Category: Teasets and tableware.

Beautiful table settings.

The table is a stage to create your own drama

Posted on by alitaylor

The table is a stage by which to set the party drama, with family and friends as the starring characters. Seating plans are a vital ingredient, to ensure that all your guests have leading roles and nobody finds themselves cast as the extra.

Taking time to plan, create and stage this in advance will break up cliques and partners and ensure that singles are not isolated. This can allow for new unexpected plots, improvisations and monologues but you may wish to avoid any potential drama.

Close up of snow globe held up by hand with red nail varnish. The globe has been shaken to show hand written place name 'Scarlett'.
Insert your guest’s name inside a snow globe for a fun place setting.

Clever use of place settings from calligraphy on handmade paper to notions and keepsakes will break the ice and guide your guest to their seat.

Alternatively ask your guests for a photo in advance (this could also act as an ice-breaker) and use the print for the place setting or take a polaroid picture as the guest arrives.

Write names on cards and place inside a snow globe is another idea and ideal for a themed or Winter’s party.

The colour theme and decorations must create a dramatic backdrop to reflect the character of the season or occasion.

Using table linens will add immediate colour and provides a backdrop for tableware.

 

Layering different fabrics and prints creates interest and helps to establish your theme.

Silver beaded table charger with vintage plates, white napkin and mistletoe holder with gold decrative crackers.
Starched white linen napkins add sophistication and are held in place with ribbon and mistletoe decorations with a crystal heart droplet.

Tablecloth, runner, chargers, coasters and napkins will dress the table for dinner and can be accessorised with napkin rings, cutlery and glasses.

Table setting in blues, greys and white with gold and silver accents. Vintage china plates and white napkins with decorative holders of mistletoe with a crystal droplet. Frosted assorted white frosted flowers in a vase. Candles and fairy lights create atmospheric lighting.
Arctic colour palette combining combinations of cold, icy blues, greys, The cut glass candlesticks and glass pebbles in a dimpled glass vase are enhanced by candlelight and fairy lights creating warmth.white and silver and gold highlights.

If you stick to a simple colour theme try using a variety of textures to create interest but don’t be afraid of colour.

By using contrasting effects or using tones of the same colour, as you would when styling clothing, will encourage you to experiment and take risks.

The centrepiece can be the main focus of the table using candelabra or floral arrangements to create a statement.

A colour scheme of duck egg blue, white, silver and gold together with green foliage and white floral decorations combine to create a chilly Arctic Frosted themed tablescape. 

Atmosphere and mood can be created by carefully considered lighting and should reflect the height and dimensions of the table setting.

Seek to harmonise with the overall room lighting and don’t be afraid to mix natural candlelight with artificial fairy lights.

Adding cut glass, mirrors and sequinned chargers will help to reflect and enhance the glimmer and ambience and complement your guests.

Very cheap and effective lighting can be created using recycled bottles, with thin tapered candles in multiples down the centre of a long tablescape.

Table settings with vintage china, white table linen and decorated with roses in multiple vases and candles in crystal candelabra set on a mirrored charger running down the centre of the table. The backdrop has white net curtains with upside down hanging roses.
The use of a mirrored table charger and multiple glass vases and cut glass candle holders reflect the lights.

Numerous, smaller bottles in a variety of shapes and sizes can hold single flower stems and on mass, added between the candles, will create a spectacular and dramatic scene without breaking the bank.

You will however need to save and store your recycled bottles over time. Using mirrored tiles as a table runner will reflect back and give the illusion of excess and extravagance.

Symmetry and repetition works well and can be particularly effective in large venues with long table settings and numerous guests.

Maximalism is created using upside down hanging roses. This creates a fabulous backdrop, matching the row of single stemmed roses that centre the table. The ingenious use of a mirrored table charger reflects to create depth and further duplication.

Elsa from Frozen is setting the table
Invite Elsa from Frozen for extra magic.

