Springing for the Perfect Tablescape

DESIGNSpringingFOR THE

Adinner party, either indoors or out, is one of the best ways to greet springtime with your best friends. And setting the table with the best blooms and colors the season has to offer will set the joyful tone you seek for your gathering.

THE CENTERPIECE Start here when mapping out your tablescape to ensure cohesiveness. Florals are more expected and important now than at any other time of the year so select your species and colors accordingly. Local natives like blue flax, blackfoot daisies, golden and Rocky Mountain columbine and penstemon. They also do well with help from lilies, roses, carnations and others found at your local grocery store or florist, if not your own cultivated garden.

You’ll likely lean toward springy colors like whites, pinks, lavenders and yellows, so choose compatible vases or containers, either clear glass or with tints that magnify the flowers’ inherent glow.

LINENS The type and durability of your table will determine whether you want a full tablecloth to conceal the top — if you don’t, using a runner down the middle of a rectangular one is still a good idea to help ground your centerpiece and provide some protection to the tabletop, no matter how bulletproof you think the surface is. Fresh, crisp white linen napkins enhance the spirit of renewal you’re hoping to create for the occasion.

DISHWARE The level of formality will dictate which kind you use, but the air of jubilation that comes with the season makes it a good time to dig out any china you have on hand, patterned or white. The purity and translucence of the material is an ideal match for the newness and delicacy of spring warmth and spring growth. Placing colorful chargers at each table setting will add more warmth to the dinnerware’s cool strength.

GLASSWARE AND SILVERWARE These implements, while just as essential to the act of dining, function more as décor when it comes to setting the table. They frame the dinnerware as they gleam in the light, so their style should be compatible, not too plain or ornate in comparison or they’ll send a conflicting message about the atmosphere you want to create.

Perfect Tablescape