It’s the time of year when fine dining marks the celebrations. In keeping, I am celebrating dining tables this week and showing how they help set the tone for the holiday celebrations. I am familiar with this topic; in my personal domestic setting, the table demands the same level of attention as the menu and preparing the meal.
The opening shot is a detail of this Boca Raton dining room, and you will see clues to the Florida setting in the foliage outside the window. The coffered ceiling, geometric rug, and elegant chairs set the formality of the room. The silver accents in the table setting captures the formality and echoes the lustrous silver of the wall coverings, drapes, and chair upholstery.
The Victorians could overdo anything, especially table settings. The homeowner of this historic Victorian-era cottage in Healdsburg, California furnished and equipped it with everything to the period of the home. In an interesting exercise, she had me try to guess the function of her collection of silver pieces. I was stumped: oyster tongs, slotted versus solid serving spoons, fish forks, and no one simple solution for serving up desserts. There is a lot of knowledge that went into being a proper Victorian.
Ahh, a change of pace to the ease and simplicity of modernism as executed by AMB Design (Anne-Marie Barton). The table needs no linens, the smooth lines of the tableware are Asian in influence, and one is reminded that less can indeed be more.
With the snow flurrying outside when I made the photos, this dining room designed by K Rocke Design (Kristen Rocke) seemed to me to be created with holiday dining in mind. The kitchen is set far enough away to remove dining from the clatter of food preparation (and the sight of dirty dishes). The spacious kitchen counter is a perfect place for an appetizer while conversing with the cook. A favorite feature for me is a fireplace by the dining table, and this fireplace separates the living room where others can enjoy appetizers while watching the game.
Changing gears again, this table for ten set on a patio overlooking the beach and sea in Southern California (design by Karen Butera Interior Design) reminds us of the dining alternatives available in warm and mild climates. The tableware reflects the blue of the sea, and the design carries a Balinese inspiration.
Big, bigger, biggest describes the dining options in the Salt Lake City Skaggs mansion (design by Cody Beale). The first informal and interesting room seats four to six for a meal set in unexpected combinations of bright harmonious color. The second table seats ten and promises a late evening meal of foods as fragrantly rich as the colors of the room and conversations ranging from lofty intellectual heights to deeply held secrets. The final table for 12 – 14 on a covered patio grandly overlooking the Salt Lake Valley and the peaks of the Wasatch is certain to inspire gratitude and a celebration of being alive in such a beautiful place.
Finally, I feature two tabletops that remind us that Thanksgiving is in many ways a celebration of the harvest and the abundance surrounding us. Brad Mee photo styled the first for Utah Style and Design, and interior designer Don Brady styled the second, set in the courtyard of a French-styled chateau.
However you choose to celebrate and wherever your travels take you, I send my best wishes for a wonderful day.
All photos by Scot Zimmerman
Dress your table with handmade place cards, we have DIY inspiration here.
