Deep Greens and Blues are the Colors I Choose…

That line from James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James” fits me to a tee! The song has my name in it and mentions my favorite colors – deep greens and blues. Aqua, cerulean, jade, emerald, sea, turquoise, cobalt, navy, robin’s egg, grass, spring…  the shades and tints go on infinitum.



Mixing the green with its parental blue is a natural choice for any setting. I tend to collect linens, dinnerware, stemware and other tablescape items in these various shades for mixing and matching. These colors are seasonally delightful throughout the year, especially this time of year with hydrangeas blooming in batches of French blue, bluish lavender, and lapis.

 

Dear friends were moving from here to another town and Mother’s Day was here too; so, I combined a going away dinner and Mother’s Day supper - all set with deep greens and blues.

 

A tonal taupe damask tablecloth set the neutral mood for the tablescape. A bowl full of Nikko Blue hydrangeas mounded from a lavender-blue bowl. I used dishes in the same shades mixed with traditional Blue Willow to create the shades of blue I love. Linens from The Plantation Shop on Amelia Island boast the blues I was using. I like to pick up linens on my travels since they are easy to pack and bring home and The Plantation Shop is just one of favorite haunts in general. From antiques to dinnerware to lamps and books – the store has it all.

 

Antiqued mirror chargers denoted each place setting and melded with the large mirror dominating one wall in my dining room. When mixing and matching tablescapes, I like to use continual elements to give a note of balance. Linens, flatware, chargers, and goblets in this case add continuity to the tableau and the “every other” place settings add rhythm. Plus, when I do not have a complete set of this, that or the other, then a mix is just too much fun.

As for the greens, my stalwarts of the house are my antique French mutton leg dining chairs. The original green velvet is luscious and is neutral to my décor – I use them all over the house on either side of my entry chest, in my study, and to pull up at seating areas. My antique Depression glass goblets are another neutral green for my home. They go with just about any setting I have and I love that particular shade of glass green. Leaves from the hydrangeas poke from the fluffy blue blossoms too, nodding to nature’s neutral as well.

 

We all sat at the set table and reveled in the glories that are our mothers, told many a fun story, and toasted to our friends’  new adventure in another town. Grilled squash, chicken and steak shish kebobs, roasted onions with Brussels sprouts and okra, wilted green salad, pineapple blueberry upside down cake – a feast for my friends and family. I even used a Blue Willow bowl for my salt mix to flavor the grilled items. Sea salt, cracked black pepper, Nature’s Seasoning, and some white pepper too bring out the best of the grilled meats and veggies. I nor my family are never too stuffed for dessert and the upside down cake with berries and pineapple…. Strawberries and blueberries reduced with sugar and vanilla and then some pineapple and brown sugar – what a combo! The perfect blue ending to a charming evening.