India Inspired Tablescape Before and After

Today I am showing you an India inspired tablescape, both the first time I styled it and the second time when I was actually happy with it.  I usually don’t share my “mistakes”, but I want you to know I don’t always set out to style a pretty table and it works out perfectly.  Sometimes I look at it when I am finished and just give up and put it all away.  This time, I went about the process of making the table work by changing up some of the elements.  

An India Inspired Tablescape

This is how my table was set at first.  Without a cloth or a placemat, the plate stack looked blah to me.  An India Inspired Tablescape

The flowers were beautiful jewel tones that coordinated perfectly with my dishes, but this centerpiece was way too overpowering.  It was time to jazz up the place setting and tone down the centerpiece. DIY Napkin RingsThe first thing I thought was that those plain gold napkin rings did not do anything for these dramatic dishes.  I remembered I had held onto these curtain tiebacks the previous owners had left in our home.  DIY Napkin RingsI went to work fashioning some more elaborate napkin rings that I felt were in keeping with the feeling of my table.  Cutting sections of cardboard tube, I hot glued sections of the tie backs to them, reserving the tassels for the end of the tube.

An India Inspired TablescapeThose made a huge difference right then and there!  An India Inspired TablescapeI wanted to show you these lovely dinner plates without the elephant salad plates on top of them.  These are lovely all by themselves, and without the elephant plates they could be styled an entirely different way.  An India Inspired TablescapeEven though this is from my “before” tablescape, An India Inspired TablescapeI was amazed that these dishes are still available.  I bought them 3 or 4 years ago at World Market, but they still have them, and had these pretty bowls that matched them.  A couple of these with my jewel toned artificial flowers would be perfect for my centerpiece.  An India Inspired TablescapeThen when I discovered this cute little elephant cookie jar at World Market, I knew my centerpiece would be complete.  An India Inspired TablescapeI filled my little elephant with the same artificial flowers and perched the lid on top.  Along with two of the bowls of flowers, my table was looking much better.An India Inspired TablescapeAfter I was done fussing and fixing, my table turned out bright and colorful and ready to host friends for dinner!  Do you sometimes start planning a table one way and end up switching to something else?

 

I will be sharing this at the following link parties:  Tablescape Thursday | Create Link Inspire

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23 Comments

  1. I have the elephant dishes which I used as part of a Bollywood tablescape. Where did the dinner plates come from. Chargers look like Pier 1. Love the centerpiece.

    1. I know, Gayle, don’t you remember, we bought some for each other to complete our sets and mailed them to one another! The dinner plates are also from World Market and they have them in stock at my store right now. The chargers are from Home Goods, they have them on occasion, but Z Gallerie carries them all the time (at a much higher price). Thank you, so good to hear from you!!

  2. I think you are dead-on the second round. The large arrangement was too formal for the ‘Look’ that you definitely achieved on the second table. The little elephants are a stand out, and the tassels add that rich element without taking up too much space. Grins, love this, Sandi

    1. Thank you so much Sandi, I knew it was just not right the first time around! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave me some feedback! I love to hear from readers!

  3. This is a lovely and different table. I really like the way you used the drapery tie backs. How clever you are. Thank you for sharing and inspiring me.

  4. Love your elephant plates and the story of how your table evolved. It is fun when it comes together and you are happy with it. When the creative juices come together it is exciting.

  5. Ahh yes I have started a tablescape with one thing in mind and ended up doing something different. Love the elephant theme and how the table ended up looking. That elephant cookie jar is the cutest! I have to check out those elephant dishes at World Market.

  6. I am in love with this table. Honestly, girl, we do have similar tastes in dinnerware. I have been stalking this set forever, and when I finally decided to buy it, they were out of stock. I love seeing yours, and enjoyed the before and after. I do prefer the after. The tassel napkin rings are beautiful, and so exotic looking. The cookie jar centerpiece is just PERFECT! I still have some tables on my blog that I’m not wild about. Sometimes I just can’t get it the way that I want. Thanks for this wonderful post.

    1. Thank you Pattie! Don’t look too far back on my blog or you will see plenty of tables I am not wild about! Actually, I am not wild about how my photography looked either! Thank you for your kind words!

  7. Rarely do my tables come out exactly like I want them the first time around. I love your before and after version but I must say that elephant centerpiece is very cute. You have a way with napkin rings and I love how you can fashion such pretty ones out of most anything. Is there a line of Napkin Rings by Chloe in your future? I certainly hope so. Beautiful table my friend!

    1. I decided this time to show my “fail” and my “success”. Someday my tech guy will finish editing a blooper reel and you can see my pavlova fail, it was hilarious, I kept telling him, keep videoing..as this pavlova was sliding apart and onto the countertop! Hmmm, I have thought about dishes, but never napkin rings, you have me thinking!

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