Vivid Hue Home Shares Personal Tablescapes

Earlier this week I shared My Quest for unique Table Wares so that I can set a "proper" table at a dinner party.   I want to start to curate finer china but I feel super uneducated when it comes to names to hunt for and styles that would be considered a "great find" if I'm ever in an antique shop and come across them.

Despite my lack of a fine china collection, I've managed to set my tables in the past using unique plates that were collected through thrift shops, antique stores, and...Home Goods (ha).
I was the bride that didn't register for fine china because I knew my finicky tastes would change over time and I literally like to use different plates every time I host an event.  Setting a themed table is sort of my "thing."

Today, I decided to share some of my tables from the past.  

Vivid Hue Home Dinner Party with Vintage Country theme

This setting was for a dinner party I hosted at my house and I wanted an vintage country type feel.  I wanted to use a mix of place settings as if I'd used my grandmother's china (when in fact, these plates are from Anthropologie and Home Goods).  The tablecloth was April Cornell from Home Goods.  

Vivid Hue Home Country Vintage Dinner Party

Vivid Hue Home Dinner Party

Flowers are key for any table I set.  I generally select one solid hue to decorate with because I think it gives more of a professional look; however, for this event, I mixed and matched wildflowers because it went with the farm/ country style I was seeking.

Vivid Hue Home

And, of course, in true Vivid Hue Home style, there is never lack of color on my tables.  

The next tablescape was used at a Bon Voyage party for our family friends who were moving from Connecticut to Syracuse, New York.  I wanted to incorporate the Blue and Orange Syracuse colors without being too cheesy or over the top....and of course I had to implement a pop of pink!

Vivid Hue Home Bon Voyage Syracuse Dinner Party

 Would you believe I scored these Johnson and Brother plates from (where else), Home Goods?  The bottom placemat is Caspari (sold at my shop).   The orange and white check runner is simply a fabric swatch.

Vivid Hue Home

 I tend to collect fish planters and pots and then incorporate them into my table settings for fresh flowers or water.

Vivid Hue Home

Vivid Hue Home

And last, here is my Christmas table from last year.  We host ten family members (plus 4 kids) for this holidays every year and I look forward to curating a different table every year.  Last year, I used burlap as our table cloth with fresh greens, antlers, red ornaments and plaid napkins.

Vivid Hue Home Christmas Table 

 You'll notice that I use my elephants as centerpieces quite often.  They make a sure statement.  

To see a few more Vivid Hue Home tablescapes, visit the links below:

Valentine's Themed Table    |  Napa November  | Dining Room

 5 Easy Tips for a Stylish Holiday Table by Vivid Hue Home 

Please excuse some of the editing in some of the photos....there was a time period where I overly saturated my photos in the editing process!

I'm digging this more frequent posting thing....Promise I'll try to be more active on this blog.  It's been awhile and I miss sharing my projects and ideas.  In the meantime, if you ever want an up to the minute snapshot of what Vivid Hue is up to, visit our Instagram Page, Vivid Hue Home 

Glitz with Gold: Top Gold Flatware Picks

As I've been planning my holiday tablescape for this year, I've become obsessed with gold flatware. 

There's just something about the gold, it adds a little glitz and glamour to the table. 

 

Courtesy of theLENNOXX

Earlier this week I shared the Gray Malin Photography Collections and mentioned that I'd LOVE to have a print from La Dolce Vita collection (specifically 'Positano'). 

Today, I share with you my favorite gold plated flatware collections.  And yes, these are also on my list for Santa. 

1. Dwell Studio 5 Piece Oro Cutler $100 set 

 

2. Gorham Argento Gold Luster 5 Piece Set  Zappos: Originally $200 Set/ Now on sale $99.95 

 

3.  Soiree Flatware Place Setting Williams-Sonoma $90 Set  

 

4.  Doma Flatware  Anthropologie $98 Set

 

5. Cutipol Rondo Gold Cutlery 5 Pcs Shophorne.com $85 Set

6. Rose Gold Flatware West Elm $112 for 4 place settings- Great Deal! 

 

Glitz with Gold by hgrahling of Vivid Hue Home

 

 

The Rose Gold Flatware by West Elm is a steal with four place settings for $112.  If budget weren't a factor, I'd choose the Gorham Argento Gold Luster set on Zappos.  I love that the knife is also gold plated and the quality appears top notch.  Of course, some would say, if you're only using the gold flatware a few times a year to glitz and glam up a holiday table, then there's no need to invest in a tremendously expensive set of gold.  You can achieve the same goal with a less expensive setting. 

 

If you're one that plans to stay gold year after year, then invest in better quality as it does take a bit more work to maintain the gold flatware from tarnishing. 

 

Courtesy theLENNOXX

 

Ballard Designs' Southern Living Fairhope comes brand new with a vintage patina appearance.  They could easily pass as a family heirloom.  It's possible to have each piece monogrammed.  They don't offer as bright of a gold as some of the other choices but it may save you the trouble of having to maintain the items from tarnish. 

