Hey there, table lovers! If you caught my Tablecloth for All Seasons post, you know I set two tables during my weekend escape to Bradley Acres—a dreamy slice of heaven tucked in a valley hugged by the Appalachian Mountains. This isn’t just any spot; it’s my great-grandparents’ old stomping grounds, renamed by my dad when he spruced up the farmhouse. Papa (pronounced paw-paw) held court up the hill, Gigi reigned next door—never divorced, just living apart with a shared party line (Google it, kids!). Summer days meant creek-splashing, trail-roaming, or hammock-lounging with a book. It’s still home, even with my fab digs elsewhere. I’m lucky I can sneak back—screw that “you can’t go home again” nonsense.
Today, I’m spilling the beans on table two from my Bradley Acres weekend—and trust me, it’s a wild, glorious ride of color and pattern chaos that somehow stumbled into springtime gold. Purple Bunnies? Tablescape detours? Honey, they’re my signature move—I could teach a masterclass in veering off-script. Picture this: a crisp March morning, the sun barely peeking over the through the trees of the back yard, my trusty half-and-half tea steaming in hand (because coffee’s just not my drink of choice, right?). The table in the Dish Room? A war zone of yellow and green treasures—plates, napkins, random thrift store finds—all screaming to star in my St. Patrick’s Day table.
I was knee-deep in shamrock scheming, chasing that leprechaun-approved vibe, when I dumped the whole hot mess pile out like a mad scientist mid-experiment. But plot twist: there was one stack not feeling the St. Paddy’s memo. Nope, that stack started whispering sweet nothings—okay, more like shouting demands—begging to ditch the clover clichés and become its own fabulous beast. Chaos? Oh, absolutely. Gorgeous? You better believe it. I just leaned into the madness—when the table talks, I don’t argue, I RSVP yes!
I’m not usually Team Yellow—shocker, I know—but this tablecloth and stack combo had me at hello. It’s why I’m calling this one “Where Color and Pattern Gather”—it’s like they crashed into each other, threw a party, and I just showed up as an uninvited guest. What a party crasher? Sometimes inspiration’s a double whammy, and I’m here for it!
The Inspiration…
Or in this case, let’s call it like it is, a happy accident? I’d been rummaging through my stash, fueled by a vague leprechaun vision, when this yellow tablecloth from Target—soft as butter, striped like a sunny field, the perfect ruffles to dance in the breeeze—caught my eye. I was a goner!
Confession: This is a tablecloth for a rectangle table and I used it on a circle table. I have a few tricks for making a rectangle tablecloth fit on a circle, but I forgot to take pics. I’ll add that to my list of things to post because I didn’t even think to take pics of my process and I’m trying to keep my word count under 2000.
Pair it with those Raphael by Gien plates? Game over. I’d nabbed those at an estate sale in Fairhope, Alabama. We made a detour on our way home from Biloxi one weekend, yes, will travel out of the way for dishes! I was blissfully unaware Gien was French tablescaping royalty until Google schooled me later. Their yellow, green, and blue borders sang to me, a chorus of “we’re meant to be!” I’ve since learned they ran from 1999-2011—vintage enough to feel special, new enough to feel fresh.
If only I could snag those salad plates at estate sale prices—because, wow, they’re next-level fabulous.
Here’s the kicker: accidentally spinning a new table idea while chasing another one? Not rare for me. It’s basically my superpower—tablescaping ADD, and I’m owning it!
Select a Color Palette…
Since I was already on a green-and-yellow hunt, I had two colors locked and loaded. A peek at the plates screamed “blue” for the third—my fave color, so no arm-twisting needed! Three’s my jam (as explained in this post), and this trio was ready to rock.
Choosing a palette is like picking your squad—you need players who vibe together but bring their own flair. Green grounded it, yellow sparked joy, and blue added that cool, calming depth I can’t resist. Most days, I cap it at three colors—more than that, and it’s a circus, not a tablescape—but sometimes I sneak in an extra hue or two or three just to keep things spicy! Want to try this at home? Grab a favorite piece (plate, fabric, whatever), pull its dominant hues, and build from there. If your favorite piece only has one color, then use the trusty color wheel to find colors that will work. (Remind me I need to do a blog post on Color Theory and all that! Actually, that might need two posts!)
Make It All About the Patterns…
Patterns are my playground, and I always go for the trifecta:
- Large Scale Pattern: Yellow striped tablecloth… check!
- Small Scale Pattern: That dainty border on the Raphael plate… check!
That left me hunting a medium-scale print to tie it together—bigger than the small, smaller than the large, you know the drill. I raided my napkin closet and struck gold with these Belk beauties. Blue and green? Check. Medium scale? Double check. Too bad they’re discontinued—I’d hoard more in a heartbeat. Sometimes it clicks faster than a roller coaster drop; other times, it’s slower than a slug race. This one? Lightning speed!
Pattern mixing is my love language—think of it like a recipe: one bold, one subtle, one in-between. The tablecloth’s wide stripes set the stage, the plate borders whispered elegance, and those napkins? They danced right in the middle with their floral swirls. I’ve got a napkin obsession—a closet stuffed with finds from estate sales, thrift shops, and that one time I impulse-bought a stack at Belk because they screamed “Melissa!” Discontinued or not, they’re my MVPs. Pro tip: start with your boldest pattern, then layer in contrasts. If it feels like a fight, swap something out—harmony’s the goal, not a cage match.
