One woman's foray into cooking for herself, for her family, and for her friends. It's not always picture-perfect, sometimes a little messy,
but it's always delicious. Join me in exploring new recipes, savoring the "résultats" and learning from the "erreurs".



Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Tablescape Thursday - Dark & White Chocolate


This week, I needed some chocolate.  A little added stress - a little more than usual.  So, I needed chocolate.  Chocolate heals all wounds, right?  Or a lot of them, anyway... Which inspired my tablescape this week.  I love the warmth of chocolate brown.  And I love the contrast of the deep brown with the pristine white.

The centerpiece consists of an aging pair of bookends (I love the pineapples on top of them, a symbol of welcoming) and a pair of candlesticks.  The votives inside are surrounded by coffee beans.  The aroma is amazing as they light the table.







No deep brown plates, so I put a chocolate-y round placemat under each placesetting, mimicking a charger.






This tablesetting also gave me another opportunity to bring out some more afghans (the white one is a rerun - I used it in my last Tablescape).





And to evoke even more coziness, I made some orange & clove pomanders.  It's the first time I've ever made them, but I fell in love with this little craft.  The scent is amazing.  (Can you figure out what the one on the bottom left says?)



Candlesticks:  Southern Living at Home
Bookends, tablecloth, placemats:  Tuesday Morning
Dinner dishes:  Sur La Table
Bowls:  Macy's
Flatware:  Pottery Barn
Glassware: Williams-Sonoma
Napkins:  Ralph Lauren

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Thank you for sharing another Tablescape Thursday with me!  And thanks again to our wonderful host, Susan, of Between Naps on the Porch.  Please visit her site for more tablescapes to experience wonderful inspiration and awe-inspiring artistic talent!


24 comments:

food with style said...

omg do i love love love this! favorite colors and shapes~ off to add you to fws right now!

Mari @ Once Upon a Plate said...

Lori, I beg you to adopt me now. ((big grin!))

This is soo beautiful, Keeping in mind, of course that I have never seen a table of yours that I haven't fallen in love with.

I've made orange & clove pomanders for quite a while, but NONE compare to yours... look at the variety, and that fleur de lis just blows me away!

Your afghans *sigh* and that color theme... I love it all. Thank you for treating us to such a beautiful retreat. I love it ALL!

Tell that stress to go away and find another home.
((hugs))

Unknown said...

I love your table, the colors are just wonderful. Very unique! Great job. thanks for sharing.
Sandy

Kathleen said...

Very calming, Lori..and who doesn't love chocolate..
The pomanders remind me of my child hood..love the aroma..
Merry Christmas!

Martha said...

A great table and I love that pop of orange. I do pomanders every year but yours are so much more clever than mine. It's fun to do! And yes, the smell is amazing!

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I love this table....brown and white is so perfect. Chocolate says it all!

vignette design said...

Brown and white, what could be better. Original post. So refreshing to see. --Delores

Anonymous said...

What a great tablescape. I love the use of a round placemat in lieu of a brown plate. Very lovely.

Sheila

Kammy said...

Very pretty and O so warm !
Kammy

Linda said...

Just lovely Lori...
I make pomanders every year but yours are really spectacular...very creative and warm...makes me want to come and sit at your table right now and wrap myself up in one of your beautiful afghans!
L~xo

podso said...

Wow, between the coffee beans (what a great idea) and the orange/cloves, plus the food, the senses were really pleased around your table! I love the pictures on your side bar, particularly that spectacular rose.

BTW, the "gardener" on my blog is my best friend, my husband!

sarah { abeachcottage } said...

love the orange and cloves, and I just bought some cloves yesterday...

Sarah

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

Your table not only looks beautiful -- I bet it smells devine! I love the orange and cloves -- I've seen them on several blogs -- hummmmm --- I'm thinking this might just be in my near future. Thanks for the idea.

Fresh Local and Best said...

Lori, I admire your sense of style. It's a beautiful place to sit and be in nirvana. The design on the cloves are elegant and intriguing.

Janean said...

you had me at the word "chocolate!" but who would have thought to make art out of clove-studded oranges???? WOW. it's all beautiful and classy.

Anonymous said...

The coffee beans in the candle holders is a dynamite idea! Everything is sooo pretty. Love the oranges too. Rosie

Karen at Nittany Inspirations said...

Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment, otherwise I would have missed your great posts. I've added you as a favorite. You have a beautiful blog. I love your chocolate tablescape, your ice blue tablescape and all your recipes. Happy holidays.

Bab's Kitchen said...

Its very elegant. I Love Southern Living at Home.

Liz of Wool Boutique said...

How amazing, you are two blogs away from mine on the Next Blog feature and i was amazed to see that you're featuring Orange pomanders too. I especially love your Fleur de Lis design.

Your blog is great!

Rettabug said...

It says "All that Splatters"!!! I had to look twice to read it, Lori....very cute idea & a very special tablescape from beginning to end. So warm & welcoming & well done! :D

Nouveau Stitch said...

Oh, love the table! I agree, chocolate indeed solves all problems! Great tablescape.

Thanks for stopping by Nouveau Stitch.

Ry @ Sotto Il Monte Vineyards said...

Just lovely Lori. I love the pop of orange with the brown. Pretty glasses.
Merry Christmas to you!

Unknown said...

This is my first visit but I will certainly be back! Your chocolate tablescape is yummy. I think I will do some oranges like your today. Using the bookends on your table is so creative.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment.

Have a Blessed Christmas.

Charla

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