 

 

Either way, I don't think you can go wrong with gold at the table!  It ups the glamour factor to the nth degree...now...if only Santa is reading this!  (hint hint). 

 

Courtesy theLENNOXX

 

 

Do you already own gold flatware?  How do you find the maintenance?  Which do you like out of the choices above?

 

Santa, if you're reading, I'd like selection #2!

 

Cheers,

 

Heather |  Vivid Hue Home

T-Day, V-Day, X-day.....

 Talk about a seasonal weekend.  At one point, I had Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day and Christmas decorations all up in the house.  What is it about this year that has me practically skipping right over turkey day?  I've always been one of those people that feels strongly about not celebrating one holiday until the current one has passed. 

Not. This. Year. 

Here's how my weekend went down. 

Harvest themed flowers were on my breakfast table.  A nice little surprise from my husband. 

 

A fun little (surprise) project in early December had me experimenting with Valentine's Day tablescapes.  I'm torn between introducing mixed china and soft colors or keeping it completely neutral (all white).  Ya'll know I'm a color girl at heart so it's so difficult for me not to pull out the color! 

 

I received the libations bar cart as an early Christmas present and I'm dying to jump into styling the cart.  I picked up this faux-snake skin lamp base on clearance at Targay this weekend. 

I also got these little flower arrangements because I thought I could use them on my V-Day tablescape. 

Here's a sample shot of me playing around with the all white theme.  Do you know how difficult it is to find Valentine's day type items during Christmas season?   

 

 

I went to a Holiday Tablescape event this weekend with some girlfriends and spotted this cleaver DIY sphere on a table that had been decorated all for under $100.   This close up makes it easy to see that it's a Styrofoam ball with straws spray painted but from afar, this was eye-catching and unique!  Such a fun idea. 

 

And I wasn't going to admit this to ya'll...but yes, we hauled out a few of the trees this weekend.  We weren't going to fully decorate them but then one thing lead to another.  It's just less for me to have to do after Thanksgiving so I don't mind so much! 

How did you spend your weekend?  And are you even *thinking* about putting up your seasonal decorations early? 

Putting Around for Memorial Day

Happy belated Memorial Day. 
Our Connecticut weekend originally appeared like it would be a cold chilly wash out.  Thankfully Monday resurrected the holiday and we were able to get out for some old fashioned fun.  EG *strongly dislikes* when I get all personal and share family photos so I *may or may not* have borrowed these photos from getty images and I may be pretending that these are my kiddos...or they may just be stock photography that I pulled from getty.  You'll never know.   

We were thrilled to see the sun in good ole Connecticut on Monday.  What better way to spend the day then go to put put! 

 (Oh ignore that thermometer...it reads forty degrees!  Kidding) 

This getty image kid looks an awful lot like my own little Vivster...

And this little guy swings his golf clubs exactly like a hockey stick.  In fact, we kept having to retrieve his ball from three or four tees over...We had a blast.  After a few arm shots, we had hot dogs and ice cream at the miniature golf course.  Then headed over to our local pool, which opened this weekend.  The water was as cold as icicles but the kids didn't seem to mind!    A great weekend kick-off to the summer (we still have another month left of school here--yikes!) 

How was your Memorial Day?  Did you brave the roads and traffic or airports and getaway to the beaches?  Or did you stay local? 

Remember those antlers?

  Well goodness gracious, where has this month gone?

I gave you a teaser at the beginning of the month about my antlers...and promised ya'll that I'd let you know how I zhushed them up by week's end...well the entire month has almost gone by and I still haven't updated you on these babies.  So here goes.  Most of y'all guessed right... 

I made these guys gold to match my bone inlaid tray with the gold handles.  (For now, they're serving as a prop on my holiday table-and I will report more on that later).  Here's a glimpse of what they were before. 



It was so easy to paint these antlers that I may have fun when them later and paint the tips another fun color just to mix it up.  Can always paint them back to gold later. 

Sorry I've been so radio silence this past week.  The family decided to take a mini vacation to Boston to see a holiday show for the kids, see the grandparents, finish some Xmas shopping (and squeeze in a Killers concert for EG and myself).  We NEVER get a family photo together but managed to get a few together this trip. 

 
(Vivi wasn't feelin it for the first photo, but don't let her fool you...she's a ham at heart.  She shows her true colors by the second photo.  And this is Jack's "dress up" outfit.  It's all we could do to get him out of athletic gear (sweats) and into jeans and a sweater). 

Hope you and your families are healthy and enjoying this holiday season together.  I know we've been giving lots and lots and lots of hugs and kisses in lights of recent events. 

Lots of hugs to you and yours.

xoxo
Heather
Vivid Hue Home

Other links to Vivid Hue Christmas:
Holiday Trees
Sunroom at Christmas
Meaningful tree in Living Room

Gift Wrapping Traditions
Christmas Antlers
Holiday Card Tree and Sunroom Photos
Christmas Table Decorations