert the casserole dish from pic one, set the Deruta Pottery platter on top of IT! Viola!

We filled the platter with cheeses, sausages and fruit; added a couple bottles of wine and lamented that is was only 9 A.M. ( I doubt even Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett could justify that one! Okay, maybe Jimmy Buffett . . .)

Being a beach house, there was plenty of palm tree plates and dishes made of shells (which Ruta has purchased at Hodgepodge—should have thought of the self-promoting opportunity), but I wanted the set a fall table.

Ruta had those great leaf-shaped sandwich plates, the maize yellow quilted placemats and the gorgeous amber stemware—so it was easy to pull together.

But really, how wrong could I go with this view?!?

I’ll give the details of the setting below. One last beautiful shot . . .

Woven Placemats (the very first layer on the table) are from Pottery Barn.

The quilted placemats were purchased at Williams-Sonoma.

The napkins were purchased at the big box store which shall remain nameless. (Don’t worry, Ruta and I can work through this breach of friendship.)

The beautiful silverplate flatware once belonged to George’s mother.

The white dinner plates are from a discount store—she couldn’t remember which one.

The leaf plates were also found at the big box store which shall remain nameless.

The platter is from Deruta Pottery—a gift from our mutual friend, Trish.

The casserole is from Skyros Designs—Pure Imagination.

The tumblers (which I loved) were ALSO found at the big box store which shall remain nameless.

And finally—my favorite things on the table (aside from the bleu cheese brie) were the wine glasses which Ruta was fortunate to claim from George’s Mom.

There you have it—the “can’t fail” table setting.

Be sure to visit Between Naps on the Porch for all of this week’s offerings--

Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for your indulgence,