Pick Your Stack…
The Raphael dinner plates were my anchor, so I just needed the rest of the crew. I grabbed my trusty cabbage chargers—green’s in play, so Bordallo Pinheiro’s my go-to—but these oversized plates hid most of the cabbage glory. Swap time! The lemon leaf chargers peeked out with their pointy tips, adding just the right sass.
For salads, I really wanted to add blue but all the blues I chose overwhelmed the stack. I didn’t have any lighter blue that would tie in the napkins. Pivot! Pivot! (Did you say that in a Ross voice?) Next up, my yellow cabbage luncheon plates—often mislabeled as salads on resell sites, but let’s be real, salads are smaller and round, luncheons are scalloped and sassy.
Problem? I needed six settings for Blairsville, and I only had four luncheons. Enter my BP yellow fruit plates—six in the stash, crisis averted!
Could’ve stopped there, but I’d been itching to flaunt these Fitz & Floyd Cabbage Leaf canape plates—technically Vegetable Garden is the pattern, but who’s checking? They hopped on the stack, because why not?
Building a stack is like assembling a puzzle—every piece has to fit, but I love the chaos of figuring it out. Those lemon leaf chargers? I snagged them at a estate sale, you can read that story here. The yellow cabbage luncheons are an eBay find. I have a search saved for Bordallo Pinheiro and it notifies me of new listings. I often say, well those are nice, but I’ll pass because the amount of gold some sellers want. Granted I did fork out a nice chunk of gold for my blue cabbage plates but we’ll just leave it at that! Let’s just say blue is a rare find in the BP world. Now you can go to Dillard’s and buy a blue cabbage from Southern Living that is fabulous all in and of itself. The yellow fruit salads will just have to work until I add more yellow cabbage from BP to my collection. Finally, the Fitz and Floyd plates with the delicate ruffle edge, perfect way to top off the stack! Each layer’s a story, a little victory in the hunt. Want to stack like a pro? Mix shapes, not just colors—round, square, scalloped—keeps it lively!
Select the Linens…
Napkins were set, so it was napkin ring o’clock. I snagged these funky yellow acrylic squares—estate sale steal!—and loved the modern zing they brought to the traditional embroidered napkins. It’s like pairing a chunky neon choker with a vintage gown—unexpected and fabulous when it works.
Those rings were hiding in a box labeled “miscellaneous junk”—best $2 I’ve ever spent. They’re bold, geometric, and scream “look at me!” against the napkins’ soft swirls. Linens are the unsung heroes—napkins tie the palette, rings add personality. My trick? Hunt estate sales late in the day—sellers slash prices, and you score weird, wonderful stuff. One estate sale company lets you fill a bag for $10 at the end of the sale. Would you believe these BP candlesticks and these were stuffed in a bag along with napkins and two tablecloths? Hmmmm, maybe I shouldn’t share all of my estate sale secrets.
Time for the Glassware & Flatware…
Glassware was a shuffle—I tried a few combos but landed on Bormioli Rocco’s Bahia pattern, which you may have seen on my Vintage Waverly Tablescape, using both the water and champagne glasses. Me, not mixing patterns? Wild, right?
Flatware was a no-brainer: my Oneida Chandelier stainless—peacock vibes and all. Spotted it on Insta, hunted it down a service for 8 on eBay, and I’d wrestle a bear for more. That handle’s a party in itself!
Centerpiece Magic…
Spring was in full swing at Bradley Acres—daffodils and forsythia practically begging to be picked. I even scored permission to snip a few daffodils, a rare VIP pass. Flashback to 8-year-old cousins, Melissa and Cydney, sneaking down to Bradley Acres from Gigi’s family shindig, scissors in hand, zero restraint. Our mission? A “bouquet” for Gigi—aka decapitating every daffodil in sight. And I mean every one—that glorious yellow carpet along the driveway to the house? Buzz-cut city, courtesy of two precocious 8-year-olds. Oops—flower jail for life! At least where daffodils were concerned.
Pro tip: a frog, tape, or chicken wire keeps stems in line. I used this At home with Southern Living vase (I remember going to a couple of “parties” where they had all the goodies to buy like at a Tupperware party)—yep, estate sale find—with a built-in frog lid. It’s like floral training wheels—works like a charm! Real blooms are my jam, and with my local grower subscription kicking off next week (shoutout to From Seed to Petal in Walton/Gwinnett County, Georgia—gorgeous stuff!), I’m pumped for what’s coming. I’m even planning a table inspired by whatever bouquet arrives! That should be fun!
Fun fact: someone asked about my real vs. permanent botanicals ratio. Math teacher mode activated!
For 2024 tables:
- Real florals only—29%
- Permanent botanicals only—28%
- Mix of both—36%
- No florals at all—7% (looking at you, Christmas and ocean tables)
The Final Touches…
I stepped back, running my mental checklist: functional? Check. Height? Check. Pattern scales? Check. Colors in three spots? Wait—blue was only in the plates and napkins! Panic mode! My third blue was chilling in the basket—those Bahia glasses. I’d grabbed yellow and green ones from the Tablecloth for All Seasons table since they overlapped. It worked, so I snapped pics anyway—rebel move!
Then I swapped in the blue glassware, and boom—way better. Rule of 3 restored!
Capture the Look…
With the glassware fixed, it was photo time—well, more photo time, since I’d already clicked away with the wrong glasses. (They weren’t that bad, They did work!) Here’s the Rule of 3-approved final cut—springtime whimsy in full bloom!
From My Table to Yours,
Melissa
