This week's table is inspired by cherry blossoms and the song "Concerning Past and Future Conquests" by Vandaveer. The song starts, "Cherry Blossoms, dancing in the wind, whistling a tune, same key I'm in." Doesn't that paint a lovely word picture?
Some trees have already started to flower here, but I don't have to wait until spring for cherry blossoms - my dining room walls and ceiling are always blooming! When we chose the paper for our dining room, we picked from Bradbury and Bradbury's Aesthetic Movement wallpapers. Our house was built in 1883, so this style is the correct period. Here is something about this paper from the Bradbury & Bradbury website:
"This combination of medieval quatrefoils and Japanesque cherry blossoms in the frieze points to the Aesthetic Movement as a unique 19th century fusion of East and West. The ceiling pattern depicts the classical Japanese motif of cherry blossoms falling on cracked ice, and is surrounded by a border of heraldic crests and corner blocks of stylized Eastlake flowerpots.
Gilded brocade panels of darting sparrows anchor the ceiling border to the cornice, held in place by gilded ribbons. The desire to surround one's self with things Japanese can hardly be underestimated in American interiors in the late 1870s and 1880s, when an appreciation of Japanese decorative design was considered the basic indicator of refined taste."
Here is a close-up of the wall. See the cherry blossoms? This paper has so much metallic gold in it, it makes it hard to photograph, but I love the way it looks in person.
Here are some close-ups of the ceiling paper which depicts cherry blossoms falling on the cracked ice.
For my Cherry Blossom table, I started with a white tablecloth and added a Cherry Tree made of jade or shells that I found in this house when we bought it. Then I added some faux branches from Target. To be honest, the tag said apple blossoms, but they look like cherry blossoms to me!
I used Royal Doulton Canton which has the Japanese Aesthetic quality and flowering branches around the border. I added gold chargers, pink napkins with gold napkin rings and gold rimmed stemware.
I had lots of trouble photographing this table - the light just wouldn't cooperate! Here are some shots of the room and the table.
I will be sharing my Cherry Blossom table with
Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.
Be sure and visit both sites for more wonderful tables!