The stage is set, wear your sequined dresses, glittering tops and over the top costume jewellery. Get ready to make your entrance centre stage and let the costume drama begin.

Simply add the music, pop the champagne but remember to give credit behind the scenes and take care to ensure that the chef takes the final bow.

For All The Tea in China

Posted on by alitaylor

Why does tea taste better in a bone china tea cup?

tea and tarts

There is an art to making a perfect cup of tea but the question still remains, does it taste better in a bone china cup and brewed in a teapot?

The Table Dresser has the answers.

It is partly due to the brand of tea and the quality of the tea leaves but also down to the exact chemistry of how to brew the tea, from the freshness and temperature of the water to when to add the milk. Of course the crucial factor is what do you drink the tea from? Your favourite mug or your best china tea set?

blue floral tea cups

Taylors of Harrogate famous for their high quality tea and suppliers to Betty’s Tea Shop give this advice.

”Treat your water kindly. Run the tap so the water is nicely aerated, and only boil it once to keep the oxygen level up. Oxygen in the water helps flavour!

Keep everything toasty. Tea likes hot water, but a chilly teapot cools things down – so swirl a little boiling water around the empty pot first. For bonus points, use that water to warm the cups too.

bone china tea cup and bon bons

Add tea and water. Add two tea bags to a regular teapot or one tea bag to a mini teapot. If you’re using loose tea, add one teaspoon per person and one for the pot. Pour the hot water in and stir a bit.

Wait patiently. Tea needs time to unlock all its flavour, so give it 4 – 5 minutes to do its thing.

Customise your brew. We like a splash of semi-skimmed or whole milk, sugar lemon or nothing at all. Most importantly, enjoy!”

rose bud china

There is also the great debate on when to add the milk? Is it before or after the tea is poured?

When brewing in a mug it is best to pour the water first and put the milk in afterwards as the temperature is important in order to get the best out of the tea bag.

china and fancy cakes

However if you brew in a teapot it doesn’t really matter when you pour your milk as the tea has already infused. The other advantage of using a china teapot is that you can reach for a second cup without having to boil the kettle again.

forget-me-not teapot

Arguably the most important factor in the flawless cup of tea is the utensil from which you drink.

Scientists claim that the calcium in the production of the bone china, together with the smooth surface of the glaze and the fine delicacy of the thinness of the lip, dramatically alters the taste of the tea and can enhance the body of the tea and enrich the tannin.

pink bon bons

Psychology could also play its part in the equation.

The ritual of drinking tea can be seen as an important way of life in many cultures and promotes well-being in the gathering together of people whether it is part of a ceremony or just a welcoming gesture for guests. Whatever the occasion, taking out the best china is an essential part of the ritual and the mindfulness of laying of the table with beautiful linen and tableware contributes to the formality of the event.

cup saucer and plates

Tea and sympathy are essential ingredients when the going gets tough and a friend needs a shoulder to cry on.

Why would you ever consider taking out the mugs when only your best tea service can demonstrate the value placed on your friendship? They are worth the effort and drinking from your best china is proof of how much you care.

pink roses china

Drinking tea can be a solitary activity that gives space to contemplate and meditate and to be alone with one’s thoughts.

The very act of drinking tea can stimulate the mind and encourage creativity and must have played a vital role in the conception of many great works of art and numerous inventions. All the more reason for choosing the appropriate china to mark the occasion of that momentous innovation and eureka moment!

christmas day celebrations

From Chinese ceremonies known as Gong Fu to the English tradition of afternoon tea.

The social aspect of tea drinking has been passed down through the centuries and is still very much a central feature of everyday life. The choice of china from which you drink is fundamental to making the experience unforgettable.

tea cup stack

”He brewed hi tea in a blue china pot, poured it into a chipped white cup with forget-me-knots on the handle, and dropped in a dollop of honey and cream. He sat by the window, cup in hand, watching the first snow fall. ‘I am’ he sighed deeply, ‘contented as a clam. I am a most happy man.’ ”

Ethel Pochocki – Wildflower Tea.