The first official day of spring is not until March 20, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start getting ready! This year, I have found myself more excited than ever to change seasons. Fresh flowers, light and bright recipes, and plenty of color are all ways I try to embrace the arrival of springtime. And not to mention, who doesn’t love a couple of extra hours of daylight?
I wanted to share something today that will hopefully inspire us all and provide beautiful ideas for spring entertaining to come! This tablescape was published in Southern Lady’s March/April 2018 issue. It is a feature that I can hardly flip past without stopping in awe of all of the gorgeous colors and little details!
Continue reading below for the full excerpt from this issue.
Styling by Tracey MacMillan Runnion
With the soft, dreamy feel of an Impressionist masterpiece, this tableau blooms with telltale signs of spring. A hand-blocked tablecloth in a pattern of coral stripes and roses imparts vibrant warmth under the towering trees of northern Georgia’s magnificent Gibbs Gardens. Small bouquets of Dutch irises, spray roses, azaleas, tulips, and blossoms from nearby dogwoods are tucked inside milk-white vases that line the table, mingling with amber glasses and fresh citrus. Golden butterflies flit across Herend’s Queen Victoria china as if ready to explore their beautiful environs. The butterflies’ joyful jaunt continues on salt and pepper shakers as well as a sugar bowl and creamer, completing the real-life work of art.
Styling by Tracey MacMillan Runnion
Styling by Tracey MacMillan Runnion
As surely as daffodils emerge from slumber to herald spring’s glorious arrival, dining alfresco will awaken the soul. There is nothing like a fresh carpet of grass underfoot and blooming trees above to feel resplendent and renewed. Whether it’s hobnailed milk glass brimming with azaleas, the sweet sentiment of “amour” etched in frilly script on stemware, or polished gold flatware glimmering in the sun, layering exquisite details adds to the reverie of a long-awaited season.
Comments 18
Hi Phyllis,
Your enchanting table, in the midst of a lovely garden, really adds to spring ‘s glory among the expectation of family and friends! Viewers can just imagine nature and floral scents’ adding to the joy of the occasion.
Beautifully presented, Phyllis!
There is something about a beautiful tablescape that takes my breath away! Such a wonderful way to use those cherished heirlooms from generations before us…like your hobnail milk glass or my Mom’s “Miss America” glass pieces…and add gorgeous flowers…amazing! Perfect table for Tea with Friends <3
Spring is different from the other seasons. I think Spring is a fresh new start—like Spring cleaning or daffodils poking through the soil. It’s Spring green, Easter egg pastels and the patio furniture uncovered and ready for entertaining. It’s a new beginning. A fresh start. New Life.
Here in Texas, we are in for a late freeze, and heard this will be bad for the peach crop.
That’s very sad!! A very unusual cold winter for us.
Everyone is ready for it to end.
I love the change of seasons.
Your pictures and magazines are always fun to see. Can’t wait for warmer weather!!
Thanks
So very pretty and I am so ready! 🙂 I admit that I feel a tad guilty about complaining about how cold it has been, because I live in CA, but, it HAS been a really cold winter for us and we have had a lot of rain, as well.
I was shopping today and I asked the clerk when the spring plants were coming in! I am READY! I always vow to not complain when it gets hot after such a cold winter, but alas, I will 🙂
BTW, for people who think that CA has two season, summer and getting ready for summer, it is just not true.
Thank you for the beautiful table scapes! Love them.
Here in Connecticut, the winters are long, cold, snowy, and blustery — about now, we are all longing for Spring! At its peak here, this beautiful season is an explosion of color and fragrance — so wonderful to see blooming trees and shrubs, lovely daffodils and hyacinths, and green, green grass after the drabness of winter. But there’s nothing that can compare to discovering the first tiny crocus, and especially, to the sight of the first robin, our Connecticut State Bird. When I spot the crocus and see a robin once again, I rejoice that Spring is at last on the wing!
Seeing the Spring flowers as they start to come up through the ground, especially hyacinth which reminds me of my dad who planted it in our yard and would bring in cuttings for Easter. I also love the first sunny days that are warm enough to take a stroll and sit in a park with just a light jacket or sweater. Spring also means one of my favorite restaurants will have Spring pea soup available.
My favorite thing about Spring is watching my yard come back to life. I love setting a Doring table and this one certainly provides a plethora of ideas and inspiration. The bright flowers in the milk glass are stunning. Such a wonderful, timely post.
So beautiful! I am one of those few who actually likes winter and all the snow but spring decor does put a smile on my face…how can it not with all those lovely colours and first blooming flowers set out on a pretty table. And celebrating Easter is definitely my favourite thing about the springtime!
Love seeing this beautiful setting. My husband and I both love beautiful tableware. We are now both retired. We owned a successful business involved in interior design in San Francisco.
I have, for many years, had everyday tableware for Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer. I swap them out for the appropriate season.
We enjoy seeing these beautiful dishes. It gives us a lift and it is like visiting old friends. Although we have other tableware we often use if entertaining, seeing these seasonal plates reminds us of family,friends, and occasions. Well worth the minimal effort of shifting them from one kitchen cupboard to the other.
What a beautiful tablescape! My favorite thing about spring is Easter. I have always hosted lunch at my house after church, with anywhere from 4 to 24 guests. Some years I have set up a spread outside, and other times in the dining room. Whether indoors or out, I always use a set of fine china. (I am blessed that my husband and I have both inherited full sets of fine china, in addition to what we have collected ourselves.) My mother was extremely gifted in making gorgeous floral arrangements from blooms in her yard. She always brought a lush floral centerpiece and the potato salad. Last Easter was the first without her, and I felt her absence deeply. But what more comforting thoughts can we have of our loved ones than on Easter Sunday?
Lovely. Nothing prettier than a spring table in the sunlight. I can almost smell the sweet olive. Thanks for sharing.
The colors are beautiful as is the entire tablescape.
Marion
Just the right touch to welcome Spring.
Jaon
So pretty and elegant.
Marilyn
Amen!
Stunning! The floral tableaux is just gorgeous! That layer of blooming trees and green grass in the background is what makes me miss the South.
In Florida, it’s already too hot to take our gorgeous table outside like that. Unfortunately, Florida is “south” by direction, but not by personality.
My favorite thing about Spring is seeing the first blooms of violets, forsythia, lilacs and my favorite, lily of the valley. “The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come”
Song of Solomon 2:11-12 ❤️