Update Your Table Decorations

Entertaining Essentials for a Romantic Table

The surprising answer: purple and light blue. “Those colors make the room look more romantic,” she says. “It’s not at all how I ever envisioned my dining room, but I love it.”

 

Entertaining Essentials

The centerpiece: Instead of the predictable floral arrangement or a cumbersome candelabra, modest milk-glass cake plates are piled high with a purple cornucopia—plums, grapes, eggplants, and pears. “I love that I can buy all the elements at the supermarket at the last minute,” says Casey.

The place cards: Bunches of champagne grapes from the grocery store placed atop napkins tied with grosgrain ribbon allow guests to nibble while waiting for dinner to be served. The place cards nestle next to them, but they don’t need to be tied together.

The china and the flatware: Gold-rimmed salad plates (which coordinate with Casey’s antique plates) seem less regal when partially veiled by humble white cotton napkins. The simple hand-hammered silverware is elegant but not pretentious.

The linens: A conventional starched white tablecloth would make the dining room look like a haughty hotel restaurant. A pale blue one is a more lighthearted alternative—and the creases keep the table from feeling too uptight.

The glassware: In place of crystal, chunky colored-glass goblets are fun, not fancy. “Frankly, purple is not a color I would usually bring out,” Casey says, “but I’m crazy about this look.”